Page 36 of The Dawn

He looked up at me and nodded. Then he rose from the chair and got down on his knees. He drew my hand up and he held it in his and pressed his lips to the back of it. “Aye.”

His hands were big and strong, rough and calloused, very warm as they enclosed my hand. I waited, quietly. He said, “Ash... Madame Ash, would ye do me the honor of marryin’ yerlowly servant, Lochinvar?” He looked up at me. “Please daena say nae.”

I drew his hands up and kissed his finger tips. Then clutched his hands to my front. “Yes, Lochinvar, I will marry you.”

“Ye will?”

I nodded. “Thank you for asking.”

“I will never beguile ye...”

I let go of his hand to press a finger to his lips. “Shush, my love, I know, I know you will never. I have forgiven you, fully, in my heart.”

“I am grateful for it.”

“And we will be a team, a family, we will take care of each other and look out for each other, and so I know you won’t beguile me, because to do it would be to beguile yourself, you know?”

“Aye, we are tied.”

“Yes, we will be...” I looked down on him and tilted my head. “So how do we get married in front of your family?”

“We must meet them in the past, at Stirling castle.”

“So, once we go see Don in Florida, then we can go, once I’m ready?”

“Aye, as we planned. Once Quentin and James are returned, sometime tomorrow, we will go tae Florida as planned. Then, as soon as ye are ready, we will gather our things and go back tae be with Magnus and the rest of m’family at Stirling.”

I said, “Good, that seems right. Then we will get married, at Stirling.”

“Aye. At Stirling.”

I looked at the far wall. “Is there danger? Are we the cause of it?”

He said, “Aye, there is danger, but we arna the cause, tis more likely that Magnus’s throne is the reason. But I daena kenwhat the danger is, so we ought tae do what we mean tae do, and ken that I will protect ye.”

“I would never want to put all those kids in the nursery in danger?—”

“Tis not yer problem, Ash. Liam and the guards of Balloch will protect their families, they hae been doing it for a long time. And none of it will be an issue once we leave for Magnus’s castle.”

“Good. And once we’re there how long will it take to plan a wedding?”

“I daena ken, I hae never been married... I suppose we would hae tae call everyone taegether and?—”

“Where I come from it can take months to plan.”

“Och, I would think a good marriage could come taegether in an afternoon.”

I smiled. “Do your knees hurt?”

“Aye, but I can stay here all day, tis easy tae override — ye are sayin’ that when we go tae Stirling we will get married there. This is what ye are wantin’?”

“Yes, simple really, right? Not really atalla reason to be freaking out.”

“Aye, I love ye, Ash.”

“I love you too.”

He stood up and brushed off his knees as there was a knock on the door. Three servants entered, bringing baskets and covered plates, a stack of dishes, and a tureen with soup, placing it on the small table in the room.

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