Page 47 of Highlander's Secret Heiress
Now Shona was putting the finishing touches to Alyth’s hair while Maisie looked on with a proud smile. “Well, I never thought I would see the day when Lachlan would gie his heart tae another woman,” she said happily.
“And I never thought I would give my heart to anyone!” Alyth said in disbelief.
“Well, it’s in good hands, hen,” Maisie remarked, smiling at her fondly.
“I know, Maisie,” Alyth agreed, smiling. “The very best.”
She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her dress was made of crimson satin with a modest round neckline, fitted to the waist and flaring out at the hips. It had an underdress of cream satin visible through a slit in the front, and sleeves that flared into a bell shape from the elbow, and it was neither too elaborate nor too plain. She wore no jewellery except for her mother’s pendant.
“Ye look like a queen, Mistress,” Shona said, wiping a tear from her eye.
“Aye,” Maisie agreed.
Maisie offered Alyth her elbow and they walked downstairs. Alyth’s heart was beating nineteen to the dozen as they approached the entry to the Great Hall, which was where the wedding was to take place. The chapel was simply too small.
They waited for a moment while Alyth collected herself, then she nodded to Maisie and went inside.
Immediately, all eyes turned to her. Although she had thought she was prepared, Alyth was overwhelmed by how many people were in the enormous room.
Presently, her father approached her and took her by the elbow. He had to separate himself gently from Davina, who had adopted him as her grandfather almost as soon as she saw him, just as she had adopted Alyth. He looked so much better, Alyth thought. He had put on weight and his face looked younger, having lost all the lines of strain that had formed during Laird Robertson’s stay.
“I must go now, Davina,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “You know that your Da and Alyth are getting married? Well, when the wedding is over, I will be your grandfather, officially. So I will see you in a wee while. You can sit beside me at the table.”
Davina almost pushed him out to Alyth’s side. “Hurry up!” she said, grinning.
She was speaking fluently now, and could often be seen chatting to Laird MacAdams while walking around the gardens. They would even go riding together on the same horse, and it warmed both Alyth’s and Lachlan’s hearts to see how much she had progressed in such a short time.
The Laird took Alyth’s arm, and they walked down the aisle that had been made for them between the guests. Now Alyth was living the scene she had visualised when she was moving towards the living hell she had faced with Robertson. She hadimagined that her future was with Lachlan, and now it was no longer a fantasy, but a reality.
Lachlan could hardly believe that Alyth—his Alyth, his love, was coming towards him, looking like a rose in full bloom. She was beyond beautiful, and as he gazed at her, his eyes were shining with love.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered,
“So do you,” she replied, making him laugh softly.
They turned to the minister, Reverend Gillespie, and the service began. They repeated the usual vows as the minister instructed them, but as Lachlan slipped the wedding band on her finger, Alyth felt tears pricking her eyes. From this moment on, she was Lachlan’s wife, bound to him by ties of love and loyalty. Her life had changed from the moment she felt the gold ring touching her finger; she would never be the same again.
When they were done with the formal part of the wedding, Reverend Gillespie said, “Now, Lachlan, I believe you an’ Alyth have something tae say tae each other.”
Lachlan took Alyth’s hands and kissed them. “My love,” he began. “I want you to know how much you mean to me. You are my whole life, and I promise to be the best man I can be just for you. You make me feel as though I could do anything. If we are blessed with children—and I hope we are—I will be the best father I can be. I will be strong for them, and protect them with my life, as I will do for you and my beloved Davina. I cannot imagine living without you, my Alyth, my love, my wife.”
Alyth wanted to throw herself into Lachlan’s arms at that moment and kiss him hungrily, but it was not the time or the place. She satisfied herself by standing on tiptoe and giving him a soft kiss on the lips, then said, “Lachlan, you are my love, my heart, my shelter, and my home. I cannot imagine what would have happened to me had you not rescued me from a fate worse than death. I want to be the best wife I can, and the best motherto Davina and all our other children because there will be many of them, I promise.”
Lachlan put his arms around Alyth and hugged her tenderly, then gave her a look that held the promise of great things later when they were alone. Her body shivered in anticipation. They turned and walked out of the hall, which had to be made ready for the feast.
As they reached the door, Davina came out of the throng of guests and made her way straight to Alyth. Looking up at her with a smile, she asked, “Are you my Mammy now?”
Alyth was stunned. This was the last thing she had expected, but she felt a wave of happiness wash over her. “If you want me to be,” she replied.
Davina’s face broke into a wide grin. “I do,” she said happily. “Can I call you Mammy?”
“Of course,” Alyth answered. She was a little too young to act as Davina’s mother, but if it made her happy, Alyth was content.
Lachlan was watching them, thinking how much his life had changed for the better since he met Alyth. After Sandie’s death he had thought he would never be happy again, but now he was—gloriously happy, and so was Davina. His life was complete.
Alyth had never seen so much food as she did that evening. It was, of course, a feast for a few hundred people, and Alyth had insisted that all the servants and guards should be catered for too. She and Lachlan circulated amongst their guests being as polite as the occasion required, but both of them wanted nothing more than to be alone in their room. There they could truly express their love for each other without interruption.
However, there was still one thing weighing on Alyth’s mind—her father. She felt that she had been unduly harsh on him and it was time to put things right.
