Page 71 of Rose
Ian held out his arm for her. “If he has earned yer love, then I want nothing more than to have the honor of walking ye down the aisle.”
Rose took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. On Ian’s arm, she stepped into the chapel. Sunlight slanted through the stained-glass window in beams of color. And there, standing at the alter with Philip at his side, was Tristan.
Her heart leapt as he smiled at her.
Suddenly, her nerves disappeared. The chapel faded away. The murmur of voices no longer penetrated her ears. There was only Tristan.
They stood now, holding each other’s hands, speaking vows that had been etched on their hearts since the beginning of time. When he lowered his lips to hers the chapel erupted in cheers from the Messenger’s crew. Rose blushed when Tristan pulled away and smiled at the men who whistled and waved despite their holy surroundings.
After the ceremony, she stood beside her husband while Tristan’s friends and family congratulated them, calling her Mistress Thatcher. More than once, she felt a rush of relief knowing that this time it was all real. When Philip appeared in front of her, she threw her arms around his neck, incapable of holding in her delight.
“I always knew pretense would become reality,” he whispered. He pulled away and smiled down at her. “The sea is a faithful mistress and rewards those whose love is real.”
“Thank ye, Philip,” she said. “I would not be here were it not for ye.”
“You are here because of who you are,” he said. Then he bowed to her. “I wish you both every happiness.”
The next moment, Philip’s trim, elegant figure was replaced by Ian and Ramsay’s massive frames. They both slapped Tristan on the back.
“We’ll be sailing for the isles in a few days if you want to join us,” Tristan offered to Ian.
Ian rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, ye see, Captain, I’m not ready to return home just yet, but I do, in fact, need passage north for myself.” He motioned then to the large, blond blacksmith behind him. “And for Ramsay, and some…er…cargo.”
Tristan nodded. “That should be no problem. What sort of cargo?”
Ian smiled. “Oh, ye know, ‘tis just a bit of this and that, odds and ends and what not,” he said, winking at Rose.
At that moment, she knew she had to tell Tristan about her family of Scottish Outlaws, but when he suddenly swung her up into his arms and carried her out of the church and set her on his white steed, she decided it could wait another day.
