Page 14 of To Wed a Witch
"If he were still alive, I'd love nothing more than to run him through with my claymore.But it matters not because ye and Aidyn are mine now!"
She nodded.The intensity with which Bhaltair made his declaration did strange things in her belly.
The remainder of their time together went without incident.They came to a better understanding of one another, and at least that showed they could make the best of a marriage neither would have chosen freely if not for their circumstances.Sìne was content with that, for she knew it would have to do.Bhaltair Ferguson had shown himself to be a fair man of good character.
When Bhaltair finally rose to leave, Sìne felt an unexpected pang of loss.He walked over to the cradle and gently laid Aidyn inside, but not before Sìne caught him stroking the babe's cheek as he covered her with the tiny woolen blanket.It was a gentle action that spoke volumes, and Sìne felt emotional at the sight of it.She choked down the lump in her throat.No one outside of her and Paisley had ever shown kindness to Aidyn.Even her own father refused to acknowledge his grandchild publicly, choosing to hide her away like a shameful secret.
When Bhaltair made his farewell, Sìne hurried to the kitchen."Wait," she said."I almost forgot."
She emerged with a cloth-wrapped bundle."I baked too much yesterday, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.Bannock, some cider, and oat cakes with honey and dried berries...for yer men."
Bhaltair stared at the large bundle in her hands, something dark and possessive stirring in his chest.Even after everything, she still thought of his men's comfort.Aye, he thought.She would make a fine mistress for his clan.
"That's...thoughtful of ye," Bhaltair managed, accepting the bundle.
As they emerged from the cottage, Dugald and the other men looked up hopefully.When they caught sight of the wrapped bundle in their laird's hands, their faces lit up.
"Is that what I think it is?"Dugald asked.
"Bannock and oat cakes," Sìne called out cheerfully."With honey and berries.I thought ye might enjoy them for the journey back to the keep."
The men practically beamed at her, and Murphy replied, "Bless ye, mistress.We've been eating nothing but dried meat and stale bread for days."
Bhaltair's scowl deepened as he watched his men's obvious delight, but it was tempered by something else now, namely pride.This was his future wife, showing kindness to his men, holding their future in her hands.The thought sent a strange warmth through his chest.
"Thank ye again," he said stiffly, handing the bundle to Dugald.
"I should have told ye about Aidyn from the beginning," she whispered quietly.
"Yer father thought otherwise.But I'm glad I ken everything now."He reached out tentatively and gently tucked a loose tendril away from her face, grinning when she blushed at the contact.
Bhaltair's voice was gruff with unexpected emotion."I'll see ye at the wedding.In the meantime, I will post guards to keep watch over ye both until then."
As he rode away, Sìne stood in her garden watching until he disappeared into the mist between the trees.
***
THE RIDE BACK TO MACKAYKeep should have been uneventful, but Bhaltair found his thoughts circling back to the cottage and its inhabitants.Sìne MacKay and her daughter Aidyn had changed everything in the space of an hour.
An unwed mother.A woman who'd been abandoned by her child's father and left to face the world's scorn alone.No doubt the rumors about her had grown when she was with child.A convenient way to keep her hidden without admitting the truth.
He thought of the way Sìne had positioned herself between him and Aidyn when he'd barged into the cottage, fierce as any she-wolf protecting her cub.The desperate look in her eyes when she'd thought he might reject them both.And then the profound relief when he'd accepted Aidyn and let the child fall asleep against his shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Which, perhaps, it was.
Bhaltair had never given much thought to children.His own clan's struggles had consumed him entirely, leaving no room for dreams of family or heirs.But watching Sìne with Aidyn and the gentle way she'd soothed her, the love that radiated from every touch and whispered word, had stirred something in his chest he hadn't expected.
The wee one was bonnie, with her mother's hair and bright, intelligent eyes.She'd shown no fear of Bhaltair, had reached for him with the trusting nature of a child who'd known only love and protection.When she'd fallen asleep against Bhaltair's shoulder, thumb in her mouth and face peaceful...
It had felt right.
"Ye and Aidyn are mine now."The words had come out with such fierce possessiveness that they'd surprised even him.But he'd meant it.Every word.Whatever had driven him to this marriage initially—duty, desperation, the need to save his clan—had transformed into something deeper.
His jaw clenched as he thought of Ferguson Keep waiting for them.The Great Hall where chunks of mortar fell from the ceiling.The leaking roof, the chambers where tapestries hung in tatters, trying to hide walls stained with damp.What kind of life was he offering a woman and child?What right did he have to take them from that bonnie cottage with its herb garden and peaceful sanctuary?
Sìne looked so beautiful by the hearth, moving with unconscious grace as she prepared tea, her face soft with love as she tended to Aidyn.He could easily imagine her in his own Keep, bringing warmth and life to lifeless rooms that he'd come to view as prison cells.He could picture Aidyn learning to walk properly in the Great Hall, filling the echoing space with laughter instead of the hollow sound of despair.
But would Sìne be happy there?Would she come to regret leaving her haven for his crumbling castle and struggling clan?The thought of her disappointment made his chest tight with an emotion he didn't want to name.
