Page 16 of To Wed a Witch
A sharp knock at the door interrupted them."Sìne?May I enter?"
"Aye, come in, Da."
Paisley greeted the laird, then ducked out of the chamber to ready herself for the wedding.
Laird MacKay stepped into the chamber, and his breath caught when he saw Sìne and Aidyn.For a moment, his weathered features softened."Ye look just like yer mother," he said quietly."She would be proud to see ye now."
Unexpected tears pricked Sìne's eyes."Would she, Da?Even knowing about..."She gestured toward Aidyn.
"Aye, even then.If she were alive, she would have handled things so differently with ye and my...granddaughter."He stared at baby Aidyn with regret shining in his eyes before his expression became serious."Daughter, there's something ye should ken before the ceremony.Laird Ferguson has been...managing the situation."
"What do ye mean?"
"Word has spread through the Keep and into the village that ye and Bhaltair were...acquainted before.That Aidyn is his child, and he's come to claim both of ye after being separated by clan troubles."
Sìne stared at him in shock."He what?"
"It seems his men have backed his claims," Laird MacKay continued."By their telling, Bhaltair was desperately in love with ye but was forced away by his uncle's death and the troubles with his clan.Now he's returned to make an honest woman out of ye and claim his daughter."
"But that's not true."
"It does not matter whether 'tis the truth or not," MacKay cut her off."Dinnae ye see?By the time this day is done, the crowd will believe it.Ye'll be the lost love he finally made his wife.Aidyn will be his acknowledged daughter, and ye'll have a chance at a real life."
"He did this...for us?"
"Aye.His men swear they've kenned about ye for some time and that Bhaltair spoke of little else during the darkest days of his clan's troubles.That goes a long way to show their loyalty to him, which now extends to ye."
Sìne sank onto the edge of her bed, Aidyn clutching at her gown.The magnitude of Bhaltair's gesture overwhelmed her.He had given her something she'd never dared hope for.He had given her respectability.Not just for herself, but for Aidyn.
"The congregation will expect to see evidence of his attachment to the child," MacKay warned."Ye'll need to play the part convincingly."
"It will not be difficult," Sìne whispered, remembering the way Bhaltair had held Aidyn so naturally, the gentle way he'd stroked her cheek."Aidyn took to him immediately."
A commotion in the courtyard below drew Laird MacKay to the window."The Ferguson party is ready.'Tis time."
Sìne's heart hammered against her ribs as she rose, settling Aidyn more securely in her arm."I guess 'tis time to start our new life.I hope this is the right decision."
Laird MacKay took her free hand in his."Listen to me, lass.Laird Ferguson chose to protect ye when he could have simply sent ye away.That tells me everything I need to ken about his character.Trust in that."
***
THE CHAPEL WAS PACKEDto bursting.Every seat in the small stone sanctuary was filled, and more people pressed against the walls and crowded near the doors.Word of the wedding had spread, drawing not only the MacKay clan but visitors from neighboring settlements, all curious to witness the marriage of the legendary witch to the desperate Ferguson laird.
But as Sìne entered on her father's arm, she could see the change in their faces.Where she had expected hostility, she found something else entirely.The whispers that followed her down the aisle carried a very different tone than she'd feared.
"Look how bonnie she is..."
"Ferguson waited all this time for her..."
"A true love match..."
"The babe even has the look of the Ferguson about her."
She gazed down at Aidyn, who she held in her other arm, and smiled.Paisley had tried to mind Aidyn for the ceremony, but her daughter had wailed like a banshee, refusing to be separated from Sìne.Eventually she won in the end and was now walking down the aisle firmly attached to her mother's hip.
***
BHALTAIR COULD BARELYcatch his breath at the mere sight of Sìne holding Aidyn and walking toward him.He thought it the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen, and when Sìne smiled at him with such affection, it did something strange to his heart.
