Surrender (34 page)

Graemme couldn't believe a mere woman could
ride astride and keep up with the man beside her. He was glad it
had rained the day afore. If not, he would be riding in the dust
behind them. The hunting lodge was closer to Raptor Castle than he
had realized. Once they cleared the forest path behind the castle,
Ranald slowed his pace so Graemme could ride to the left of Elyne
over the open countryside.

When guards on the wall walks spotted them,
the castle piper shrilled a welcoming tune. By the time they
reached the drawbridge and slowed to canter across it, the front
bailey filled with people waving and calling out their names.
Graemme was surprised at the welcome, for they called his name as
well as Elyne's and Ranald's.

They rode up to the foot of the keep's steps.
Chief Broccin and Aunt Joneta stood on the second step with Magnus
and Muriele beside her aunt on the right, and Ranald's wife Catalin
beside her father-by-law. Eager to see her family, Elyne stood in
the stirrups and slung her leg over the hind end of her horse.
Bracing herself with her hands on the saddle, she slipped her left
foot out of the stirrups and sprang to the ground afore Graemme
could help her. The women quickly surrounded her. She hugged
Muriele and leaned back so she could run her fingers through
Muriele's gold and amber colored hair.

"It has grown back even lovelier than it was
afore," Elyne said.

Catalin laughed and kissed Elyne's cheek.
"Aye. We did a good job, did we not?"

"Well, lass, are ye ready to obey yer father
and marry young Graemme here?" Chief Broccin interrupted.

"Do ye give me a choice?" She looked guiltily
at Muriel.

After greeting Elyne, Muriel had moved into
Magnus' embrace and leaned into his side. 'Twas readily apparent
she loved him, though Elyne couldn't understand how she could after
all he'd put her through.

"Child, ye have added gray hairs to my head,"
Aunt Joneta said as she squeezed her tight. "I had a messenger from
Raik. He and Letia couldna come for the children suffered from bad
colds in their chest."

"I will miss them, but they canna take a
chance with the children. The weather turns cold one day and warm
the next."

"Aye. Grunda says I am not to worry. She says
they will be bedeviling their father in less than a sennight."

Glancing around, Elyne saw many people from
surrounding castles. 'Twas a surprise, for Chief Broccin had never
been a friendly sort. But after Ranald had returned from Kelso,
when someone required help to fend off marauders, he had always
responded. He had helped most of them at one time or the other,
either with his healing skills or fighting prowess.

Elyne felt eyes boring into her and turned to
look upward. Beside the doorway to the keep, Ysabel and Grunda
stood, watching everything below. Ysabel gave Elyne a hesitant
smile then her gaze searched through the throng of people until she
found Colyne. Why, her eyes lit up and her cheeks flushed like a
young maiden!

Grunda stirred, bringing Elyne's gaze back to
her. The old crone looked from Elyne to Graemme, who had been so
close to Elyne's back since they'd arrived he might as well shackle
her to his ankle! She glanced at him and was alarmed seeing his
face was so pale. She frowned at Ranald, who had finally finished
talking to Catalin. He glanced at Graemme and immediately came
over.

"Father, we are tired and hungry. Let us
retire to the Great Hall and have ale and something to appease our
hunger."

"Retire to the Great Hall?" Chief Broccin
snorted. "Ye all may retire to yer rooms to freshen up. Father
Matthew has been waiting at the church since Grunda said ye were on
the way."

"What! I am not ready to wed today!" Elyne
had a hard time keeping her jaw from flapping open.

"Ye will be. Yer mother and I wed hours after
we met each other. Ye have had a sennight and more to get to know
Sir Graemme." His jaw squared and he glared at her, defying her to
offer any more resistance.

When he turned and started up the stairway,
his voice floated back to her. Though she was but two steps below
him, he spoke as loud as if she was some distance away.

"Anyone can see yer groom is tired. From the
way ye were going at it by the well, ye've already wore his arse
out. He needs to get the wedding over so he can get some rest."

Surely 'twas the strangest wedding in the
Lowlands of Scotland!

Everything was ready and waiting for them,
from the festive decorations of the Great Hall to her wedding
attire spread out on the bed. When she learned she had Grunda to
thank for it, she wanted to swat the old lady on her nether parts.
The old seer had told Chief Broccin three days earlier exactly when
the couple would reappear.

Everything became a blur from the time they
entered the great doors of the keep until she arrived at the door
to the church. Aunt Joneta, Catalin and Muriel giggled and lifted
her spirits, while Ada and Ysabel helped her in her bath.

"I had time on my hands since Aunt Joneta and
your Father played with the children and kept them from under my
feet," Catalin said, holding up a light blueberry-colored kirtle
with long flowing sleeves.

On the square neckline and the edges of the
flowing sleeves, she had embroidered butterflies sitting on
branches with vividly colored threads. They rivaled the beauty of
Catalin's striking hair which was either gold or red, depending on
the brightness of the sun.

"'Tis beautiful! But I thought ye hated
needle-work."

Catalin grinned. "I like peace and quiet more
than I hate needle-work! 'Twas a good exchange, I believe."

Elyne tried to prolong her bath, but after
her father sent Domnall to rap on her door and tell her the Chief
was beginning to be ill tempered, Elyne surged out of the tub. The
women refrained from commenting on the bruised outline of a man's
hand on her nether cheek. Once she was dry, they slid her smock on
then the lovely kirtle. Aunt Joneta selected a belt made of silver
rings and tied it low on Elyne's hips. A matching silver band held
her unruly hair back from her eyes.

Still, she practically drug her feet until
Chief Broccin himself banged on the door so hard she feared he
would crack the wood.

"Get yerself out here if ye dinna want to be
escorted to the church nekid, daughter!"

"Hault yer scolding, Brither!"

Aunt Joneta frowned at the door as if her
brother could see her. He didn't need to. She had trained herself
to speak as their neighbors did to the south. When Joneta's
Scottish brogue became thick, all of Raptor knew not to prick her
temper. She took Elyne by the shoulders and peered into her
eyes.

"Now, child, delay will nay change the day.
By nightfall, ye will be married. But ye'd best not make yer groom
wait. Ye didna slip him a draught which will make him unable to,
er, perform, did ye?"

Muriele gasped so loud it caused Elyne to
glance over her shoulder at her. Her friend looked horrified.

"Graemme is a gentle man, Elyne," Muriele
said. "He threatened Magnus with bodily harm did he learn Magnus
had mistreated me. He made his brother explain the cuts and bruises
covering my body were not his doing, but my own for falling out of
a tree!"

Elyne snorted. "Huh! Ye all got very quiet of
a sudden when ye saw my nekid nether cheek. He wasna so gentle
then!"

Aunt Joneta's hands dropped from Elyne's
shoulders and her lips tightened disapprovingly. After all, she
knew Elyne better than anyone else did.

"Did ye break yer vow not to poison Sir
Graemme again?"

Elyne groaned. "Nay, I didna. I'm sure Grunda
can give ye an accounting without my saying a word." She stamped
her foot and marched toward the door. "Well, come on, then. We'd
best get the vows done. The men will drink themselves into a stupor
if they dinna get food in their guts."

When she reached the door, she gave a mighty
tug and it flew open to bang against the wall. She almost got her
forehead rapped, for Colyne stood outside with his knuckles
raised.

"Well, I am pleased I dinna have to break
down the door," he said with a silly grin.

"Why would ye dare to do such?" She raised a
brow and waited for his answer.

"Graemme said I was to take an axe to it if
ye had barricaded yerself inside." Colyne looked only too happy to
relay his information. "He seems impatient to consummate the
wedding. I think he longs to sleep," he said with a light
snicker.

He hiccupped then slapped his hand over his
mouth. 'Twas obvious he'd had a few swigs of the strong Scottish
drink distilled from rye. They called it
usquebaugh
the
'water of life,' but why, she didn't know. It seemed to make fools
of even wise men.

"Keep yer tongue behind yer teeth, fool,"
Brian said as he came up behind him. "She is dressed and ready for
the wedding, not the bedding."

"But they already had a bedding. In the
woods. Remember?" Colyne looked confused. "Oh! Squat wanted to be
in the wedding, too, but yer brother willna let him."

"Squat knows nothing of weddings." Elyne said
with disgust.

"Does too. He scrambled, uh," he took his
hand and swirled it in the air, "ye know, what was in big pewter
pitchers is now on the steps? Ate some, too."

"Flowers?" Aunt Joneta supplied.

Brian nodded. "Made him spew all over the
floor. Servants are cleaning up now."

"Aye. 'Tis why the Black Raptor wouldna let
him attend the wedding. Had to give him a tonic to quiet his
stomach."

Brian rolled his eyes then near fell over
when it made him dizzy. "I know ye are eager and wish to run to yer
groom, but 'twould be better if ye walk… slooow."

Colyne grinned now they'd relayed what was
going on below. Two very large hands separated the two men. Ranald
quietly turned them around and pointed to the stairwell.

"Go and tell Sir Graemme his bride is on her
way."

They bobbed their heads and tussled with each
other as to who was going down the spiral stairs first. If they
weren't careful, they'd both end at the bottom with broken
limbs.

"I am sorry, little one. The Chief grew tired
of waiting and brought out the barrels too early. Now half the men
are tripping over their feet. Including him."

He held out his arm and Elyne tried to still
her trembling when she placed her hand on it. He covered it with
his own and gave her a gentle squeeze of encouragement. Aunt Joneta
arranged the ladies in pairs and they followed the brother and
sister down the stairwell, through the Great Hall and out into the
bailey.

"Dinna worry. The servants will set the room
to rights afore we get back," he said as they walked through the
Great Hall. Servants were frantically straightening the white table
cloths, replacing the pewter goblets with clean ones and picking up
the tipped over benches.

When they went through the great doors,
everyone had gathered on the sides of the stairs leading down and
along the path to the small church in the corner of the bailey. The
women all cheered but the men were busy belching and weaving.

Elyne saw wives pinching husbands' arms,
forcing them to be quiet and stand straight. Elyne couldn't hold
back a giggle.

"'Tis a wonder they dinna tweak their ears.
The warriors dinna look to have touched a drop," she whispered to
her brother.

"They know better than to drink afore I have
released them from duties," Ranald said with a smile down at her.
"We need 'sober' witnesses, after all."

Elyne clutched his arm as they walked between
the people lining the path. She spied her father waiting at the
foot of the stairs to the church. By his blurry eyes, he must have
been the first to toast the coming wedding. When they drew near,
Ranald relinquished her arm and placed her hand on Chief Broccin's
arm. Ranald stayed behind her as they walked up to the steps to
meet Graemme.

Graemme and Magnus stood together, both sober
and dressed in beautiful wedding attire. They wore forest green
bonnets, green, black and blue woolen kilts held at the shoulders
of their creamy white shirts with the Morgan Clan Pin. Her nether
cheeks had good reason to believe the motto etched in Latin on it.
Their white stockings had black tassels above the tops of their
shiny black boots.

Though Magnus looked relaxed, Graemme's face
was still pale and drawn. She was grateful when he gave her an
encouraging smile and looked at her with eyes that said she was
beautiful beyond what he had expected.

From there on until the end, the ceremony
passed in a blur. Father Matthew must have had orders to keep it
brief for he nearly flew through the vows and had a short mass
afterward. She did not remember repeating the vows after Father
Matthew until it was over. When he said "promise to never give him
concoctions to disable him in any way," she heard herself repeating
the words though she had determined beforehand she would not.

Graemme's kiss afterward was stunning. She
found herself enfolded in a warm embrace, his mouth slowly lowered
to hers and he bent her backward over his arm with an enthusiastic
kiss which left her breathless. Her heart beat to a wild rhythm
like someone in her chest played an ancient Celtic Bodhran with its
bone tippers.

When they straightened, her father was the
first to grab her in his arms. She was shocked to see tear tracks
down his cheeks. Never once in his life had he said "I love ye,"
but she felt it in his bear hug and heard it in his whisper, "If
ever yer dreams prove true and he harms ye, I will tear him limb
from limb."

He released her for the rest of the crowd to
greet her as Graemme's wife. Men looked toward the Black Raptor and
restrained their drunken ardor. They didna want their ears singed.
Others not familiar with Ranald's strange gifts looked to old
Grunda and quickly sobered. Everyone knew the old seer could cause
a man's precious parts to wither and become useless!