The Clan MacDougall Series (125 page)

Wee William took his threat very seriously. He had given similar speeches to each of the men who had married three of his six sisters. Wee William had meant every word he had said to those men and he knew that John meant the words he just spoke. He knew that he was not the only man to love Nora and hold her in such regard. John loved her, as a brother, and that was something that could never be undone.

“As God is me witness, John, I will die before I let any harm come to yer sister. I swear to ye, that I will never do anything to hurt her in any fashion, either by word, deed or action.”

“You will treat her with nothing but respect then?” John asked.

“Aye. And I’ll kill any son of a whore that would even think to cause her harm.”

John nodded his head as his lips twitched ever so slightly. He believed Wee William. “I’ll be watching you, William, and will hold you to your word.”

“I love yer sister, John. I swear to ye this day that the marriage she and I will have will be nothing like the one she had with that bastard, Horace Crawford. I’ll never send ye or yer sister away. I’ll never raise a hand to any of ye.” As an afterthought, he added, “But don’t take that to mean that I’ll no’ hold ye to high standards and will no’ expect ye to act as a good lad and a kind young man. Ye’ll remember yer manners at all times. And keep in mind, there are worse punishments than a beatin’!” Wee William winked at him.

Wee William could tell by the expression on the boy’s face, that his curiosity was piqued, but Wee William chose not to expound upon his playful warning. He winked at John, placed a large hand on his shoulder and led him back to the celebration.

“John,” Wee William said as they made their way through the crowd. “I’d like ye to stand with me this day, as my best man.”

John’s brow furrowed as he looked up at his soon to be brother-in-law. He wasn’t sure what a best man was, but it sounded important. “What does a best man do?”

“Well, ye stand as me witness to marryin’ yer sister. And ye swear an oath that if anything happens to me, ye make sure she is cared for.” He patted John on the back when John cast him a look that said he planned on doing that anyway. “And, ye hold the ring.”

’Twas then that Wee William’s face went ashen. He began mumbling in Gaelic, crossed himself, and mumbled further.

“What is it Wee William?” John asked, growing very concerned for his future brother-in-law.

Rowan and Black Richard had taken note of Wee William’s pale skin, wide eyes, and all around terrified expression. They stepped forward and asked the same question.

“I do no’ have a ring!” Wee William finally blurted out in Gaelic.

Rowan and Black Richard crossed themselves before Black Richard handed a cup of whiskey to Wee William.

“This is no’ good, Wee William!”

“What isn’t good?” John asked, growing more concerned by the moment.

Rowan looked down at the boy. “Wee William does no’ have a ring to give yer sister.”

John didn’t understand why that was so important. “Is that bad?”

All three men turned their eyes toward John and looked at him as though he’d just grown a tail and wings.

“Of course it be bad!” Rowan answered. “Ye have to have a ring to give yer bride. And it must be made of gold. And it must fit her finger perfectly, or ’tis bad luck!”

“Bad luck?” John thought the men were being ridiculous. “Horace never gave her a ring.”

“Ye see? And how did that marriage turn out?” Black Richard asked rhetorically. He also looked rather repulsed.

“Ye willna find a Scottish woman in all the world who will marry without a proper fittin’ ring!” Rowan explained.

John thought on it for a moment before a chuckle escaped his lips. “But remember, she isn’t Scottish! She’s English.”

The three men looked aghast. “She be no’ English anymore, John. No’ since she stepped onto Scottish land and William claimed her.” Rowan informed him.

“Aye,” Black Richard said. “I never thought she acted like a Sassenach to begin with. None of ye do.”

John wasn’t sure what they meant by
that.
Weeks ago, he’d come to the conclusion that Scots weren’t right in their own heads. While he found them all kind and generous, they had such odd ways about them. They took superstition to new heights. The men he’d grown up around did not hold much value to the superstitions like the womenfolk did. But here, things were very different.

John sighed. “Is there time to make her a ring?”

All three eyes were upon him once again.

“They’ll be down any moment, John! Nay, there be no time.” Rowan said. The boy was daft.

Wee William’s mind had been racing, only paying half attention to the conversation going on around him. His mother would kill him if she found out he married without a proper ring. His grandmother would come back from the grave to haunt him. Knowing his grandmother, she’d bring all her family with her. He’d never find a moment’s rest.

Angus stepped forward to offer his congratulations and immediately he knew something was wrong. Rowan quickly explained the situation to him. Angus crossed himself, said a prayer, and then thumped Wee William along the side of his head.

“How could ye say ye wanted to marry this day and no’ have a ring to give her?”

Wee William already felt miserable and did not appreciate being chastised like a child. “I was no’ in me right head, Angus! I be just as surprised as the rest of ye!”

“They say there isn’t time to make a proper ring,” John told Angus. “The women will be back any moment.”

Angus threw his head back and laughed until tears formed in his eyes. “Lads,” he said as his laughter began to subside. “Ye’ve got a bride above stairs in a room filled with me wife, me two daughters, and God only kens who else. I’ve learned over the years, that a woman will take as much time as she damn well chooses.”

Angus had lost five groats on his bet with Thomas Gainer that Wee William would at the very least, beat someone senseless this day. “I’ll wager each of ye here, that the women will no’ have the bride ready fer two hours.”

Wee William decided Angus had been married a very long time and had experience on his side. He refused to take the wager. Two hours? Certainly the smithy could work some magic in that time.

Runners were quickly dispatched to go above stairs with a bit of string to have Nora’s finger measured. Rowan found the smithy, who, thankfully, was not too far into his cups to fashion a wedding ring on such short notice.

Even on this most special day, Wee William had to barter with the smithy on the price for the ring. When all was said and done, the ring was going to not only cost Wee William a small fortune, but he was forced to promise he would not kill the smithy when he danced with Nora at the wedding feast.

Engaged less than a half an hour and he’d had one young boy threaten to take his life if he hurt his sister, been thumped in the head by Angus, and had to bargain with the devil to get his bride a ring. Wee William slammed back a tankard of ale and prayed that the marriage itself would be far simpler than anything he experienced thus far this day.

Nora took his breath away.

Beautiful. Stunning. Brilliant.

It was three hours before she walked down the aisle of the small kirk, her hand resting on Angus’ arm. Wee William could not take his eyes away from her.

She looked regal in the silver gossamer gown that twinkled in the waning afternoon light. The dress trailed behind her a good three feet as twinkling bits of silver thread glistened from the ends of the long, draping sleeves, the neckline and the hem.

Shimmering pearls and silver beads were threaded through her long dark hair as it cascaded down her back in waves. A whisper thin veil was attached to her hair and fell away as she walked along the aisle. An icy blue and silver belt hung around her tiny waist. Draped across her chest was the blue, yellow and green MacDougall plaid, held together with a beautiful brooch.

Wee William suddenly wished he had not agreed to a wedding feast. He wanted nothing more at this moment than to say his “I do’s” and take her back to their cottage and get Nora out of her dress as quickly as possible. He did not think he could survive the next few hours.

Angus and Nora finally made their way to the front of the kirk. Aishlinn and Elise stood beside her, while John and Rowan stood beside Wee William.

If anyone were to ask him later, exactly what vows he spoke that day, Wee William would have been hard pressed to tell them. He was too enraptured by how beautiful Nora looked to pay much attention to anything else.

When it was finally time to place the tiny gold band on her finger, his hands were shaking so much that he nearly dropped the ring on the floor.

As he slipped the tiny gold band first onto her thumb, then her index finger, then her middle finger, he murmured the words, “
In ainm an althair, mac, agus an taibhse noafa
,” In the name of the father, the son, the holy ghost. On his amen, he placed the ring on the third finger of her left hand.

Father Michael placed a hand on each of their heads and blessed them.

“Ye may now kiss yer bride, William of Dunshire,” Father Michael said with a smile.

Wee William placed a hand on Nora’s waist and drew her into his chest. He kissed her, a bit more passionately than was probably proper for a church, but he cared not. She was now, finally his.

The crowd inside and outside the church erupted into a loud cheer as they followed Wee William and Nora back to the grand gathering room for the wedding feast.

The wedding feast lasted well into the night. Nora and Wee William, along with the hundreds of guests, had eaten, drunk, and danced to their hearts content. One toast after another was made wishing them both a long happy life filled with many children.

John’s mood had lightened considerably and even he danced a time or two with each of his sisters and a few of the younger lasses. It was a very happy day in deed.

All through the evening, Wee William watched his wife closely. She looked radiant and quite happy. Her cheeks were flushed from all the dancing and never had he seen her smile so much as he did this night. He made a solemn oath that he would spend every day of his life making sure that smile never left her sweet and bonny face.

The hour grew late and the party began to die down. Elise and John would spend the next day or two at the castle while Wee William and his wife enjoyed their wedding night in the home he had built for them.

Nora had been speaking with Aishlinn, Isobel, and Mary when Wee William called for her from across the room. “Wife!”

Nora turned and smiled at him as she bit her bottom lip. She caught the glimmer of playfulness in his eyes as he stood with his hands resting on his hips. As she started to run to him, Isobel held her back.

“Nay lass! Ye don’ go a runnin’ every time he bellers!” she giggled. “He’ll get used to it and expect it from ye all the time! Make
him
wait. He’ll come to ye, ye’ll see.”

The women broke into a fit of giggles before turning serious expressions toward Wee William. The smile left his face. “What be ye tellin’ me bride there lassies?” he asked as he crossed the room toward his wife.

The women broke into another round of giggles. “See?” Aishlinn told Nora. “Only let him think he’s the master of his castle. Ye’ll ken the truth!”

Wee William approached, crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the women. “What are ye tellin’ me wife?”

Isobel cleared her throat and tried to look serious. “Nothin’ much, Wee William. Just some marital advice.”

“What kind?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mary slapped Wee William on his arm. “Now don’ ye go fashin’ yerself over it, Wee William. We were just telling her to that she must always listen to ye and do as ye tell her.”

The women cast knowing glances at one another before breaking into more laughter.

Wee William seriously doubted that these women were telling his wife any such thing but he decided to play along.

“Well then,” he said as he scooped Nora up into his arms. She squealed, much to his delight. “If that be the case, we’ll be leavin’ now!” He raised his eyebrows and cast a wink toward the group of giggling women.

From across the room, Rowan and Black Richard, well into their cups shouted at Wee William. “Do ye ken what yer to do now, Wee William?” “Don’t be frightened Wee William! I’m sure yer wife will be gentle with ye!”

Wee William chose to ignore them as he carried his wife out of the gathering room and out of the castle.

Nora’s smile warmed his heart. “What are we doing, now William?” she asked.

“We’re goin’ home, lass,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I believe it be time to make the marriage official.”

Nora’s smile quickly faded. She could only guess, from the devilish look in his eye, that he meant one thing and one thing only: it was time to consummate the marriage. A wave a fear washed over her and she was glad they’d stepped into the black of night, for then, he could not see the utter fear she knew her eyes must hold.

How he found his way from the castle to their cottage in the dark she had no idea. She had hoped he would get lost somewhere along the way, thereby delaying what she knew to be inevitable. But find it, he did.

Their home was not far from the castle. The soft glow of candle light burned from within and the closer they got the more her heart filled with dread and her limbs trembled.

“Yer cold,” Wee William said as he felt her shiver in his arms. “Do no’ worry, we’ll have ye inside where it be warm, soon enough.”

Moments later, he pushed open the door to their home, wondering who had hung it because he hadn’t done that before he left. It mattered not at the moment as he carried his bride across the threshold and into the light. “I see the womenfolk were here,” he said as he looked about the room. Candles were lit along the mantle of the fireplace. Rugs had been placed on the floor, dried lavender, lilac, and heather hung from the rafters. At the moment, he only cared about one room—their bedchamber.

He crossed the kitchen and opened the door that led into their bedchamber. Thankfully, the womenfolk had adorned the bed with clean sheets, pillows, and warm furs. A low fire crackled in the fireplace, more rugs had been spread across the floor, and more dried flowers were placed about the room.