My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader screen TXT) 📕

for her father, who was swayingand humming at her side. She paid no mind to the hanging branchesof the willow that swayed in the warm breeze or the ducks paddlingon the water.

All she cared about in that moment was Ianand the words that would bind them together. It was the culminationof any girl’s dreams to have that moment. That one perfectmoment.

“Ian Alexander Conagham, wilt thou have thiswoman to thy wedded wife, to live together according to God’s lawin the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her,honor and keep her, in sickness and in health and, forsaking allother, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?” thebishop solemnly intoned the vow.

“I will,” Ian responded just as solemnly,though he punctuated the words with a wink that made Hero smileeven wider.

“Hero Margaret Victoria Ashburn Conagham,”the bishop continued, turning to her, “wilt thou have this man tothy wedded husband, to live together according to God’s law in theholy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honorand keep him, in sickness and in health and, forsaking all other,keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”

“I will,” she answered without hesitation,and the light in Ian’s eyes glowed. He hadn’t had to do this, shethought. Not just the proposal but the bishop and this ceremony.Marriage laws in Scotland were very lax even now. All they trulywould have needed to do was declare their intention to berecognized as man and wife before witnesses and it would have beendone. The handfast was the very reason Scotland was so popular withthose from England and Wales intent on eloping.

Still, Ian had brought the bishop andarranged for this small ceremony at the most beautiful and fancifullocation at Cuilean … for her. For her sense of romance and, heclaimed with a wicked grin, so that no one could ever claim thatshe wasn’t legally his. Hero would even have included the word“obey” in her vows, but Ian had insisted that the words be removed.That way, he said, when she acted willfully, as he was sure shewould, no vows would be broken. Hero grinned broadly at the thoughtand squeezed his hand.

“Who giveth this woman to be married to thisman?”

“I do,” Beaumont boomed promptly, and Heroturned in surprise to find her father’s attention firmly on theceremony. He bent and kissed her cheek affectionately and smileddown at her with none of the wavering glassiness in his eyes thatshe had become used to. Indeed, he looked utterly focused. “Youlook just like your mother did the day I married her,” he whisperedbrusquely. “I hope you are as happy as we were.”

“Thank you, Papa,” she whispered as tearssprang to her eyes.

“None of that now,” he said more sternly.“You have more vows to repeat if we’re going to get this done andfeast on that glorious cake Mrs. Potts has made.”

That was more like it. Hero turned back toIan, seeing the smile in his eyes.

“My lord,” the bishop went on, “please repeatafter me. I, Ian Alexander.”

“I, Ian Alexander …”

Yes, it was a perfect day.

Nothing could destroy it now.

“Would you care to dance, wife?” Ian askedwith a wicked grin many hours later when they were finally able tobreak away from Beaumont and retreat to the privacy of theirrooms.

Their rooms, Hero thought with a smile, sinceMandy had returned her belongings to the marchioness’s chamber thatafternoon. Theirs.

The sound of a crank turning caught Hero’sattention, and she turned to find Ian winding up the music box fromthe music room. “You had that brought up here?”

“How else was I to dance with my bride?” heasked with a grin. “I’ve been wanting to hold you in my arms allday, but the staff seemed intent on making the occasion far morefestive … and prolonged … than I had planned.”

“They only wanted to please us,” she chided,though she was glad to know that her new husband was as anxious forher company as she was his.

Husband.

Hero couldn’t help but smile. She had smiledso much that day that her cheeks almost hurt. From the moment thebishop had pronounced them man and wife and Ian had kissed herenthusiastically to seal the bargain, she had been hard put to doanything else.

“They’ve certainly created a welcomingwedding chamber,” Ian said, nodding at the huge bed. All the bedhangings that had been tied back the night before were loose anddrawn to enclose the bed. “Either winter has come without warningor the maids thought I might want to do my duty in blessed darknesswhen in truth I want to see you in all the detail I missed lastnight.”

Her smile broadened even more, if that werepossible. She felt positively giddy, excited. Eager. Though it waspast the dinner hour, with the summer solstice so near, the roomwas still awash in the light of the setting sun. Unless they wereto enclose themselves within the bed, there would be no shadows tohide in this time.

Ian would be able to see her clearly, true.But she would be able to see him as well.

“Come here, wife,” Ian commanded, and Heroslipped into his arms as the strains of another Strauss waltzfilled the room. He circled and dipped, twirled her until she waslaughing and clinging to him for support.

Ian lifted her off the floor and spun heraround before coming to a halt. Catching her breath, Hero wrappedher arms around his neck and inhaled the scent of him, warm andspicy. “Mmm, you smell good.”

Nuzzling her neck, Ian said, “You do, too.”For some reason Hero couldn’t determine that made her giggle, andIan lifted his head suspiciously. “Are you drunk?”

“On a day like this?” she lifted her browshaughtily. “Never!” But she spoiled the effect with another grin.“I’m just happy, dizzily ecstatic.”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t spin you about anymore,”he said playfully, then grinned with a waggle of his brows. “Orbetter yet, perhaps you had better lie down.”

“Lie down?” Hero said with rounded eyes thattwinkled mirthfully. “Do you think it’s that serious?”

“Mmm,” Ian nodded, guiding her toward thebed. “Very serious. Perhaps I should loosen your bodice aswell.”

“So I can breathe better?”

“Of course,” he answered.

“I feel