Highland Courage (Highland Brides) (32 page)
“Both my brother and sister have disgraced my family. It is not the time for a celebration. I just want to be married and put all of the ugliness behind us.”
So he stood at the door of the chapel and watched the lovely girl he was to marry pick her way across the wet courtyard on her father’s arm as a light drizzle fell. Her reddish gold hair frizzed in the mist, her nose and cheeks reddened in the chill air, and her damp dress clung provocatively to her curves. She was beautiful and he was happier than he thought possible.
After the wedding dinner, he slipped away quietly with his new bride and carried her across the threshold of the small cottage in Duncurra’s village that Laird MacIan had given them.
~ * ~
After Rowan left the great hall with his bride, Tadhg, too, slipped away with Mairead. The Mathesons would be returning to Cnocreidh the next morning and he said he wanted to be sure Mairead was well rested.
However, Mairead didn’t really have resting on her mind. He had treated her gingerly for days and it was going to stop. He closed the chamber door behind them and when he turned around, she launched herself at him. She couldn’t help but giggle when the soft ‘oomph’ escaped him as his back hit the door.
“What are ye doing?”
“I’m ravishing ye.”
“Are ye?”
“Aye. Do ye object?”
“Hmm. Ye’re sure ye have recovered?”
“Days ago.”
He chuckled. “Well, I guess I can’t object, then.”
She stood on her tiptoes, put her hands behind his neck, and pulled him into a kiss. Breaking it after a moment, she said, “Ye are too tall.”
“Well, love, if ye moved this ravishment to the bed, we could make sure all of the important parts lined up better.”
She giggled again and pulled him across the floor, removing his clothes as she went. When they reached the bed, she gave him a little shove and he fell dramatically across it. “Ye are a bold one, Mairead Matheson.”
“Stay there,” she commanded.
“Oh, my sweet, there is nowhere I would rather be.” He watched with pleasure as she removed her own clothes.
She stood by the bed a moment, looking expectant as he simply lay grinning up at her. Finally she cleared her throat. “Ahem, ye need to move over and make room for me.”
“Nay, lass, ye are but a wee thing. There is plenty of room right here on top.”
“But we can’t—”
“Aye, we can.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her on top of him. “Put your knees on either side of me.”
“Tadhg, I can’t—”
“Ride me? Aye, love, ye can. What’s more, it puts ye in control, and if ye have any bruises left I can’t hurt ye accidently.”
“Tadhg, that was over a week ago. I’m not hurt.”
“Then this will be even more fun.” And it was.
Epilogue
The following November, not long after their first anniversary, Mairead’s baby was due. In spite of her mother’s insistence, she refused to travel to Carraigile for the birth, so her mother and Lily had come to her. The day she went into labor Tadhg was beside himself with worry. She had labored for hours and although Ian’s wife, Katy, was an excellent midwife and assured him all was well, he was nearly in a panic by evening.
Cathal had practically dragged him from his study. “Ye are far to close here, lad. Ye don’t need to hear what’s going on. Trust me, I’ve been through this seven times. Actually, sixteen times, if ye count the grandchildren who have been born at Carraigile, and why wouldn’t ye? That last one took ages to arrive and when he did, he let the whole of the Highlands know. Screams louder than any bairn I’ve ever heard. Terran the Terrible, I call him. Och, now I’d appreciate it if ye wouldn’t repeat that.”
“Cathal, she is so little.”
“Aye, but she’s tough. Don’t worry, lad.”
It was nearly midnight when Katy finally appeared in the great hall looking spent. “Laird, it has been a rough evening, but ye can go see them now.”
Tadhg didn’t wait to hear more but flew up the tower steps, taking them two at a time. He paused outside the door. It was so quiet, he expected to hear a babe’s cries. A crushing fear gripped him. He took a deep breath, preparing for the worst, and opened the door. Mairead lay in their bed, dozing, clearly exhausted but with no baby in her arms. He rushed to her side and she opened her eyes sleepily.
“Sweetling, are ye well?”
“Aye, just tired. It took a while for the wee lass Mama is holding to make an appearance.”
“We have a daughter?” He glanced to where Brigid sat near the hearth, for the first time noticing the baby she held.
“Aye, ye do,” said Lily from across the room. “And a son.
He, on the other hand, gave his mama no trouble.”
“Twins?” he asked, astonished.
“Aye, twins. It’s been known to happen in our family. Perhaps ye didn’t know this but I myself am a twin,” Lily teased before crossing the room and putting the sleeping baby boy she held into his father’s arms.
“Nay, Lily, take him back. I’ve never held a bairn before.”
“Well, seeing as how ye have two now, it’s high time ye started.”
“Nay, really, I might break him.”
Mairead laughed weakly. “And people called me a mouse? Ye won’t break him.”
Perhaps sensing his father’s unease the baby scrunched up his face and started to fret. Tadhg jiggled him a little and crooned, “Ah, there, lad, don’t embarrass your poor da by screeching at him.”
The baby rooted against him briefly before settling again. Tadhg stared in amazement at the perfect tiny person in his arms. When he looked up at Mairead, she seemed to be dozing again. “Mairead, ye’re shattered, I should let ye rest.”
“Aye. I need to rest, but I would rest much better with ye here beside me.”
“But, the babies—I can’t.”
“Mairead is right, lad. She needs ye right now. Lily and I can manage these two rogues for a while.
Brigid and Lily took the sleeping babies quietly from the room and at Mairead’s insistence, Tadhg slid into bed beside her, holding her gently. He thought she was asleep and started to doze himself when she asked, “What shall we name them?”
“I don’t know.”
“I have always liked the name Ann. A lass named Ann is a good, solid friend. Someone ye can count on to be there for ye, like my sister Annag.”
“Ann Matheson. It is a strong and noble name. I like it.”
“So do I.”
“Then it is settled, we shall name her Ann. Now, what about that strapping lad?”
“I was thinking we could name him after your brother, Robert. Robbie.”
“I’d like that, sweetling.”
“Then Robert and Ann it is. Now, ye really must let me rest.”
He chuckled. “Aye, my brave wee lass, rest. We might have a few busy days ahead of us.”
Post Note
“Sexual assault is an act of violence and survivors of sexual assault must remember that it is never their fault. There is never an excuse, invitation, or any plausible reason to ever sexually assault anyone. Sexual assault is an illegal, immoral and unjust act.”
-Anita Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer, Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Dear ones, medieval laws made it very difficult to inflict any punishment on a man who brutalized a woman. While someone from a lower class who committed rape could have been killed or mutilated as punishment, in reality rape was hard to prove and often devastating to the girl who was victimized. In fact, if a woman who was raped became pregnant it was deemed not to be rape because they believed in order to become pregnant, the woman must enjoy the act. These were truly the dark ages. Members of the upper classes who committed sexual assault were much more likely to escape with little or no punishment. Obviously Highland Courage is a product of my imagination. Therefore, I imagine the offender was suitably punished, although I chose not to describe what that punishment might entail.
Times have changed, though it still takes great courage to report sexual assault and to go through the legal process. I pray that any of you who are in Mairead’s shoes, find the courage to do just that. At the very least, don’t let fear rule you. If you have been assaulted, there is help available. For more information or to seek help in the United States please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE to be anonymously connected to a trained volunteer at a crisis center in your area.
Warmest regards,
Ceci
About The Author
Ceci’s sixth grade class predicted that she would be an author. “But I want to be a nurse!” she said, in her typically bossy style. As it turns out, she became both. She started her career as an oncology nurse at a leading research hospital, and eventually became a successful medical writer. In 1991 she married a young Irish carpenter who she met at a friend’s wedding. They raised their family in central New Jersey and now with their youngest off to college, Ceci is breaking away from “primary efficacy endpoints” and writing a few “happily ever after’s.”
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