There Your Heart Will Be Also (31 page)

Sarra woke early.
Head against the wooden shutters, s
he
peered
out the window.
Rain fell in a slow drizzle
, making a soggy, muddy mess on the ground.
Her mind
whirled
with intrusive thoughts
.
W
ould
she
be able to keep her dress out of the mud on her walk to the chapel
?

She
ordered a bath
,
taking
extra care today with her appearance
.
S
he
fingered the
blue dress
Charism had
b
r
ought
.
It matched Cedric
's
eyes and
Sarra had
worn it at the wedding festivities the day before.
The design of the dress had
apparently
sparked Cedric
's
imagination.
His eyes
hadn't left
her the entire night.
At several points
she
thought
bloodshed
would
result
if the other men kept looking at her.

Sighing deeply,
she
continued to thumb
through the clothes in the
wardrobe.
The emerald dress
went
much better with
her
eyes
anyway
.
She would use it for the wedding.

After
the
bath,
she
pu
lled
on
a
dressing gown while a servant twisted and twirled
her
drying
hair
,
piling it atop
her head and
weaving it with
ribbons and pearls.
Several ringlets of hair framed the sides of her
oval
face.
P
earl ear bobs swung from
her
ears.
She placed a pearl necklace around her
slender
throat, and studied herself in the looking glass, hoping she would suit.

Today
,
of all days
,
she
long
ed
for her father.
Sir Henry had agreed to giv
e
her
away, but it wouldn't be quite the same.

Sarra waited in
her
chambers
until she was sent for.
Finally,
Sir Henry arrived
and escorted
her to the front door of the chapel.
Before they walked
inside
,
he
clasped
her
hands in his own and
peered
into
her
tear-filled
eyes
.
“Your father would
be
proud of your choice.”

“Do you think so?”

“Aye, I do.
Cedric will make a fine husband and a fine lord.
I talked to him this morning and he has even made an acceptance of Christ in his life.
He is willing to lead a life of faith right alongside of you.”

She
couldn't help but hug Sir Henry.
She
gazed
at
his face
,
trying to hold back tears
.
“Thank you.”

The faithful knight
nodded.
Then h
e squeezed her hand tightly and told her to wait there
for
just a moment while he went to tell the parson they were ready to begin.
When he returned, he
tucked her hand in his elbow
.
P
ush
ing
open the doors
,
he and Sarra stood still until
Duncan
began to play
the
bagpipe
s
.

The first thing she noticed was the
scent of flowers.
Charism had ordered several of the servants to go out into the garden and collect the fresh budding June roses.
Pink and yellow rose petals lay on the runway
beneath their feet as
Sir Henry led
Sarra
up the aisle
.

Duncan played a sweet tune as
she
walked toward
Cedric
, where he waited at the alt
a
r
.

Cedric
was
striking
.
H
is h
air was pulled back and secured
and his b
lue eyes sparkled. A knowing smile lit his face.
His family tartan was wrapped around his waist
,
over his shoulder and pinned in place.
The polished leather of his sporran shone brightly in the light.
As she walked forward to the music,
S
arra
kept her eyes on him the whole time.

Finally, after what seemed a lifetime, she reached
his
side.
Sir Henry placed her hand on Cedric's arm and stepped back, taking a seat
in
the first row.
Looking over her shoulder she saw
Charism pat Sir Henry's hands as tears formed in his eyes.
Charism had
moisture
on her own cheeks
as well
.
This was indeed a momentous occasion for the whole keep
,
for Sarra had never seen these two in such a state.

The parson began
.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here this day to join these two individuals in holy matrimony.
If anyone sees a reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Sarra
's eyes were drawn to
Cedric
's
glance
at Duncan
,
who had removed his mouth from the bagpipe and seemed to be on the verge of making a comment until he spotted Cedric's look.

Duncan
expressed
a laugh behind his hand before reverting back to a more serious expression.
A
fter what seemed an eternity for the waiting couple, the parson began again in earnest
.
“Do you, Cedric MacNeil, take Sarra of Greenbriar to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to cherish, and to worship, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance?”

“I do,” answered Cedric.

“And do you, Sarra of Greenbriar, take Cedric MacNeil to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance?”

“I do,” answered Sarra.

“Now I believe Cedric wishes to give you something.”

After the parson's comment, Duncan handed Cedric his extra plaid.
Cedric wrapped the plaid around Sarra's waist and slung it over her shoulder
,
pinning it in place.
Then he reached into his sporran and pulled out a shiny gold band.

He held it between his thumb and forefinger so
she
could see it.
She lifted her left hand and
he
slid the ring onto her
third
finger.
Complete
happiness
covered her face
.

“By the powers vested in me by the Holy Church, I now pronounce you man and wife.
You may now kiss the
bride…”

“In just a minute I am going to roll ye
r
legs back
,
girl
,
and I want ye to push
,” said Charism.

“Where is Cedric?”

“
H
e is hiding in the main hall.”

“Send Ella to get him please.”

“Now Sarra, I don't think
it
is the best of ideas.
I mean, a man canna be expected to handle birthing like a woman.”

“I don't care.
I want him here.
He is supposed to protect me!”
Sarra last word ended on a scream as she breathed through the contraction.

“All right, Ella
,
get Cedric up here.
Now lass, listen to me and listen good.
When this next painin' comes at ye I want ye to push with all ye might, do ye hear?”

“Aye.”

Cedric entered the room.
Sarra was on the bed with legs spread up in the air and opened wide.
She was sweating profusely.

“Did ye need something?”
he
asked
,
unable to remove his eyes from a bulge coming
from
her lower regions.

“Aye, I believe I need your protection.”

With his eyes still glued to
the
one section of her body, “What do ye need protecting from, my lady?”

“Your child!”
She screamed
upon the
last push
.

Charism caught the
newborn
babe
.
Just when Sarra was getting worried because of the lack of noise, a healthy wail
filled the room
.

Cedric
asked,
“What is it?”

“Well it sure ain't much to look at
,
but this be ye
r
son.”

“My son,” said Cedric in a
mazement
.
Sarra had a contented smile
, as
s
he leaned back
exhausted
.

****

After babe and mother were cleaned, and the
newborn
was put to
his mother's
breast, Cedric was admitted back into the room to visit with his budding family.
He s
a
t in a rocking chair looking at the two most precious people in his life.
He had lost his own family, but God had blessed him with another.

As the babe's belly become full, his little eyes drooped and he drifted off in a contented sleep.
Sarra
lifted her face, lips twitching at the corners
.

“He is beautiful, is he not?”

“Aye, he is, just like his mother.”

S
he
beamed
at the compliment and made little cooing noises as she gazed at her sleeping son.
A
sudden thought
struck her
. Her former captor,
Wilt
,
had once been this innocent as well.
She sighed loudly.

“What?”

“Forgive me.
I was thinking about
Wilt
.
You know, he was once this way.
He too was once an innocent babe.
I
feel I played a part in the monster
he
became
.
I guess it is just as the Good Book tells us
.
W
e are all sinners and forgiven by God's grace alone, but only if we ask.
It is unfortunate
Wilt
chose to live his life for greed rather than for more Christian pursuits.”

Leaning up from the chair, and taking her hand in his own,
Cedric said,
“
Aye, his loss was my gain. For
I have found my treasure and it is worth more to me than any
thing
.”

“Cedric,” she whispered with tears glistening in her eyes.
“You're right.
W
here you find your treasure is where your heart belongs.
A man must not be overly
interested in material objects, wealth or power, but rather in God and in those God gives us to love.”