Chapter 20

20

" W here shall we perform the ceremony?" Edina asked as they prepared to leave.

"Anywhere," Aidan answered. "All we need are two witnesses."

"I will be one, if ye will have me," Mairi said shyly. "An' I doubt we will have too much trouble gettin' another. Let me find one."

She ducked out of the door, leaving Edina and Aidan to gaze at each other.

"You had asked Lewis to marry you once before, remember?" Aidan asked, grinning. "When he was ten. I never thought we would do it, instead."

"He said yes, but only when I had big breasts." Edina giggled. "Like big ladies."

"I think you have them now," Aidan murmured, smiling as he looked downwards.

A moment later, Mairi came back with Bonnie, one of the barmaids. Even though she looked tousled and sleepy, she was grinning from ear to ear.

Aidan looped a length of his clan tartan around their wrists, then knotted it loosely between them.

He said softly, "Edina, you are the love of my life, and you will make me the happiest man in the world if you become my wife. I promise to shelter and protect you and our children, should we be blessed with them. Will you have me?"

"Yes, Ai–Lewis," Edina quickly corrected herself in front of Bonnie, who unlike Mairi didn't know the truth who the Findlay heir was, "I will. You are the only man I will ever love. I will be your lover, your friend, and the best mother I can be to our children. Will you have me?"

"I will!" Aidan said joyfully, then they both took a step backwards and the knot tightened, symbolising the joining together of their two lives. Bonnie and Mairi clapped and offered their congratulations.

"Please tell no one what you have seen," Aidan requested. "We need time to escape, and this is the first place my father will look."

"Aye, Master." Bonnie gave them another warm smile. "I promise. Good luck."

They breakfasted quickly and packed a few provisions for the journey to Inverness, which was about fifty miles away. It would take them at least three days to get there, since they were sharing a horse and were only able to move at a moderate speed.

When nightfall came, they found themselves far from any villages, so they sat down on one of the blankets Edina had packed. They made a fire and cooked the pieces of meat she had brought with them, then made a passable, if primitive, meal with some bread and cheese. Afterwards, full and contented, they lay back and pulled another blanket over themselves.

"I have never been so happy," Edina murmured as she snuggled into the warmth of Aidan's body.

In a few more seconds, as she breathed in the musky scent of his body, however, every particle of her body was clamouring for more.

"The fire is warm," Aidan said huskily. "And we are alone under the moon, Edina Findlay. Shall we consummate our marriage?"

"Oh, yes," Edina breathed, pulling him down for a searing kiss. "Do anything you wish with me, husband."

"I wish we were in a cosy bed," Aidan said, "but this is our wedding night, and we are free, Edina—actually free to do as we wish. Can you believe it, my darling?"

Then he began to place small, nibbling kisses all the way down her neck, at the same time gently kneading her breasts through her dress. After a short while, he became impatient, however, and pulled down the front of her dress on one side to expose her flesh.

"Damn," he growled. "We should be naked."

"We will find a warmer place tomorrow," Edina assured him. "Now, husband, you must consummate this marriage before I die of impatience!"

He took one of her nipples in his mouth and suckled it, while Edina moaned with pleasure and ran her fingers through the thick mass of his hair. Then she felt his fingers sweeping through her soft wet womanly folds and pushing inside her, in and out, with a rhythm that was driving her to madness.

Lewis knew he could not hold out for much longer, but he had to, because this was the first time he and Edina had ever had the time and the freedom to do as they pleased. He watched her face as her climax came closer, until finally, she threw back her head and screamed her pleasure to the heavens, with no one but the night birds and other wild creatures to hear her.

Afterwards, she looked into his eyes and begged, "Please, my love—I cannot wait any longer."

Aidan thrust inside her, and after only a few strokes, he came to a titanic climax, and he roared his pleasure into the night, then he heard Edina scream again as she came for the second time. He did not withdraw from her this time; there was no need. They were married now, joined in every way, and if a baby came they would welcome it joyfully.

Edina had no idea that she could climax twice in a few moments, but it seemed that Aidan and her own body were conspiring to take her to peaks of ecstasy she had never dreamed of before.

"I think we have succeeded in the consummation process," Aidan said, chuckling.

They were still joined together, but as he made to withdraw, Edina stopped him.

"Stay for a while," she whispered.

He grinned and kissed her softly.

"With pleasure, my sweetheart."

They lay for a while, wrapped in contentment, and then Edina said, "Aidan, do you not think it's time to tell everyone who you really are?"

"Nobody knows us in Inverness," he replied. "Apart from your uncle, and I doubt we will be seeing him. Let us worry about that when we need to. At the moment, Mistress Findlay, all I want to do is be with you."

They arrived in Inverness on a wet, foggy day, and both of them were soaked. After eating the last of their provisions, they sat inside the nearest church they could find for shelter, then wondered what to do next. They had been so keen to leave that they had forgotten about things like food and accommodation.

They had plenty of money for the time being, they knew that Aidan would have to find work of some kind eventually.

Aidan frowned as he looked out into the damp and depressing day.

"I suppose I could find something to do at the docks," he said.

"If we ever become desperate, we can stay with my Uncle John," Edina pointed out. "But we are a long way from being poverty-stricken yet."

"And if we stay with your uncle, that is likely to be the first place my father will come looking for us," Aidan pointed out. "I do not want to be dragged back to my castle again."

He looked miserable at the very thought.

Presently the rain stopped, the sun came peeking out through the clouds, and they ventured out of the church and onto the dockside.

Edina had seen it before, of course, but she had forgotten how busy it was. There was a constant bustle of fishing boats and cargo boats being loaded and unloaded, women standing behind tables that were displaying row after row of gleaming silver fish. A pungent stench of fish and seaweed hung over everything, and they could see dozens of cats creeping under the tables and between the lobster creels in search of food.

Edina shuddered at the sight of the cats munching on fishbones, but she had to admit that the port had a strange charm that was all its own. She remembered coming down with her uncle and cousins to buy fish sometimes. Of course, they did not have to buy their own food, since they had servants to do it, but it was a treat to come and see how the other half lived sometimes.

Uncle John had said it would be good for them all to learn about the lives of others, and he had been right.

They began to stroll along the pier, looking at the fishing boats and other merchant vessels unloading their cargo. It looked like very hard work, Edina thought, although some of the men were smaller than Aidan, they all looked sturdy and strong.

As they watched, one of them, who was carrying a large heavy crate on his shoulder, stumbled and was about to fall. Then Aidan rushed to the rescue and grabbed it before it hit the ground and carried the man with it.

Edina ran over to them, and looked into the stranger's face.

"Are you all right?" she asked fearfully. "You're not hurt?"

He shook his head. He was young, perhaps the same age as Aidan, and although he seemed to have suffered no serious damage, he was shaking with fright. Instinctively, Edina put her arm around his shoulders to soothe him, then Aidan asked where to put the crate.

"I will take care o' it, Sir," the young man said. "Thank ye very much for your help."

His tone was respectful, and Aidan guessed it was because of his own upper-class accent and the fact that he was speaking English and not Scots. He bent down to pick up the box again, but he had obviously hurt his back. Aidan did it for him, then followed the crewman's directions to set it down.

The young man was pathetically grateful, and asked if he could do anything for him in return.

"You can tell me if there is a boat here that takes passengers," Aidan said.

"Aye—over there is the Mary King," the man told him, pointing. "She is goin' tae France."

"Thank you," Aidan said as they turned away.

He smiled at Edina. "Do you want a trip to France, Mistress Findlay? We must go on a wedding trip."

"I would love to see Paris," Edina replied. "I have heard about its beauty. But what about finding work and a place to live?"

Aidan shrugged. Suddenly, nothing mattered but him and Edina; he knew that everything else would sort itself out somehow. He was in a mood to throw caution to the winds.

"We can last for a little while," he told her. "Let's enjoy ourselves while we can."

The captain was a big, beefy man who was most foreigners' idea of just what a Scot looked like. He had a big red bushy beard, fierce blue eyes, and an aggressive manner. However, when Aidan spoke to him, he revealed the kindest of hearts and the most beautiful smile.

"Captain James Ferguson, at your service," he said, then bowed to Edina. "How can I help ye?"

"I believe you are going to France?" Aidan asked.

"Aye," Captain Ferguson replied. "Strictly speakin', we are a cargo ship, but we have a few cabins for passengers. We have nae special niceties for ladies, though. Nae nice dressin' tables an' mirrors an' suchlike."

Edina and Aidan exchanged glances and smiled.

"That won't be needed," Edina answered. "Just a bed big enough for two."

"Ah!" The captain's face broke into a wide grin. "Newlyweds?"

"Indeed we are," Aidan replied proudly as he put his arm around Edina's waist. "Married three days now. Are you married, Captain?"

"Indeed I am," he answered. "Thirty years, an' three sons, four daughters an' still in love wi' my bonny wife."

Edina put her head on Aidan's shoulder and smiled at the Captain.

"I hope we can be like you."

Captain Ferguson patted Aidan's shoulder.

"Come wi' me."

He led them downstairs and into a wood-panelled room with a small circular window on one side and a large, comfortable-looking bed in the middle. On each side were cupboards, and a long built-in wardrobe faced the bed.

Every piece of furniture was fixed to the floor to stop it from falling over when the boat was in motion. The comforting smell of wood and the warmth of the room made Edina feel cosy and secure, even though she knew she would find it difficult to become accustomed to the floor wobbling underneath her feet!

"It will take some time tae get your sea legs," the captain informed them, smiling.

"We have both been on boats before," Aidan told him, remembering a particular adventure in which he had ended up in the sea and had to be rescued by a sailor. Edina, for the first time in her life, had been reduced to tears because she had honestly thought he was going to die.

Edina was thinking the same thing—she could never have imagined that she and Aidan would be standing on a boat to Paris in the first week of their married life!

She and Aidan? Crazy, funny, fearless Aidan? She could still not believe it. She looked up at her handsome husband, the man whose children she would bear, who would protect her for the rest of her life, and was almost overwhelmed with love.

They had intended to stay for a while in Paris, but while both of them loved France, they had been there for only two weeks before Edina began to feel homesick. They were staying in a pleasant inn on the left bank of the River Seine, in the area where many artists plied their trade.

They had seen many ancient cathedrals, statues and paintings, and dined on food the likes of which neither had tasted before. As she tucked into her coq au vin on the last day of their holiday, Edina was surprised to find out that someone had wasted good wine by pouring it into the food!

"But why?" she asked, puzzled. "I cannot taste any wine in here at all."

"It blends in with the taste of the chicken and vegetables," Aidan replied, laughing. "Scottish cooking is quite different from French, Edina. We had a French chef for a while—he was wonderful!"

After that, Edina was introduced to the delights of crème br?lée and immediately fell in love with the sweet, crunchy but creamy dessert.

"I think we need a French cook too!" she said fervently.

"I think this will be the last bit of French food we see for a while." Aidan's voice was sad. "But it has been a wonderful adventure."

"Indeed it has," Edina agreed, smiling, "but I am finished adventuring for a while. Now I want to settle down and make a home."

"And babies," Aidan said, grinning.

They left the restaurant to take a leisurely stroll along the River Seine, and came to the artists' quarter. They walked slowly along, admiring the drawings and paintings, until they came to a man who was drawing portraits in charcoal. The work on display was very finely crafted; the artist was obviously very talented.

"Can you draw my wife?" Aidan asked suddenly.

"Oui, Monsieur." The man was French, but had obviously been asked the same question many times before.

Edina thanked the man in her dusty French.

"Asseyez vous, s'il vous plait, Madame. "

He indicated a wooden chair, and Edina sat down and looked at the river traffic, keeping her head perfectly still.

Aidan stood and looked over the man's shoulder, watching Edina's image emerge from the charcoal like a living thing growing out of the paper. He wished he had such a talent, then he could draw Edina to his heart's content, clothed and unclothed. The very thought aroused him.

At last the artist was finished, and he held up the drawing and showed it to them to see if they were satisfied.

Aidan was almost moved to tears.

"Thank you," he breathed as he took the drawing from the artist's hands.

There, looking back at them, was a perfect image of Edina, identical to her in every way.

"It's a wonderful likeness," Edina marvelled, shaking her head in wonder.

"Vous êtes très belle, Madame. " the man said warmly.

He was a small, thin waif of a man, with dark brown hair and grey eyes like her own, but without the violet tint.

"Merci, Monsieur," she said, smiling warmly.

The artist rolled the drawing up and fastened it with string, then Aidan paid him and added a generous tip, and when the artist saw it, Aidan thought he was going to kiss him. His homely face broke into a wide grin, and he bowed to them.

"Merci pour le cadeau, Monsieur!"

"Thank you for the present." Edina translated for Aidan.

Edina waved and blew him a kiss. She felt a sense of warmth inside that she had made someone's day, and even though she had found out that travelling on the wide sea was not pleasant, she was impatient to be on the boat. It was time to go home.