Epilogue

EPILOGUE

DUNROBIN CASTLE, SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, SPRING 1413

M ariota patted her rounding belly and smiled at Cook from her seat at the long worktable in the Sutherland kitchen. "I dinna ken how much of this is the heir and how much is yer excellent honey cakes." She'd just finished another piece, and while she knew she didn't need another, the bairn inside her seemed to have other ideas.

"Time will tell, lass," Cook told her with a grin and put another small square, dripping with golden honey, on her plate. "Ye are eating for two. Dinna fash ."

"I try no' to, but my feet have hidden from me for the last month. I canna see my slippers any longer." She laughed. "Stellan has to help me put them on," she added, eyeing the golden goodness waiting for her on the plate. "I'll be glad when this bairn comes and I can find the rest of me again."

"Like as no', yer husband will be glad to be able to find the rest of ye, too. And ye'll end up just like this again." She laughed and slapped the tabletop.

Mariota had to laugh with her. A few more weeks. She could do this for a few more weeks. The reward would be worth all that she'd been through, and the pain yet to come. She hoped the bairn was a lad. Stellan would be excited to have his heir, but she knew he'd be happy with a daughter, too. He would never treat her as her own father had treated her, even if it turned out their lassie bairn was fated to become the Sutherland laird after him.

"Ye are smiling more every day," Cook told her. "Ye seem happier than when ye arrived. Because of the bairn?"

"And Stellan. And all of ye. I'm a very lucky lass."

"A very smart lass, I'd say." Cook patted her hand and moved away to deal with the rest of her busy kitchen.

Mariota sighed and gave in to temptation. Just this last piece, and she'd go back to work. She wanted to organize the clan's library, which had fallen into disuse. She'd been overjoyed when she first saw it, a moment later, appalled as she realized how haphazardly books, documents, and maps were scattered about. Someone had cleaned as best they could, but really, everything would be so much more accessible and useful once she finished. Stellan heartily approved her efforts. Laird Sutherland was never much of a reader and had no opinion, Stellan told her, so she forged ahead. She was nearing the point when she would have to reach upper shelves, but Stellan had forbidden her from the library ladder, possibly forever. She would have him or Anders or one of the lads in the clan act as her arms and legs to bring things down to her so she could add them to the catalog she had created, then have them placed where they would belong in her system, and clean the upper shelves.

Archery was out of the question until the bairn came. She missed it, but she watched the lasses train, and more of them, old and young, joined all the time. Mariota knew they were eager to help defend their home, but she could also see they enjoyed spending time together learning a new skill. If only they knew how much that pleased her.

She loved her life at Sutherland. Loved Stellan more with each passing hour. Loved the people of the clan who had welcomed her from her first visit. Nan and Brìghde were still two of her closest friends. And the letters Seamus sent now and again told her he was doing well as MacKay's laird— as she'd known he would. The clan had a new leader and a new spirit of respect and cooperation that had sadly deteriorated during the last few years of her father's life. In passing the responsibility to Seamus, she had made the best decision for her clan.

She had just finished the last bite of the honey cake when Stellan found her. She looked up at him and had to laugh at his rueful expression, lips pursed, but laughter in his eyes. "Again? I pray Cook doesna run out of honey cake before the bairn comes."

She ignored his teasing. "Aye, ye found me."

"I looked for ye in the library. I shouldha kenned ye'd be here. I could smell fresh honey cakes from the great hall."

"Sit," Cook told him, approaching with another piece for him. "Dinna give this to yer wife. She'll birth a honey cake if she eats any more today."

"I'll be happy to help prevent that," Stellan said and dug in.

Mariota watched him enjoy the treat without a trace of envy. She'd had more than her share, and the bairn's share, too. They both were satisfied and ready for a nap.

"I see yer eyelids drooping," Stellan told her as he scooped up his last bite. "I'll take ye upstairs."

"I have too much work to do," she objected. "The library?—"

"Will be there after ye have rested. Valkyrie, too, now the rain has moved off." He stood and held out a hand. "Come, wife."

Mariota gave him her hand and let him pull her to her feet. He moved the bench aside to make it easier for her to slip by it and away from the table. "Thank ye, Cook." She patted her belly. "We enjoyed it all."

"Any time, lass. Ye tell me what ye want, and I'll see it done."

"I see ye have Cook wrapped around yer little finger," Stellan told her a few moments later, as they crossed the great hall.

"I'm grateful for her care," Mariota said, "hers and everyone's here."

Stellan steadied her as they mounted the stairs, eased her to sitting on their bed, and knelt to remove her slippers. Instead of settling her back against the pillows, he stroked one of her feet, pressing and rubbing from her toes to her ankle, then moved to the other foot and back again until Mariota moaned from the pleasure of it. "Better?" He stood and helped her lean back into the pillows.

"Ye canna tell? 'Tis no' quite as good as... ye ken what… but aye, 'tis near as good."

He settled beside her on the edge of the bed. "Do ye want… what… before ye sleep?"

She gave him a grin for echoing her avoidance of a word for their lovemaking, then yawned. "Perhaps later," she told him and reached for his hand. "I love ye, Stellan Sutherland."

"I ken it. I love ye more than life, Mariota Sutherland. I still canna believe how lucky I am to be wedded to ye. Ye are everything I hoped for in a wife, a partner, and a lover. And soon, we will have our first bairn. I dinna ken how I could love ye more than I already do."

"As ye are life and joy to me, husband. Ye risked everything for me."

"And ye gave up everything for me. I'm glad I fought to win ye, fought to save yer life and mine from Alber, and fought to convince ye to upend yer life and yer clan's, and come live with me. Every struggle, every setback, every threat, and every drop of blood shed has been worthwhile."

She squeezed his hand. "But with ye, I have gained everything, too. I'm grateful to ye, Stellan. And grateful to whatever stroke of fate led me to ye in that forest."

"So am I, love. More than I can ever say." He bent and dropped a kiss on her cheek. "Now, rest well."

He left her in peace, but once he was gone, she realized the urge to sleep had left her. She heaved herself to sitting, slipped off the bed and padded to the window seat. Spring had come again after a long, cold winter. Midday sunlight glinted everywhere on wet leaves. Seeing the bright green of new leaves pushing out on the trees made her happy, as did the new shoots in the castle's garden. Cook had forbidden her from getting down on hands and knees to work the soil until after the bairn came and she was less prone to losing her balance, but she was eager to get her hands dirty planting and weeding and enjoying the warm sunshine.

She patted her belly and felt the bairn within it kick. "Soon, wee one, soon. I'll teach ye so many things. So will yer da, who is a wise man and a great warrior. Be ye lad or lass, ye will have much to do and much to learn. Ye dinna ken it now, but a grand adventure awaits ye."