Chapter 21

21

" I think I might die of fright when I see Murdoch," Keira said, shivering with nervousness.

"Rubbish!" Adaira said dismissively, smiling as she pushed daisies into her friend's thick auburn tresses. "You will run to his side and tell him how much you love him."

"Aye, an' I will no' be surprised if ye disappear intae the woods very shortly after that!" Moira laughed and winked as she pulled a few creases out of Keira's simple day dress.

It was made of linen, and its color, a deep grey-blue, was exactly the same as her eyes. Previously she had worn it in the evenings when she had the chance to curl up in the corner with a book, or sewing or knitting, a craft she was teaching herself. Her father rarely sat with her after dinner, so it was a happy place with good memories that she associated with the dress, one of the reasons she had chosen it.

She had sold most of her evening dresses and given the money to the community, and the few that were left had been remodeled into simpler dresses for the odd special occasion.

The dress had a plain round neck, long sleeves, and a fitted waist, then fell in straight folds to Keira's ankles. There was no lace or any silken trims, she wore no jewelry, and her only ornaments were the fresh flowers in her hair.

"I am so scared," Keira whispered to her friend.

"About tonight?" Adaira asked.

Keira nodded. "This is something I never really thought about before. I thought I was going to be married off to an ugly, old, rich man."

"As I was," Adaira said drily. "Listen to me, Keira. You are with a man who loves you and will be gentle with you. I wish I had been so fortunate." For a moment she looked desolate, then she perked up and smiled. "But that was a long time ago. This is a happy day." She stood back and looked at the bride. "You look lovely, Keira. But why did you choose this dress? It is very plain."

"Because Murdoch likes it," Keira replied simply. "And that is all that matters."

"Were you trembling on your wedding day?" Murdoch asked Dougie as he tightened the belt on his kilt. "Because I am sure going into battle is not as frightening as this!"

"I didnae have time tae be scared," Dougie replied, shrugging. "It was over before we thought about it. Mind, we will have tae go tae Edinburgh tae make it a' legal."

"That is the least of my worries!" Murdoch grumbled. "I feel as if a flock of bees have made a hive in my stomach."

Dougie patted his back. "Would a wee dram o' the good stuff help?"

"Aye, it would," Murdoch answered thankfully.

Dougie poured him a generous measure, then raised his glass. "Sláinte Mhath! To happiness!" he cried.

"Sláinte Mhath!" Murdoch answered. "To happiness and a peaceful life." He drank down all the spirit in one draft, then squared his shoulders and thrust out his chest. "Time to go, my friend."

The glade where the marriage was taking place was the same one where Keira had practiced her archery and threatened Murdoch's life. He smiled as he walked into it, surprised to see that the old target was still there.

Everyone in the community was there, from the oldest to the youngest, even babies who were suckling at their mothers' breasts.

A bower of tree branches under which the marriage ceremony would take place had been erected. Keira and Murdoch had called in the help of the oldest citizen in the village, Alastair Wallace, who was respected for his wisdom, to perform the ceremony. He was not an ordained minister or a priest, and although he conducted betrothals and marriages, which were permitted under the law, he never baptized babies unless there was an emergency.

Now, however, there was nothing but a peaceful air of contentment and anticipation in the clearing. There was no wedding music. The sounds of babies gurgling, children laughing, and the song of birdsong in the trees were the only hymns they needed.

Keira, hand in hand with Moira on one side and Adaira on the other, came to join Murdoch, and as they relinquished her to her bridegroom, her heart was overflowing with love.

Murdoch's bright hair was shining in the sun, and his apple-green eyes were glowing as he looked down at his love. At that moment, everything was right with his world. He was holding the woman of his dreams, he had his own house to live in, and in time he would have children and a little empire of his own that he would call his family. But that was all in the future. Now, there was only Keira and him…

"Keira an' Murdoch," Alaistair began, smiling at each of them. "Are ye here of yer own free will?"

"I am," Keira replied.

"Yes," answered Murdoch.

Suddenly there was no more trepidation. This was what his life had been leading up to since the day he was born.

"An' will ye promise tae love an' look after each other for the rest of yer life no matter what troubles befall ye?" He looked at each of them.

"I will," Keira said firmly.

"And I will," Murdoch replied.

The old man tied their hands together loosely, then pronounced, "Ye are now husband an' wife."

He moved out of their way, and Keira and Murdoch stepped back, tightening the knot in the strip of fabric that bound them together to show the strength of their love.

After that, nothing could have stopped Murdoch from sweeping Keira into his arms and crying, "Friends, behold Keira Holmes!" Then he kissed her soundly in front of everyone.

There was a storm of cheering, and for a few moments, Murdoch and Keira were swamped with hugs, kisses, and congratulations. Murdoch tightened his arm around Keira's waist to keep her close to him in the throng since, for several minutes, they were unable to speak to each other in the confusion. However, after all the fuss had died down, they sat to enjoy the wedding feast.

It was mostly the same kind of plain and simple fare they always ate, the only difference being the roast pig that Dougie had brought down in the forest a few days before. There was also a huge platter of honeyed fruit and a clootie dumpling, a boiled spicy fruit pudding that was usually enjoyed at Samhain but which Murdoch had insisted on because Keira loved it. They collected their food from a long table and sat down on the ground around the fire, as they were used to doing.

"This is heavenly," Keira breathed.

There was sand on her dress and in her hair, which the wind had freed from the elegant style Adaira had so carefully crafted for her. However, she did not care. All that mattered was that Murdoch was here; he was now her husband, and shortly he was going to be her lover too. She began to throb and moisten at the thought of it, and she could see that Murdoch was feeling the same way as he began to run his hand up and down her thigh, slowly and sensually, until she could hardly stand it.

When Keira looked up at him, Murdoch could see the desire in her eyes, and he knew that his looked the same. He had eaten his fill, but Keira had managed only a few morsels. He was ready to leave and proceed with their wedding night, but as he put his arm around her shoulders, he realized that she was trembling.

"Are you cold?" he whispered anxiously.

"No, I feel… I am not cold," she answered lamely. "I'm a little nervous."

"You will be fine."

Murdoch smiled at her, then looked up to catch Adaira's eye. She nodded and beckoned them to follow her as she moved into the woods.

"Where are we going?" Keira asked, puzzled.

Murdoch shrugged. "Adaira said we should be somewhere special on our wedding night. A ‘love nest,' she said. That is as much as I know."

They followed Adaira into the densest part of the woods where there was little daylight and the shadows were thickest, then she stood aside and pointed forward to where the light had almost disappeared.

"Follow the path," she ordered, smiling mischievously at Keira before giving her a wink.

Keira took a deep breath, then, clinging to Murdoch's hand, she followed him into the gloom. A few yards further on, the path curved to the right, and they stopped in amazement.

A tent had been erected under the trees. It was perhaps ten feet by ten feet square and tall enough for Murdoch to stand up straight inside with a couple of inches to spare. They exchanged glances, grinning.

"I suppose this is what a love nest looks like." Murdoch was intrigued as he stepped forward and pulled aside the flap, then they both stepped inside and looked around in astonishment.

There was a bed in front of them, not a huge one, but big enough for two, covered in a yellow quilt and pillows. Beside it was a little table on which stood a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a platter of fruit and cheese.

A table with a clay vase of wildflowers and two chairs stood at one side of the tent, and an oil lamp had been placed there ready for lighting.

"Murdoch, they did all this for us?" Keira breathed. "What a lovely thing to do! Is it not wonderful? Did you plan this?" She sat down on the bed, still looking around in amazement.

"I knew nothing about it, Keira," he admitted, then he smiled. "But it does not surprise me. We live among truly good people."

"That we do," she agreed.

She was about to stand up again but Murdoch leaned over her and put one hand on each side of her on the bed, trapping her.

"Are you going somewhere, Mistress Holmes?" he asked mischievously.

"Nowhere, Husband," she replied, laughing.

"Good. Because I think we have business to attend to." He pulled her to her feet, looked into her eyes for a moment, and kissed her softly. "I know you have been afraid. Likely Adaira and Moira have told you what theirs was like, but trust me, your wedding night will not be like Adaira's. But if you would rather just sleep with me tonight, I will understand, and I will be content to hold you."

Keira could see that Murdoch meant what he said. He was truly willing to wait until she was ready. She had married a marvelous man. However, she did not want to wait.

"I will not be content to hold you, Murdoch, my husband," Keira murmured. "I want to know how much you love me."

"I am so glad because I have been dreaming about making love to you every night for weeks." He stopped to laugh softly before turning her around so that he could begin to unlace her dress. "The day I found you with your bow, I had been daydreaming that you were walking up to me and kissed me."

"That is no surprise to me," Keira answered. "I had been thinking about you for a long time too. I tried to imagine what you would look like unclothed, but since I have never seen a naked man…" She trailed off, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"You are about to see one now," Murdoch assured her.

He turned her around and helped her out of her dress so that she was standing in front of him in nothing but a filmy shift. He could clearly see that her nipples were standing stiffly against the thin cotton, and his shaft hardened almost painfully as he ripped off his jacket and shirt, then unbuckled his kilt and let it fall to the floor.

Instinctively, Keira looked down and swallowed, then her eyes widened in amazement and terror.

"Now you do not have to imagine anymore," Murdoch murmured, while he reached for her shift and pulled it up over her head in one fluid movement then tossed it across the room.

Instinctively, Keira placed her hands over her breasts and her private parts, but he gently moved her hands away.

"Let me look at you, you beautiful, beautiful wife of mine," he murmured, as his gaze ran over her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, lingering on her breasts. "My imagination did not do you justice, Keira," he whispered. "You take my breath away."

Keira did not know quite what to say. She had seen men naked to the waist before, even if they were not as well-built and beautifully proportioned as her husband, but the sight of his manhood scared her.

"You are wondering if we will fit together," Murdoch observed, reading the expression on Keira's face.

She nodded, swallowing nervously.

"We will," he whispered. "Let me show you because I cannot wait another second for you."

He picked Keira up and laid her tenderly on the bed, but to her surprise, he did not kiss her lips. Instead, he spread her legs apart and ran the tip of his tongue down the soft, wet flesh of her womanhood, tasting her juices and inhaling the scent of her arousal.

Then he moved his tongue to tease the little nub at her center, and she squealed and arched her hips up toward him. When he took it between his teeth to nibble it gently, she screamed with pleasure.

"Oh, God!" Keira cried, pushing his head down to stop him from moving away.

Whatever he was doing was delightful, almost too much to endure, and she writhed on the bed, unable to control herself, as his tongue and teeth worked magic on her. She had never dreamed of anything like this.

Adaira had been reluctant to talk about her own experiences with Laird McTavish because he was Keira's father, but she had always intimated that it was something to be endured, not enjoyed. Yet her father must have done something wrong because Keira knew she could enjoy this forever.

When Murdoch moved his mouth away, Keira moaned with disappointment.

He laughed softly. "Do not worry, sweetheart," he murmured. "The best is yet to come." Then he kissed his way up her body, stopping to pay homage to her breasts. "Beautiful," he whispered.

He began to give them the same treatment he had given to her private parts.

"Ohhh," Keira moaned.

The sensation of his lips, teeth, and tongue, and the lapping, sucking, and nibbling of the most sensitive parts of her body was so exquisite it was almost unbearable. Yet another sensual experience that was new to her was the rasp of the golden stubble on her face and on the tender skin of her breasts. Presently, his lips left them and he licked, kissed, and nibbled his way up the column of the throat before biting her earlobe gently and licking the sensitive skin around it.

Keira was gripping Murdoch's arms so tightly that her nails were leaving marks on his flesh, but he did not notice the pain. All he could feel was the sensual rub of her flesh against hers and her soft breasts, their peaks hardened with desire for him. Her moans of delight were pushing him closer to his own climax, and with that and the feel of his engorged shaft rubbing against her slick wetness, he was struggling to keep control of himself. However, he knew he had to. Keira was still innocent, and he did not want her first encounter to be a hurried, clumsy affair, so he used every ounce of willpower he had to hold back his urges.

The sound and heat of his breathing almost drove Keira to the edge of madness, and she could stand it no longer. She opened her legs wide and whispered, "Please, Murdoch."

He looked down into her eyes and saw that she was desperate, but he wanted to be certain. "Are you sure, love?"

Keira reached up to pull him down for a searing kiss. Into it she poured all her love, longing, and gratitude for him, and while she did, she grasped his shaft and pulled him inside her.

Murdoch gasped in surprise, but he could not make himself pull back; he was too far gone. But somewhere in his haze of desire, he made himself aware that his wife was still a virgin. When he met resistance and she stiffened beneath him, he stopped, but she thrust her hips upward to pull him in further.

Keira felt a sharp dart of pain, but as quickly as it had come, it was over, and all she felt was a wonderful fullness, as if she had not really been complete before Murdoch was inside her. She was moved by an impulse she had never felt before to raise her hips in time with his thrusts until they were moving in a rhythm as old as time.

Murdoch watched her expression change as she opened her eyes in wonder at the sensation that was building inside her. He smiled. He could feel his climax approaching, but he knew it would be fiercer than ever before because of the wonder on Keira's face.

Keira felt as if she was climbing a stairway to the stars. With every thrust of Murdoch's body, a dart of pleasure shot through her, building up into a sensation that was better, harder, and stronger with each stroke. She felt desperate for a moment, for she seemed to be stretching for something she could not reach. Then it was upon her, a wave of ecstasy that crashed over her, making her scream with pure pleasure. On and on it went until her body, spent and shuddering, passed down into a state of peaceful languor.

As soon as Murdoch heard Keira's shout of joy, his own climax swept over him, the strongest he had ever had, and he collapsed onto her, then rolled her over so that they were facing each other.

Keira was still trembling. Every few seconds another delightful little spasm of delight would shake her, but gradually they faded away and stopped. She found herself lying on her side facing her husband, who was smiling at her tenderly.

Murdoch cupped her cheek with his rough hand and studied her face minutely for a few moments.

"Was that what you expected?" he murmured.

"No," Keira replied softly. "It was more…much more. I have never felt… I felt as though I could touch the stars."

"So did I," he murmured as he kissed her softly. "I have never felt this way before either. Perhaps it is because I love you so much."

"I hope so." Keira's voice was a murmur, and her eyelids felt heavy. "Does it always feel like that?"

Murdoch smiled. "I will make sure that it does, Keira, because I would do anything for you, and if anyone ever tries to harm you, I will protect you with my life."

"I am so glad I found you," Keira whispered. "I am yours now, Murdoch."

"And I am yours," he replied. "Forever and always."

They lay in contented silence for a while until Keira gradually drifted off to sleep. Murdoch watched her for a while, smiling, wondering how he had managed to live without her for so long. She made every masculine instinct he possessed sharper and more forceful. Indeed, she made him want to be a better man just to make himself worthy of her. Was he being foolish? He supposed he was, but he did not care. Keira deserved the best.

"I love you, my sweetheart," he whispered.

When sleep finally claimed him, he was holding her tightly in his arms, smiling. Even if he never managed to rise from bed again, he thought, he would die happy.