Epilogue

EPILOGUE

K eira found out that she was with child barely two months after the wedding. After numerous bouts of nausea and a few dizzy spells, her new maid, Moira, advised her to seek the advice of the local midwife, and her pregnancy was confirmed. It was a shock, but a delightful one, and Murdoch was delighted.

"I cannot believe I'm going to be a father!" he cried in disbelief, his green eyes shining with love as he gathered his wife into his arms. "Thank you, my sweetheart!"

"It was entirely my pleasure," Keira replied, laughing softly.

Five years later…

"Gavin!" Murdoch cried. "Not like that! You will hurt yourself!"

He removed the wooden sword from his son's hand and was met by a resentful scowl from his dark blue eyes. The four-year-old warrior had been pointing the weapon at his own chest, which was protected by the padding from an old quilt, but Murdoch was a very protective father.

He loved both of his twins, Gavin and Gregory, equally, but Gavin was the more active and adventurous of the two, and often the person he needed to be protected from was himself.

Gregory was able to keep up with his boisterous brother most of the time, but he was by far the quieter and more sedate of the two, preferring to learn with his mind and his eyes than engage in Gavin's rough-and-tumble pastimes. Now, he watched as his enormous father fought his twin brother while kneeling on the ground. Both of them had wooden swords, although Murdoch wore no padding. Even so, the scratchy little weapon could still cause a nasty cut or graze, and Murdoch had the scars to prove it!

Now, abandoning Keira, who was sewing, Gregory decided to join in the fight. He picked up his wooden weapon and charged at his father and Murdoch took a direct hit as the point of his son's sword caught him in the middle of his abdomen.

"Two against one is not fair!" he protested, pretending to be hurt as he rubbed his stomach.

The boys guffawed with laughter. "You are bigger than us!" Gregory pointed out, then he walked up to Murdoch and commanded, "Lay down your sword!"

Pretending to be defeated, Murdoch did so, then stood up and bent down to tuck both of his sons under his arms and walk around the courtyard with them. Both of them squealed delightedly, kicking their legs and punching their father on any part of his body they could reach.

"I suppose nobody wants scones with cream on them?" Murdoch asked airily. "Maybe I will have to eat them all myself. Would you like some, Mammy?" He raised his eyebrows and looked at her inquiringly.

"Yes, I would!" Keira replied, licking her lips. She stood up and rubbed her tummy.

"I want one!" Gavin yelled.

"I want one too!" Gregory chimed in, before they both started begging to be put down.

Keira laughed heartily, then looked at Murdoch. "What do you think, Da? Have they been good boys? Good enough for scones?"

Murdoch pretended to consider. "Hmmm…" Then he made up his mind. "I think so, Mammy. As long as they go to bed without a fight tonight!"

"I promise!" shouted Gregory.

"I promise!" shouted Gavin at the same time.

Murdoch put them down and no sooner had their feet hit the floor than they were scampering toward the kitchen, laughing as they went.

Murdoch looked after them fondly. "My sons." His voice was tender as he shook his head in disbelief. "Sometimes I cannot believe they are mine—ours. When I think about what we had to go through to arrive here…. Once, I thought it was impossible. Sitting in the dungeon, I thought my life had ended. But it had only just begun. Thank you, my Keira."

"You have thanked me a thousand times," she murmured, gazing up into the eyes that were the color of ripe green apples. "And I have thanked you. How many more times?"

"Another thousand. A thousand more. A million," he replied, laughing softly as he pulled her to him and tucked her head under his chin. "Now come, Lady of my Heart, let us see what havoc our little twins are causing."

"Wait," Keira put a finger to his lips. "I need your attention first."

Murdoch smiled wickedly. "Then you shall have it, milady."

He dipped his head to touch his lips to hers and, as usual, passion ignited at once. Murdoch plundered her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside, sweeping around to taste every bit of her sweetness while he cupped her backside, pulling her against his hardness.

Keira never became tired of the feel of his arousal against her, and now she ground herself onto it, pushing her hips forward to tease him and drive him into a frenzy. She heard him growl deep in his throat as he pushed back against the wall behind her, but Keira gently nudged him away, even though she herself was flushed and breathless.

"Not here," she whispered. "The boys may come back."

"You witch!" He was a little frustrated and a little amused. Even after five years of marriage and countless couplings, each time was still as earth-shattering as the first. "When will you stop doing this to me?"

"Never," Keira whispered. She kissed his Adam's apple, a part of his body that she found utterly fascinating.

"Good!" He laughed and swept her off her feet, then carried her toward the kitchen, where the two boys were sitting at the table with big puffy cushions on their chairs to raise them to the right height.

Keira laughed softly as she gazed at Greg and Gavin. Greg's face was still relatively clean, as was his golden-blond hair, although his hands were covered in cream.

Gavin, however, was covered in cream from the strands of his red hair to his cheeks to the front of his tunic and even his eyelashes. As soon as he saw his father again, he began to attempt to wipe the mess away, which, of course, made the whole mess much worse.

Keira giggled and wiped him down, then did the same for Gregory. They each had a cup of milk, then Murdoch bent to pick them up and carry them away, one on each shoulder.

Keira surveyed the mess and began to clear it up, all the while humming to herself and smiling. She had always thought that her wedding day would be the happiest day of her life, then the twins were born, and that surpassed her wedding day twice over. She did not know if her heart was big enough to contain any more joy, but she supposed that it would have to be. This was because she had consulted with the wise woman in the settlement and had her suspicion confirmed. She was with child again.

"Aye, lass." Morag Donaldson smiled at her. Unlike the usual healers, who tended to be old and short, Morag was a tall, strapping woman in her middle years with six children of her own. "Ye are wi' child a' right. Congratulations!" She stepped forward and gave Keira the tightest hug she had felt from anyone except Murdoch.

"Pray for me, Morag," Keira said, laughing. "Pray that I only have one this time!"

When she told Murdoch, he was ecstatic, as she had expected him to be.

"When?" he asked eagerly.

"Midsummer." Keira smiled and brushed some of his wheat-colored hair off his forehead.

"The boys are going to be fascinated," Murdoch observed, frowning. "It will be chaos!"

"But happy chaos!" Keira giggled.

When the baby, a girl, was born exactly on Midsummer Day, the boys were utterly captivated, especially when she closed her fingers tightly around theirs. There was much oohing and aahing and hours of staring until eventually it was time to eat and go to bed.

"What's her name?" Gregory asked suddenly.

"Marion," Murdoch said tenderly, looking at Keira.

She nodded in agreement, unable to speak for a moment because her throat was closed with happy tears. Eventually she said, "I will always remember my mother when I look at her," she whispered.

"I like that name," Gregory remarked, smiling happily.

"I don't," Gavin countered. He disliked everything Gregory liked on principle. The two boys stared at each other with narrowed eyes before suddenly running outside, howling at the top of their voices. This was obviously a new game.

"They will wake her," Murdoch grumbled, ready to pursue his wayward twins. However, there was no need for a reprimand since Marion slept on, oblivious. He laughed softly, then reached under the bed and brought out an old and very threadbare ragdoll with red woolen hair and big blue button eyes.

"Wee Marion!" Keira cried in delight. "Where did you find her?"

She gazed at her beloved toy, then hugged her close to her body with her free hand. She smelled of dust, but she was still Keira's beloved playmate.

"In your old toy box," he replied. "You thought you had lost her, did you not?"

"I did. Thank you for finding her again, sweetheart." Keira smiled at her husband lovingly.

"Two Marions in one house might become a little confusing, though," Murdoch pointed out, looking at the doll. "We will have to call this little dolly something else. My mother's name is Lorna. Will that do?"

Keira leaned forward to kiss him. "It will do just fine," she murmured.

Thank you for reading my story!