Epilogue

A Few Weeks Later

There was a small knock at the door. Alistair, who had been waiting for this knock, reached for the door in one swift movement and opened it. Jane scurried in. Alistair chuckled, closed the door, and secured it with a bolt. He then turned to his prize.

Her cheeks were pink. She was in another of Catrina's nightdresses, this one shorter than the last one he had seen her in. He had a view of her milky thighs. Her nipples, hard, were imprinted upon the flimsy fabric. Alistair felt himself go hard.

"This shall have to be quick," Jane said. "I would not want Catrina to come looking for-" Alistair swallowed the rest of the statement in a kiss. It was a hungry kiss, full of lust and desire. Since their return from England, he had barely had a glimpse of her, for he had been seeing to the evacuation of the English soldiers from Loch Lomond. With their commander gone, it was a lot easier than it could have been. Afterwards, he had worked hard at fortifying his castle in the anticipation of reprisal attacks. The Duke's threat still hung in the air, and Alistair knew that underestimating the British had often made a Scottish laird lose his head. And he had also had to take care of his wound, which although not serious, still tormented him now and then.

Now, he was free to explore the depths of love with his soulmate. After dinner last night, he had whispered in Jane's ear to meet him here at the crack of dawn. She had tarried a little, and he had been a little worried that she would not come. This was unorthodox, after all.

But here she was, his beautiful, magnificent Jane, in all her glory, holding on to him, kissing him back as though her life depended on it. His hands were swift: he worked her dress down over her hips and it fell to the floor. He reached for his breeches, but Jane whispered against his neck. "No, let me."

And so he did let her, pleasure coursing through his veins. With very little difficulty, she worked his breeches down. He swiftly stepped out of them and swept her into his arms. She squealed in pleasure and he smiled. He then dropped her on the bed and followed her down. Tenderly, he parted her legs. His lips began at her heels, and then they worked up towards her inner thighs, first the left and then the right. When they closed over her center, she wailed and clutched his head to her.

Her release was almost instant. He disengaged his lips from her quivering form and smiled down at her. She smiled back, shyly, and turned her face away. Tenderly, he brought it back so that she was once more looking at him in the eye. "Ye are a beauty," he said, and to punctuate this, he gave her nipples love bites. He then guided her hand until it closed over him. "I see that me lady wants tae take further control in our coupling," he said. "And I shall let her dae just that."

Jane stared at him with something quite like wonder. Slowly, but with a riding level of confidence, she guided him to her. When he slipped between her, they both sighed in pleasure.

Alistair thrust into her in slow strokes at first, his eyes locked on hers. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but she managed to. They conveyed what she felt in her heart at that moment. Desire. Love. Alistair captured her lips in a kiss even as he rode her. When he pulled away, Jane bit her lip to keep from crying out. Suddenly, she moved. Alistair looked at her in surprise. In a moment, Alistair's back was to the bed, and Jane sat atop him, his member still lodged within her. Alistair cupped her breasts and then smoothed her back. She stared down at him in something that looked quite like defiance. It aroused him.

He tapped her bottom. "Move," he prompted.

She smiled coyly and shook her head. "I will move when I want to. I am on top."

Her walls clenched around him, and he drew a sharp intake of breath. "Jane, mine, me love and the future maither of me children," Alistair entreated. "Please move."

And she obliged. She rode him as one rides a stallion, hard and fast. But it was not fast enough for Alistair. Her seizing the initiative had made him mad with desire. He grabbed her waist and thrust into her in heavy strokes. She cried out loud. Alistair might have muffled the sound if both his hands had been free and if he was had not been so close to his own release. He did not care if anyone heard at that point. He thrust up into her a few more times before his release washed over him.

He bellowed.

It took him a few moments to recover. Jane was sprawled across his chest, and they were no longer joined. He enfolded her in his arms and listened to her soft breathing. He knew, in that moment, that this was how he wanted to spend all the mornings of his life.

"I cannot believe that you convinced me to make love to you on our wedding morning," Jane said without looking at him. There was laughter and wonder in her voice.

Alistair chuckled. "We are only practicing fer the wedding," he said.

"The wedding which will begin in a small while," she said, pulling away from him. "I must go."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jane yelped and scrambled off the bed. She fetched her nightdress and pulled it on swiftly. Alistair was at her side. He gave her a look that seemed to ask if she was fine with him opening the door. She nodded.

"Who is it?" Alistair asked.

"'Tis us, me laird," Alistair and Jane heard from behind the door.

"‘Us'?" Jane mouthed. Alistair unlatched the bolt and held the door open. It was Catrina and Douglas. Catrina entered the room, while Douglas hovered at the door. It took a while for Jane to note that the man was grinning.

If Catrina had any idea what had transpired in this room moments before she stepped into it, she made no indication of it. "I have come tae take the bride," she said to Alistair. "I must prepare her fer the ceremony."

"Very well," Alistair said solemnly.

Jane giggled; she could not help it. She was led out by Catrina. Before they disappeared down the hallway, she looked at Alistair longingly. That made something sweet swell in his chest.

"I tried tae stop her," Douglas said. "But she would nae be deterred. It's a small mercy that she even allowed ye… tae finish… before barging in."

Alistair chuckled. "She knew that Jane would come here?"

Douglas chuckled. "Me wife barely slept all night. I fear that she might be even more excited about the wedding than ye and yer lover are."

"Jane," Alistair said. "Her name is Jane. And it would mean a lot tae me if ye considered her family, as she will be in a few hours. Nae me lover, nae the Englishwoman I just happened tae be married tae. But a clanswoman. Family. Without her help, we could nae have defeated the English."

Douglas nodded. "Catrina said the same thing tae me this morning, almost word fer word. I shall try more than me best. It may take time, but it shall be done."

"Thank ye."

"Ye're welcome, me laird," Douglas said. "Please accept me congratulations."

"They are accepted," Alistair said with a grin. "Did Catrina harass Eleonor and Ramsay too, seeing as how there will be two weddings today? Or is her militancy reserved fer only me?"

Douglas grinned. "We'll have tae find out, won't we?" He paused. "I just thought about something."

"Yes, Douglas."

"Yes, Douglas," Keith said, suddenly appearing at Alistair's door. "Tell us about what ye are thinking." There was a twinkle in his eye, and he was as jocular as ever."

"Ye have come tae tease me," Alistair said.

"True," Keith replied. "Jane is a warrior of a woman, yes, and I am happy fer ye, but I will never understand the need fer marriage. As ye ken, I meself will never marry."

"We ken ye think so," Douglas said and grinned. He then turned to Alistair. "I was thinking about this: we teased ye about getting married fer the longest time. It seemed that all hope was lost because of yer peculiar taste and because ye cared nothing about love."

"The only proof that ye care about love yourself is that ye are married and have a son," Keith remarked. Alistair chuckled.

"And," Douglas continued with a grin, regardless of Keith's comment, "when the right woman came, it took nay time at all."

Alistair was silent for a moment. "I suppose that is how it is," he said finally, "when one finds his soulmate."

And his mind went back to that sunny day, one year ago, when he had met the witch of the Highlands by the lake.

He supposed she had been right, after all.

* * *

Jane stared at her reflection in the huge vanity mirror in front of her. It was the size of a door, and it was bordered with bronze. The ornate designs on the border were exquisite. Catrina had informed her that this mirror had been passed down to laird's wives from generation to generation.

"Ah, but ye look like a fairy," Catrina said now, patting Jane's hair almost lovingly. She had painstakingly woven it into plates and secured them atop Jane's head with the most precious jewelry that Jane had ever seen. They, just like the mirror, were heirlooms. "Beautiful, radiant. Powerful. Like a true Scotswoman."

"I concur," Eleonor said, coming to stand behind Jane, too. Her pregnancy starting to show a little. She was glowing with happiness. She had chosen a more understated style than Jane's. Her dress was simple and flattering, and there were flowers in her black hair. She had informed Ramsay beforehand that she would not be wearing shoes for the wedding, and he had laughed and told her that that was fabulous.

"I still cannot believe that we are to be wed on the same day," Jane said. "It is something I fantasized about when we were children but I never thought that it would really happen. And yet here we are."

Eleonor rubbed Jane's shoulder affectionately. "And it is all thanks to you, Jane. We would never have been here without you. You saved us all."

"That she did," Catrina said with a smile. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Catrina said. Douglas came in. "Lasses, yer grooms are waiting fer ye."

Catrina, Jane, and Eleonor made their way out of the room with a retinue of servants in tow. The wedding would take place right outside the castle. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze. Ramsay and Alistair were waiting for their brides at the end of the arcade. They looked so regal in their colorful kilts. Alistair's subjects lined both sides of the walkway, and when Jane and Eleonor passed them, they made sounds of admiration.

For Eleonor, it was a stark difference from the last time she was about to get married. This time, it was by choice, and she was surrounded by people who actually liked her. This time, there was no shame about her pregnancy, there was no looming ugliness and she did not feel as though an anvil was about to be dropped on her head.

This time, she was happy. She was getting married to the man of dreams, the father of her baby.

For Jane, this was the most wonderful moment of her life. She finally had someone who loved her just for being herself, who cherished her immensely, and who was willing to shield her from the world's ugliness.

When they got to the front, they each took their groom's hands. Their vows were recited, and they were joined in holy matrimony.

To the sound of celebration, Alistair took Jane in his arms. "Finally," he said.

"Finally," Jane replied with a smile.

And although Alistair was referring to their marriage, Jane was referring to far deeper things. Finally, she had peace, and love and joy.

Finally, she was home.