Hamish bent to help Amanda to her feet, then picked her up and laid her on Struan’s bed.
“I am so sorry, my darling,” he said huskily. “I should never have allowed you to walk into so much danger.” He lay down beside her, then kissed her tenderly and embraced her, sighing with contentment.
“I chose to, Hamish,” Amanda replied. “And I would do the same thing again. I have no regrets, except that I am sorry Struan is dead because any loss of life is a tragedy. I would like to have seen him try to explain what he did to you, then he could be severely punished. Spending the rest of his life in a cell would have driven him mad.”
Hamish frowned, feeling his heart sink. “Do you hate me for killing him?” he asked, dreading the answer.
“No,” Amanda replied. “You did it to save me, and you had no other choice, Hamish. I just wanted to hear his excuses for what he did, but I suppose it is really not important now, since he can never hurt anyone again.”
“And together we can mend all the hurts he has caused,” Hamish observed, smiling at her. “But there is one thing I need to know, Amanda. Kidnapping you was the best thing I have ever done. But I know it was a dreadful act, nevertheless. Tell me, do you want to leave here and be free? Or would you like to stay here? I promise I will always keep you safe.”
Amanda smiled into the apple-green eyes that were looking into her own, now warm with love. She smiled, and drew his head down to kiss him, warm and tenderly.
“I will never leave you,” Amanda told him. “Never, Hamish. But now there is something I think you should do. Address your people. Tell them the good news, and let them know you will be abetter Laird than your brother. Not that he ever was a real Laird, of course, but they need to know that their lives will be better from this day on. You will be a wonderful leader, Hamish.”
“Will you be by my side too, Amanda?” Hamish asked. “Will you marry me and stay with me forever, have my children?”
He looked so hopeful that Amanda smiled and kissed him again. “Of course I will. I could never say yes to any other man but you.”
“Thank god.” Hamish sighed with relief, then his face lit up with pure joy. “Thank you, my sweetheart. I never thought I would ever see this day. You have made me so happy.”
“I am equally happy,” Amanda replied, then she touched her bleeding lip. “Let the healer treat herself before you speak to the people.”
Hamish’s face darkened with anger again. “I will have Struan’s body taken away now,” he said angrily. “I’m sure I have a wooden box somewhere we can put him in. I would rather not waste funds having a coffin or a headstone made for him. There is a dark corner of the garden where we can bury him. Now, let’s not speak of him again. There is a lot to do, and we must hurry.”
He pulled Amanda to her feet and embraced her tightly. “I would do anything for you, Amanda,” he whispered. “You are the love of my life.”
Amanda smiled again and squeezed Hamish’s hand, then watched as he walked away to organise the activities. She could not remember ever feeling so happy; it was covering her like a warm blanket, and she snuggled into it as she would snuggle into Hamish’s warm body.
Suddenly, the world around her looked and felt different; the colours were warmer, the people’s faces more cheerful, the sun brighter. Amanda knew this was all in her imagination, of course, but she resolved to hold on to the feeling because for the first time ever, everything in her world was perfect.
Hamish strode down the corridor to the wine cellar to order some of the precious liquor for his servants and the villagers, who had never tasted anything so exotic in their lives. This was only the start of what he wanted to give them, however. He wanted to shower them with gifts and blessings, for they have suffered greatly under Struan’s injustice.
Halfway down the corridor, Hamish encountered Gregor again. He smiled at his friend, and Gregor stopped to talk to him, looking at him quizzically.
“You have good news?” he asked.
“The best,” Hamish replied happily. “Amanda is going to marry me.”
Gregor laughed, then slapped Hamish on the back and cheered. “I knew it!” he cried. “We could a’ see it long before you did. Ye were meant for each other.”
He called one of the other men over to tell him the good news, then they quickly spread it amongst the others, who came to pat him on the back and wish him well.
Eventually, when all the congratulations had been done, Hamish managed to escape for a while to supervise the loading of the food stores into the wagons which he would escort around the villages to spread the good news.
He went to Struan’s chamber again to find Amanda, but she had retired to the sick bay to put some arnica on her bruise and some salve on her lip. She was not quite her usual beautiful self, but Hamish cared nothing about that.
She was here, she was safe, and a moment later she was in his arms, and he was kissing her as if his life depended on it.
When they drew apart, he said, “You know, I long to see you being the mistress of my castle. My people are already learning to love you, as I do.”
“I can hardly wait,” she replied, smiling. “But before that, we have many other things to think about, Hamish. Your people are waiting for their Laird; their rightful Laird.”
“And his Lady,” he said as he cupped her cheek in his hand and gave her a smile that was so loving it brought tears to her eyes.
Amanda laughed. “Lady? Me?” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Lady Amanda McNeill,” Hamish told her huskily. “The fairest Lady in the Highlands.”
