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“I hardly know what to say,” she said, looking down at the ring in amazement.
“Say nothing, because…” he began, a look of realization dawning on his face.
“What is it, Kin?” she asked, and he smiled at her.
“I know what Gilroy meant–there is another ring I must give you, the pledge of my heart,” he said, and now, to her great surprise, he got to his feet and kneeled before her, taking her by the hand looking up at her with wide and imploring eyes.
“Oh, Kin…” she began, but he stopped her.
“Please, Murdina, I must ask you this. From the moment I first met you, I knew you were different, and perhaps I even knew our destinies were to be entwined. We have become as one, and I can hardly imagine my life without you. I could not bear it to be so. We are united in a bond so strong that there is only one question I can now ask of you. Marry me, Murdina, and let these rings bind our hearts together,” he said, clasping her hands in his.
Murdina hardly needed time to think. She loved Kin, and he loved her, too. They had shared so much together, and together they had prevailed. No one in all the world could ever make her as happy as he did, and now that he had recovered from his injuries, a happy future lay before them.
“I will marry ye, Kin, of course, I will marry ye,” she exclaimed, and he threw his arms around her, their lips meeting in a kiss.
“Oh, Murdina, how happy you have made me,” he exclaimed, kissing her again, the two of them embracing, the joy of that moment overwhelming them.
“And ye have made me the happiest of women, too, Kin,” she replied, resting her head on his chest as he held her close to him.
“Then we shall be happy together,” he replied, kissing her on the forehead.
They sat a while longer in the gardens, the early summer sun bathing them in its warmth. Murdina felt at peace, the ordeals they had faced and the trials they had born now at an end and only a happy future to come.
“Dae ye think we shall ever be called on to fulfill some task for Gilroy?” she asked after they had sat awhile in silence.
“So long as the Hanoverian pretender sits on the English and Scottish thrones, our cause will continue. Even if we are cut down to the very last man–or woman–we shall still hold that cause dear. We are Jacobites; it is in our blood,” he replied, looking down at her with a smile on his face.
“I never cared much for the cause, but now I see tis’ more than just about a king on a throne in some distant capital. Tis’ about our very destiny, our right to determine ourselves and our own lives. Tis’ about freedom,” she said, and Kin nodded.
“You understand it well. That is why Gilroy chose you–it is why he chose any of us. When the time is right, we shall be ready, but until that moment, we shall be together, and we shall be happy, you and I, the happiest of people,” he replied.
Murdina could not doubt his words. She was ready for all that was to come, and with Kin at her side, the future held no fear. Their cause would prevail, just as Kin said, for it was a cause which united good and honest men and women, who believed in truth and rights. Murdina was proud to be among them and proud to now call herself Kin’s betrothed. Together, they would be as one, and Murdina could not wait for the moment of her vows, the moment they would become husband and wife.
