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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.
