Callum smiled. “Your secret is safe with me, brother. Now, let’s join our women, shall we? I believe Roderick is calling for a toast.”
They made their way over to the rest of their family, Finlay marveling at Kyla’s beauty once more. When he had seen her walking down the aisle, the sun streaming behind her through the stained-glass windows, he had been struck at the way his heart tugged at him. This woman, the best woman he had ever known in so many ways, was to be his wife. As he’d said the words to her that bound them to one another for the rest of their lives, he had been surprised at the weight of responsibility to live up to them that had accompanied them. He had seen her eyes widen as he had spoken them to her, and hoped she was not aware of just how much his heart yearned for her to feel the same.
He knew it could never be, but prayed with all his might that she would stay with him past the three months. He vowed to do his best not to be overly ornery with her, and give her the space and the authority she longed for.
A voice inside him laughed at that. He had never been one to keep his opinions to himself, and he doubted very much anything would change with her. But, he promised his heart, he would do his best.
* * *
The last of the guests had trickled out the door of the McDougall great hall as the early morning sun started to rise. Kyla had been overwhelmed by the well-wishers that evening, but she was grateful for the support of her own clan as well as the one she had married into.
She looked across the hall at Finlay, leaning against the doorframe. He looked exhausted, and she was surprised at the pull she had to go over and push the dark hair out of his eyes and order him to bed. She supposed she could if she felt so inclined. She was, after all, his wife now.
She walked over to him and settled with a gentle pull at his arm. “Off to bed with you now, husband,” she said with a light smile.
He looked up at her, his intense gaze suddenly alert.
“Coming with me?”
The tremor that coursed through her body shocked her, and she looked up at him, startled.
“I… I think…”
“I’m kidding, Kyla,” he said, one corner of his lips curling up in a smile. “See? I can make a joke. Come, I’ll show you to your chamber.”
As he led her up the stairs, her heart was still hammering in her chest.
He stopped at the door next to his, and looked down at her. He lifted her hand and brought it to his lips in a surprising show of affection.
“Sleep well, wife,” he said before dropping her hand and entering his own room, shutting the door behind him and leaving her staring at him in perplexity.
7
The next few days passed in somewhat of a blur. Kyla had been nervous about coming in and finding her place within a household with two strong women, but she had little to fear.
Jane and Peggy welcomed her with open arms, and between the three of them, they quickly determined their new roles within the household. Peggy was more than happy to give up any of her duties or responsibilities if it meant she could spend more time lost in her daydreams and visiting with her friends. Finlay’s mother, Jane, was a kind, gentle soul who had everything well in hand without being particularly overbearing or commanding to any of the women who came in to help now and again. Jane also had her own interests in herbs and healings, and was pleased to have more time to attend to them.
Kyla tried to explain that she actually wished to do more with the business of the clans and less about the house, but they seemed pleased to accommodate her however she wished. Kyla wondered how much was their easy-going natures, and how much was part of them wanting to ensure that she stayed happy and here with Finlay.
The first day, she accompanied mother and daughter around the tower house, learning more about the day-to-day roles of the family and what she would be expected to look after.
It was nothing much different than what she had done in her father’s home. As she had climbed the seemingly endless staircase of Galbury Castle, she wondered who was currently looking after her father and brother, and decided a visit was in order as soon as possible.
Kyla rarely saw Finlay in her first week as his wife, but she fell into an easy routine with the rest of the McDougalls. Not only did she and Peggy get along well, but she found Adam a quiet, solid presence, and Roderick loved to tease her, as his new “sister.” Peggy would just roll her eyes when he started up, shaking her head at him as she thanked Kyla for taking Roderick’s attention away from making her own life miserable.
Finlay seemed to be eternally displeased with her, no matter what she was doing or who she was doing it with.
One afternoon, Kyla was sitting in a wooden chair next to the window of the cold kitchens, catching the square of light where the late afternoon sun streamed in and warmed her as she peeled potatoes into a pail in front of her.
She heard motion at the door and looked up to find Adam hesitating in the doorway, as though unsure of whether or not he should join her.
“Adam!” she exclaimed upon seeing him, “Come in, please.”
He nodded and stepped into the room. Kyla was partially pleased to see him because he was a welcome distraction from the pile of potatoes currently in front of her, but she also enjoyed his presence. He
