Love Saves A Highland Spy: Ladies of Dunmore Series (A Medieval Scottish Romance Story)

by Freya, Bridget

  “Ye ken, she wrote me poetry when we were young…” the laird said.

  Francis saw that everything was finally about to change. Soon, the truth would be uncovered.

  * * *

  “I’m so happy for ye,” Arabella exclaimed again. They were down by the lake they had walked to before. Ducks floated on the surface and Francis sat beside Arabella with a look of joy on his face. His faither had finally accepted him and had sent away his brother.

  “But ye ken there is much more to this than merely me being named the son of the laird, Arabella. There is more than just an end to the rumors,” he said, eyeing her and brushing a strand of hair off her face.

  He thought in that moment about how excellent Arabella had become at escaping her chaperone and he was glad for it. This privacy meant everything to him.

  “Aye? And what’s that?” she asked.

  “It means that I can finally be free to wed ye…” he said slowly and intentionally.

  Arabella turned to him with wide, happy eyes.

  “If ye wish it,” Francis added.

  As tears pooled in her gaze, Arabella nodded enthusiastically.

  “I would love nothing so much as to be yer wife, Francis,” she said in a daze of happiness.

  Francis smiled in a way he couldn’t remember having ever smiled. He would marry Arabella! All of it was finally going to happen.

  With that, he put his arms around her and drew her in close.

  “Lady Arabella, I can think of nothing so grand in this entire world as being yer husband,” he said, as honestly as anything he had ever said before.

  “And I can think of nothing so joyous as being yer wife,” she replied.

  With that, Francis leaned his head toward Arabella’s and allowed her to come and meet him where their lips came together as a seal of the life that was to come.

  Chapter 26

  A Laird And His New Bride

  “It’s the perfect color,” Grace commented, looking at the shade of peach that made the gown Arabella was wearing.

  “Really? Ye think so?” she asked.

  “Aye. It’s like yer skin just melts into it. Francis might think he’s seen ye…ye ken. A bit earlier than anticipated,” Grace laughed.

  “It’s hardly nude! I’m in a full gown!” Arabella defended, although she suddenly felt self conscious of the wedding dress she had chosen.

  “Dinnae be a fool, I’m only teasing ye,” Grace laughed in reply.

  “Ye’re growing more and more like Colla with every day that passes. I think yer husband’s gone and boosted yer confidence too much,” Arabella teased in reply.

  “With all these bairns running around, I’ve had to be more vocal, more prepared at any time for tracking them down,” Grace laughed, referencing her baby and Colla’s toddler and younger twins.

  “Aye, fair enough,” Arabella laughed. She couldn’t believe how time had flown. Her engagement to Francis had taken longer than expected on account of battles raging with the Hanoverians. After a while, they were finally able to come together and make their vow to love one another until the end of their days.

  As if on cue, Colla came bursting through the door.

  “We have to do something with her hair!” she exclaimed immediately, eliciting laughter.

  “Oh believe me, I ken. Ye ken I’ve got the worst hair of all of us,” Arabella said in reply.

  Her hair was extremely thick and took a fair bit of extra effort, but soon she was able to see that they had made it exquisite in the way that was half up, with the rest falling gently around her shoulders.

  “Aye, that’s it now. It’s perfect,” Grace insisted.

  “Where’s Adeline and Joanna?” Arabella asked.

  “One of the twins hurt his knee and Adeline said she’d take him to Joanna to get it stitched up,” Grace replied.

  “One of the twins?” Colla asked, offended. “As if they dinnae have names?”

  “Oh they have names, I just cannae say which is which,” Grace confessed.

  Colla tutted and Arabella largely ignored them both, caring more about the fact that she was finally going to walk down to the gardens and meet Francis standing there with the priest, waiting for her to come and say her vows.

  It had been a long journey to get here. Arabella had seen the worst of Francis from the start and he had apologized so many times for the initial awkwardness that she had interpreted as arrogance.

  Through the trials and questions about his faither to the unexpected fight he had to join soon after their engagement, Arabella was glad the day had finally arrived.

  “Oh dear, I do believe it is nearly time,” Colla said, suddenly rushing to smooth the dress as Arabella stood.

  The three held hands and gave a squeeze. Arabella wished the other two would come quickly so she could see them one last time before making her way to her groom. However, it was too late for that, she had to go.

  Out in the gardens of Dunmore, where weddings seemed to be taking place at every turn, Arabella made herself ready to turn the corner past the bush that blocked her view. Then something much unexpected happened.

  A tap on her shoulder caused her to turn around. There, as if by magic, stood her faither.

  “Da!” she exclaimed, tears filling her eyes all over again as she threw her arms around him.

  He looked so much better, had put on more weight, and seemed to be experiencing a true recovery.

  “Me dear. I cannae tell ye how glad I am to be here with ye today. It’s the best thing that could have happened to me. Oh how I’ve missed ye, lass!” he said in reply.

  The day could not have gotten any better, but the wedding was still to come. For Arabella, this was a day of getting her every wish. Her faither, her husband, and seeing all of her friends, it was truly the happiest day of her life.

  She thought she could not be any happier.

  “Might I escort ye?” her faither asked.

  “Please, Faither. Did ye have a chance to meet him?” she asked suddenly.

  “Of course I did. And he’s lovely. I’m so happy for ye, lass. I’m proud to have him for a son-in-law and his faither is a good man to add to it. It’s all very well and I couldnae be more pleased for me daughter than to wed a lad like Francis. Ye’ve made me proud. And I can only imagine what more is to come in the future,” he assured her.

  Arabella tried to stifle her tears, knowing that if she cried any more, she would be too puffy to see her way down the aisle, where Francis was most assuredly waiting for her.

  Finally the sound of a fiddle came, letting her know that it was time to walk. She put her arm in her faither’s and turned around the hedges that had blocked her view.

  There, just beyond the crowd of guests, stood Francis. In his clan’s tartan and all of his pride and excitement, he was tall and beaming.

  Arabella straightened her shoulders to match his pride, and, more, to bring him honor in that she wanted to be the very best she could be. Now, she considered, she reflected upon him and him upon her. They were two parts of one. They were finally going to be joined as man and wife.

  Her faither let her go and placed her hand in Francis’. He took her hand and led her the final three steps until they were before the crowd and only the priest stood with them.

  He began to speak about the commitment of marriage and its vital importance. He told the people of what Arabella and Francis were doing today and how it would impact the future.

  As they made their vow, Arabella and Francis did not release one another’s eyes save for a moment to blink back tears of joy.

  * * *

  “How are ye, darling?” Francis asked when they reached the house.

  Arabella was exhausted. The wedding had taken place early in the day so they would have time to ride north to Francis’ family home, which was waiting for him. He would be on leave for the following three months and this night was the first he would have with his bride.

  “I am well,” she told him, althoug
h he could see it was a lie.

  “Ye’re tired,” he laughed.

  “Extremely,” she confessed in reply.

  “Well, dinnae worry, me love. I ken they have prepared dinner for us and we can eat before we retire,” Francis promised, knowing that their plans would span beyond simply retiring to sleep.

  Arabella smiled at him knowingly and Francis was glad that she had the same thoughts as he did.

  They entered the home and the staff took all their belongings. Arabella mentioned to him what an incredible estate it was and he told her that they would be able to come as often as possible to stay and enjoy their marriage.

  Before going to dinner, the two separated into different rooms and each had a long bath to recuperate from the journey and clean up. After an hour, they reconvened downstairs in the dining room, where Francis saw that Arabella had changed into another gown. She had not allowed the bath to touch her hair and it was still the same gorgeous style she had had it during their wedding.

  They ate an exquisite dinner prepared by the chefs of the house and when they were finally full, began to make their way up the stairs.

  Arabella was slow, following Francis with apparent hesitation. He turned to her in concern. “Darling, are ye alright?” he asked.

  She looked up at him with wide eyes and he tried to read what was in them. For a moment, she could barely even look at Francis and he worried that he had done something to offend her somehow. Then he saw what lay underneath it all.

  “Are ye frightened?” he asked.

  Arabella nodded slowly, seeming to be embarrassed.

  Francis smiled at her, exhaled, and drew her into an embrace on the stairs. “Please, me bonnie lass. Dinnae be frightened. I promise ye that nothing will harm ye. Ye trust me, dinnae ye? And if ye’re too frightened, we can just rest, nothing more needs to happen tonight,” he conceded. Francis knew how he desired to be with his new bride, but it he couldn’t push her into something that frightened her and if she needed time, he would honor it.

  “Forgive me,” she said. “I dinnae ken why I’m frightened. Me friends all told me that it’s nothing much to worry about and that I’ll be very happy in the end.”

  Francis smiled, loving the way she explained it. Her innocence made her all the more beautiful. A woman like that, with stunning appearance and an innocent heart, there was nothing more exquisite in all the world, Francis thought. He loved her and he loved every aspect of her. This was perhaps his new favorite. He wanted her to know how deep his love was.

  “Arabella, I’ll make every effort possible to make it enjoyable for ye. And as I said, if ye are too frightened tonight, it’s alright. We dinnae have to make it happen now,” he promised again.

  Arabella smiled and looked down sheepishly. "But I do want it to happen tonight…”

  Francis felt his heart beat a little faster. “Well then, we ought to take our time. Come with me, and whatever happens will happen, but I will take care of ye.”

  Arabella followed him and he sensed less hesitancy in her now. Perhaps she was just trying to be brave for him, but he made it clear as the evening wore on that if ever there was a moment of discomfort for her, he would stop and they would just fall asleep together.

  Once they were in their room, Francis moved toward Arabella. “My bride, may I kiss ye?” he asked.

  Arabella nodded with a girlish smile.

  Francis leaned in and gave her a gentle, sweet kiss on the lips. It was like the few kisses they had shared before, but it was now so much more meaningful because it was a kiss taking place after their life-long commitment to one another had been sealed and witnessed.

  “Thank ye. Ye have the sweetest lips of any woman,” he flattered her.

  Arabella looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I see, so ye mean that ye’ve tasted a number of lips and found mine to be the sweetest of all the many, many others?” she asked with an angry look on her face.

  Francis tried to think of something, anything to explain that she had misunderstood, but suddenly found himself embarrassed by having hinted at something so untrue and so unlike what he meant. He stumbled over words, searching for anything he could say.

  Then Arabella burst into laughter and tried to recover herself. “Dinnae be silly, it was only a joke!” she teased.

  Francis felt like a fool for having fallen for it, but he joined in her laughter. Another of the many things he loved about Arabella was her sense of humor. He knew well that if she was able to tease him and make jokes and laugh, it would help with her state of fear.

  “Oh, lass, ye’re cruel,” he finally replied.

  “Aye, but it was worth it to see yer face,” she answered him.

  Then it was Arabella who pressed her lips against Francis’ and he accepted them greedily. He was still concerned about Arabella being afraid and allowed her to proceed only when she was comfortable.

  In the end, however, the fears were not necessary. Francis and Arabella made their marriage whole and both fell asleep at the end of the night in complete bliss.

  EPILOGUE

  It was one month into their honeymoon, and Francis’ leave, when they traveled to another of his family’s homes. Arabella could scarcely believe they had so many to choose from, but this was the second of three they would visit. As with the last home, they would spend a full month here, just half an hour away from Land’s End.

  Being that they were only two hours’ carriage ride from Colla and Grace, Arabella insisted that they go to visit them. She wished that Adeline were still here in Scotland rather than being so far away in England, but knew she could at least see some of her friends in the meantime.

  “Aye, we can go to see them tomorrow,” Francis promised. Arabella was thrilled by the prospect and wanted to spend more time with their children and see how far Grace’s stomach had grown since the wedding. She was surely due within the coming weeks and Arabella hoped they would be able to visit them again when the baby was born.

  The house was another exquisite property and Arabella felt certain that Francis must assuredly be more than just a typical laird’s son. They had estates all throughout Scotland. He was the heir of so much and she had not been quite prepared for that. She also would not complain about it.

  “So tell me, what is there for us to do in these parts?” Arabella asked.

  Francis grinned, letting her know exactly what he wished for them to do, but instead they went into the village to do some shopping and enjoy the setting. They purchased vegetables at the market, along with a chunk of lamb, as this house currently had no working staff and they would be doing the cooking themselves for the first few days until the staff of another estate could be sent to them.

  Arabella was excited to cook with Francis. Neither of them had ever been all that skilled, but it was an adventure they would learn together.

  “Aye, but ye’re a woman!” he exclaimed.

  “And ye think that makes me better for the kitchen? Maybe we females are better at feeding men than they are at feeding themselves, but it doesnae change the fact that I was raised in Castle Dunmore. We didnae do the cooking, there was staff for that,” she reminded him.

  Francis had to concede that she was right; she had had very little opportunity to learn to cook, having lost her mother so early. Francis, as a man, a soldier, and son of a laird most certainly had never learned to cook.

  “We can figure it out together,” Arabella reminded him.

  The meal had turned out to be a disaster, but one that had both of them laughing in hysterics and enjoying their time together even more. They had learned in their month of marriage that every day was an adventure and there was always more to do, more to learn, and more ways to grow. So whatever life brought them, they would take it together, and then they would eat lamb charcoal and mushy, over-boiled green beans.

  “Alright, perhaps it will be a struggle until they arrive,” Arabella admitted and Francis laughed. At least the following day they would be with their friends and
could rely on them to do all the cooking.

  It was early in the morning when they left the estate and made their way west to see Colla and Grace.

  They reached Grace’s home first, as it was on the way, but Colla had already arrived, waiting to greet them.

  Francis went off with Beiste and Douglas, hunting for the evening’s dinner. Grace had packed a lunch for them so they could take their time and the women could eat together and catch up on one another’s company.

  “Ye both seem to have quite a nice life up here,” Arabella commented.

  “Aye, it’s grand,” Colla replied. “I mean, did ye see the view?” she added.

  “It’s exquisite,” Arabella commented. “Much like this shepherd’s pie. How on earth do ye make it like this? I have to tell ye lassies that I am the worst of wives. I cannae seem to cook anything for the life of me!”

  Colla and Grace laughed. “Oh, it was a learning curve for us too,” Colla remarked. “I mean, Grace had some skill, but I didnae have even a little. Ye ken I wasnae so much the sort for the kitchen.”

  “Aye, but ye’ve changed!” Arabella expressed.

  “Marriage does that to ye. Not in a bad way, of course. In fact, I cannae say that it changes ye so much as it adds to ye,” Colla said.

  “There were days when I honestly felt that I was losing meself. Like me identity was gone completely when I joined to this man, who was so different from me. But it didnae take long for me to realize that I hadn’t lost any part of me. I had added to it. I had become something more, something better. Instead of exchanging or losing, I was growing. And that’s what marriage does. It grows ye and stretches ye until ye are indeed something new, without having lost the old,” she went on to explain.

  Arabella understood it well. It was exactly how she had been feeling in her marriage. She wasn’t losing herself, but she was growing and learning new things all the time as she worked to be herself, but a better version of it. Moreover, she had seen that Francis was doing the same.