“My pouch,” said Logan, opening it to find the ring inside that he wanted to give to Rhoswen. He shined it against his tunic and held it up to sparkle in the sun. “Mayhap that weasel of yers is no’ as worthless as I thought. It’s finally bein’ helpful and findin’ weddin’ rings for a change instead of stealin’ them.”
“Slink isna a weasel and ye ken it,” scoffed Caleb.
“That’s right,” piped up Ethan. “Everyone kens it’s a stout.”
“Nay, it’s a mink,” said Hawke, as Caleb’s friends continued to tease him on his choice of a pet.
“I’ll meet ye back at camp,” said Caleb, urging his horse into a gallop.
“Hold on, Caleb, I’ll come with ye,” said Hawke. “Phoebe told me she wants me to help put up the arches of flowers. She’ll have my head if I dinna do it.”
Jack took off in the opposite direction and Trapper followed, thinking the wolf wanted to play.
Logan finished dressing, looking up at Ethan. “Why are ye still here?” he asked, thinking he’d leave, too.
“I just wanted ye to ken that I’m happy for ye, Logan. Ye no’ only managed to snag a bonnie bride, but ye brought back the Sword of Triumph, too. I bet that makes ye feel guid.”
“We both ken that Rhoswen was the one who saved the sword. The entire clan kens it as well.”
“That’s no’ what the chronicler wrote in the king’s book.”
“What?” Logan looked up in question as he donned his weapon belt next. “What do ye mean? I ken they werena at the Drummonds, but surely someone told them what happened.”
“Rhoswen made sure to tell them that ye no’ only saved her sister and nephew, but ye rescued her and also the Sword of Triumph.”
“Hmmph,” said Logan. “Well, it’s no’ true.”
“Ye did rescue them and keep them from dyin’,” said Ethan. “And ye were the one to teach Rhoswen how to disarm a man, and then ye helped to distract Drummond so she could do it.”
“My bride said those things about me?” he asked, having felt guilty that he wasn’t able to do even more.
“She did. She loves ye, Logan, even if I think she could have done so much better.”
“Haud yer wheesht, Ethan, or I’m goin’ to renege yer right of bein’ my best man at the weddin’.”
“I didna ken I was.” Ethan seemed pleased.
“Will ye do it?” he asked.
“I will. But what are ye goin’ to do about what Brigham wrote in the Highland Chronicles?”
“Well, I suppose there are always two ways of lookin’ at things,” said Logan. “And who am I to dispute what is written by the chronicler of the king?” He flashed him a smile. “I’ll bet Caleb’s fumin’ that he’s the only one of the four of us that hasna been mentioned in the book yet.”
“Ye have no idea,” said Ethan with a chuckle.
“Let’s go, Jack,” Logan called to his wolf, and whistled. He walked over and mounted his horse. “I have a weddin’ to go to, and I wouldna miss this one for anythin’ in the world.”
* * *
“Hurry, Rhoswen, everyone’s waitin’,” called out Rhoswen’s brother, Newell, as Rhoswen looked at her reflection in the back of a silver platter, feeling nervous about the wedding.
“I’m coming,” Rhoswen called back out the window of the hospice where her sister, Blaine, as well as Hawke’s wife, Phoebe, and Ethan’s wife, Alana, helped her dress.
“Ye look so bonnie wearin’ the MacKeefe plaid,” said Blaine with a shy smile, talking with a Scottish bur. Rhoswen’s head snapped up and she looked at her sister in surprise.
“Did I just hear you say ye and bonnie?” she asked with a giggle.
“Aye,” said Blaine, looking down to the ground. Her face turned red. “I figured since this is our new home now, mayhap I should learn the language.” Blaine’s hand went to the wooden cross she wore around her neck and she rubbed it.
“You don’t have to worry,” said Rhoswen, putting her hand over her sister’s. “I think it’s nice.”
“So do I,” said Alana.
“And ye both look guid in the MacKeefe plaid,” added Phoebe. “Did ye ken yer brathair said he and Oliver are goin’ to be the next Madmen MacKeefes?”
“I heard that,” said Logan’s mother, Effie, walking into the hospice to join them. “However, I dinna think anyone will ever replace the original madmen. I ken because I’m married to one and every day is an experience like no other.”
The women all laughed, making Rhoswen feel at ease. “I must admit I’m nervous,” said Rhoswen.
“Why?” asked Effie, taking her hand in hers. “Are ye havin’ second thoughts about marryin’ my son?”
“Oh, nay. Never,” Rhoswen assured her. “I love Logan and can’t wait to give him a child.” She noticed Phoebe and Alana exchange glances. “Did I say something wrong?” asked Rhoswen, suddenly wondering if they’d really accepted her after all.
“Nay, no’ at all,” Alana told her. “It’s just that we were goin’ to wait until after yer weddin’ to tell people, because we didna want to take attention away from ye and Logan.
“What do you mean?” asked Rhoswen.
“We’re both carryin’ our husbands’ bairns,” Phoebe told her, putting her hand on her belly.
“I thought so!” Effie pulled them both into her embrace. “Didna ye tell Ethan and Hawke yet?”
“Nay, and please dinna let them ken until after the weddin’,” answered Phoebe. “We dinna want to ruin Logan and Rhoswen’s big day.”
“Congratulations,” said Rhoswen, giving them both hugs. “And you could never ruin my big day.”
“That’s excitin’,” said Blaine.
“The MacKeefe Clan has a lot to celebrate,” said Effie, smiling from ear to ear. “But right now, we have a weddin’ to go to. Are ye all ready?”
“I think so,” said Rhoswen. “I only wish my parents could be here for this special day.”
“Ye mean just mathair,” said Blaine.
“Nay, I mean our father, too,” said Rhoswen. “I know Papa made a lot of decisions that caused us a lot of pain, Sister, but I do forgive him.”
“Will you ever be goin’ back to yer home in England?” asked Phoebe.
“Unless we take the Sword of Triumph back to the English king, we no longer have a home,” answered Rhoswen. “But that is something I would never do, and I made sure Logan knows it. That sword means so much to him and the entire clan that I would never take it away. It is staying in Scotland from now on if I have anything to say about it.”
“My son has made a guid choice in marryin’ ye, Rhoswen.” Effie put her arm around Rhoswen’s shoulders. “And I want ye to ken that ye’ll always have a home with the MacKeefes. We will be yer family now. A family to no’ only ye but also to yer siblin’s and nephew.”
“Thank you,” said Rhoswen, giving Effie a hug, already feeling loved by her new family.
Logan’s eyes drank in Rhoswen’s beauty as soon as she stepped from the hospice with her sister, Blaine, leading the way. They were both dressed in the MacKeefe plaid and so was her brother, Newell, who seemed to have grown up immensely just since their encounter with the Drummonds. The boy’s bravery was admirable. With Logan’s training, he would someday be a Highland warrior now that he was part of the family. Blaine wasn’t crying nearly as much as she used to, but Logan saw her rubbing the wooden cross in worry a lot. It helped her to deal with her problems, and that is all that mattered.
Logan nodded at Ethan, standing next to him. Ethan started playing his bagpipes. Trapper barked at the music and Jack howled from under a bench. Rhoswen’s sister, Ailsa, cuddled little Lockie to her chest, rocking him gently, sitting on the back of Bug’s wagon. Bug sat next to her, slowly raising his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Logan had a feeling Bug’s days of being a traveling merchant were over.
Logan’s father, Aidan, escorted Logan’s mother, Effie, down the aisle and they took a seat on the front
bench, next to Hawke and Caleb who had Slink on his lap and was feeding him something that Logan couldn’t identify.
Logan stood under a wooden archway he’d built for the wedding. In the center of it, he carved two hearts intertwined. And under the hearts, he’d burned Logan and Rhoswen right into the wood. The girls of the clan decorated it with colorful spring flowers and ribbons. The priest was next to Logan, holding his prayer book, tapping his finger atop it impatiently as Ethan continued to play his music.
Their chieftain, Storm, stepped out of the crowd, the Sword of Triumph dangling from his side. He extended his arm to Rhoswen and walked her up to the archway. He stopped and so did the music. But as soon as Storm opened his mouth, Ethan began to blow on the bagpipes again. Storm scowled.
“Ethan, that’s guid for now,” Logan told his friend and, finally, the man put down the bagpipes.
Storm was finally able to talk. “I ken Rhoswen no longer has a faither to do this, so I give her hand in marriage to Logan on his behalf.”
“Thank you,” said Rhoswen with a nod, as Storm went and took his seat next to his wife.
The MacKeefe family was growing in leaps and bounds, Logan noticed. Not only with Rhoswen and her family living there now, but also with Ethan and Hawke’s new wives and children. Plus, each of his friends had parents and siblings that belonged to the clan as well. Not everyone was here today, because some of them lived at Hermitage Castle. But still, Logan felt a sense of family and was glad he was a part of it.
“Are ye ready?” asked the priest.
“We are,” said Logan, holding out his hand to Rhoswen. “Ye are bonnie, and a sight for sore eyes,” he whispered and watched as Rhoswen’s bright blue eyes sparkled. Her ebony hair was twisted around each ear, and she wore a wreath of bluebells like a crown.
“And you smell good,” she whispered back to him. “Bathing in the lake again, I’m guessing?”
“We’ll have to try it together tonight,” he told her in a low voice and winked at her, making her blush.
The priest cleared his throat, gaining their attentions. Then they said their vows, promising to love and honor each other for the rest of their lives.
“The ring please,” said the priest.
Ethan stepped forward and handed the ring to Logan.
“Rhoswen, I ken this was someone else’s ring at one time, but I dinna ken whose. Still, it doesna matter to me and I hope it willna matter to ye either. It was a bonnie ring and I thought someone as bonnie as ye should wear it on her finger.” He held the ring up, slipping it onto her finger.
“Logan,” she gasped, looking at the ring and holding her hand out. He noticed her hand was shaking.
“If ye dinna like it, I’ll get another one, lass,” he promised, thinking he had made a wrong decision.
“Nay, I love it,” she said softly, reaching out with her other hand to run her finger over it. “This is my mother’s wedding ring. Where did you find it?”
“It is?” Logan asked in shock. “Bug found it on the road,” he admitted softly, his eyes glancing around, ready for everyone to think less of him since he’d used it.
“My father must have had it in his pouch and lost it during the attack. I thought Mother was buried with it, but I see now my father had different plans for her jewelry. Why should I be surprised?” A tear dripped down her cheek and Logan reached out and brushed it away with his thumb.
“Ye dinna have to wear it, lass. I ken it only brings bad thoughts of yer faither.”
“Nay, I want to wear it,” she said, looking up and smiling at him. “I’ve forgiven my father, because it is the right thing to do. He was . . . confused . . . and I see that now. I want to wear this ring, because since I will never again go back to England and to my mother’s grave, it is the last remembrance I have of her. Thank you, Logan,” she said, reaching up and kissing him. “You have made me very happy in so many ways.”
“All right, well, I guess ye can kiss him now,” said the priest, slamming shut his book and shrugging his shoulder. “I pronounce ye two married.”
Everyone cheered and clapped and the bagpipe music started up once again. Then came the sound of a horse and wagon. Logan looked over to see Old Callum MacKeefe stopping the wagon and hopping over the side. A young woman who looked like one of the tavern whores was with him. “Am I too late?” called out the old man. “Did I miss the weddin’?”
“Ye’re here now,” said Logan. “And as long as ye brought plenty of Mountain Magic, we’ll forgive ye for showin’ up late.”
“I’ve got a whole cart of it,” said Callum, cackling. “Who wants a drink?”
Everyone rushed over to Callum, but Storm put his fingers up to his mouth and whistled loudly. Everyone stopped and turned around, and even Jack and Trapper came running.
“Before we start the celebration, I have somethin’ to say,” Storm spoke up.
“Excuse me, wait a moment please,” said Bridget, pushing to the front of the crowd with her father right behind her. “My faither doesna want to miss a word.” She pulled a book out of a bag she carried. “For the Highland Chronicles.” She held up the book for everyone to see.
“Well, this is somethin’ ye’re no’ goin’ to want to leave out,” said Storm, taking the Sword of Triumph from his waistbelt and holding it up high. “As ye all ken, Logan was the one who recently saved the Sword of Triumph from the Drummonds.”
“With Rhoswen’s help of course,” Logan added, not wanting her to be forgotten just because she was a woman. After all, she was the real one to rescue it as far as he was concerned.
“It’s guid to have our lucky sword back,” shouted Ethan.
“We’ll win every battle from now on,” added Caleb.
“This sword has been passed from clansmember to clansmember to hold and use in the past,” said Storm. “But from this day on, I am givin’ it to Logan, unless anyone in the clan objects.”
There was silence for a second, and Logan was sure Caleb or one of his friends would object. But instead, they all started clapping.
“The sword is yers,” said Storm, handing it to Logan. “Ye deserve it.”
“Nay, I object,” said Logan. “I canna take it.”
Everyone became suddenly silent.
“Why no’?” asked Storm.
“Well, for one thing, I dinna deserve it since I was the one to lose it in the first place.”
“Ye’ve redeemed yerself by gettin’ it back, after it was in the hands of the English king,” said Storm.
“That was Rhoswen’s faither who did that, no’ me. And it should go to her instead.”
Gasps went up from the crowd at the notion of handing over the sword to a Sassenach who was woman. It was unheard of.
“Rhoswen,” said Logan, taking her hands in his. “I think ye should use the sword to try to get yer faither’s lands and castle back from King Richard.”
That didn’t go over well with the rest of the MacKeefes, and they all started to shout and complain.
“Please,” said Rhoswen putting her hand in the air. When no one heard her, she put her fingers to her mouth and whistled just like Storm had, gaining everyone’s attention. Logan had no idea she could even do that. “I have something to say.”
“Logan, ye canna give the sword to her,” said Storm under his breath.
“And neither do I want it, but thank you, Logan,” said Rhoswen.
“What?” asked Logan, not understanding her decision. “Dinna ye want to claim what is rightfully yers back in England? Yer home?”
“This is my home now, Logan. And no sword, castle or lands could ever get me to go back to England. My siblings and my nephew are all I have left that I care about and they are right here with me. So you see, there is no need to go back. Besides, there is no guarantee that King Richard would pardon us after the things my father did.”
“She’s got a point,” said Storm. “And as chieftain of the clan, I canna allow the Sword of Triumph to ever leave Scotland aga
in, unless it is bein’ used in battle.”
“Thank you for wanting to give up something that means so much to you, to help me, Logan,” said Rhoswen. She reached up and kissed him on the mouth and then looked out at the rest of her family – old and new. “I also want to thank the entire MacKeefe Clan for taking in me and my siblings and little Lockie. We will be very happy here, and you have all already made us feel like part of your family.”
“The family is growin’,” shouted Hawke after Phoebe whispered in his ear. “I just found out my wife is bairned.”
“I’m goin’ to be a faither again, too?” said Ethan loudly. He pulled his wife, Alana, to him and picked up their daughter, Isobel, and let out a hoot. “Alana’s goin’ to have another baby!”
Everyone congratulated them, and the celebration was in motion.
“Take the sword, Logan,” said Storm with a nod. “Ye ken ye want it.”
Logan bit his lip and nodded slightly. “I would be honored to take it,” he told Storm. “But are ye sure ye really want me to have it?”
“Ye’ve risked yer life fightin’ harder for this clan than probably anyone,” said Storm. “Ye have always been one of my most dedicated warriors. Plus ye were the one to construct the sword’s hilt, carvin’ the handle and makin’ it our clan’s guid luck charm. That was all yer idea. Ye deserve it, Logan. Now take it before I hit ye over the head with the bluidy thing to get ye to accept it.”
They all laughed and Logan took the sword and held it in the air, pulling his new wife closer. “The Sword of Triumph,” he said proudly. “I will honor and respect it for the rest of my life.”
Rhoswen giggled.
“What’s so funny, Wife?” he asked, lowering the sword and looking at her playfully.
“You sound like you’re saying our wedding vows again, Logan, but you need to remember it is only a sword.”
“Mayhap to ye, it is only a sword, lass. But I assure ye that the Sword of Triumph is so much more. It is the destiny of the MacKeefe Clan, it is the past and it is the future.”
“Did ye hear that, Faither?” whispered Bridget as her father scribbled something down in the Highland Chronicles. The girl came closer so they wouldn’t miss a word.
Highland Steel: Highland Chronicles Series - Book 3 Page 20
