Highland Devil (Murray Family #22)(46)

"Nay. Nice locks ye have, though."

"Thank ye. Started putting them on certain doors once I could afford  them as I was weary of my whole family walking into my room whene'er  they pleased."

"Oh, I can understand that."

"Now, everyone out." He looked at Gybbon. "And that includes ye."         

     



 

"But  … " Gybbon began.

"Nay, we will go down to the hall and have some ale to calm tempers and  discuss what happens next, then back to our own beds till morning. Mora,  I warn ye, ye will have Jolene in here first thing in the morning."

"Why?"

"To plan your wedding," Sigimor said, and her brothers nodded, and then  he went and shut the door to the passageway and locked it.

"But  … "

"Sleep weel, Mora," said Sigimor as he ushered everyone out the door  only to poke his head back in a moment later. "Lock the door."

She sighed when he left but got up and locked the door. She did not know  why that was necessary as it appeared there were all sorts of places in  this room for someone to sneak up on them. And how would Jolene get in  if she locked the door?

"Not my problem," she said as she climbed back into bed.

She lay on her back, scratched her cat's ears when it jumped up to curl  at her side. It appeared she would soon be married. Gybbon had not  looked overly distressed by that, but she was annoyed. She had always  hated it when she was ordered to do something. She just prayed Gybbon  did not have any resentment over being dragged before an altar.

They had deprived her of the chance to have Gybbon ask her to be his  wife and any of the loving that might have come after that. It should  have been a lovely, romantic moment and they had stolen that away. Mora  decided she would find a way to make her interfering brothers pay for  that.



Gybbon sipped his ale and tried to ignore the way Niall and David were  glaring at him. He did not like the fact that he was being pushed to the  altar but knew he would have been going there soon anyway. Then again,  he had only just begun to think of how to ask Mora to marry him and had a  small sense of relief that he did not have to come up with something a  woman would think was suitable. He had not been gifted with the skill at  romantic talk such as some of his relatives were.

"I want Harcourt there," he abruptly said as the brothers and Sigimor talked about the wedding they were busy planning for him.

"Already sent him word. The priest, too, and just received the reply  from him." Sigimor scowled. "Didnae need the sermonizing he put in, just  an aye or a nay. He will be here in time to wed the sinners." He  grinned at Gybbon. "So be sure to look appropriately shamed."

"I will do my best."

"Ye should look shamed," said David. "Mora is a proper lady."

"Who tried to steal a horse," Gybbon murmured, took another sip of ale and winked at a grinning Sigimor.

"That was under extreme circumstances."

"Doesnae matter, David," said Sigimor. "Now, I am eager to go back to my  bed. Ye do not beat on him. I want him to look as handsome as possible  when he stands afore the priest." He got up and walked out.

Gybbon decided he would also go back to bed and make himself resist the  urge to go through that clever door. He stood up and so did her  brothers. Gybbon could see how badly they wanted to hit him and he did  understand that urge. He had enough sisters and female cousins who had  lain with the man they married before the vows were said to understand  how it made a man feel.

"Nay, sorry ye cannae, but Sigimor wants my face pretty for the wedding."

"Ye willnae be getting wed naked so we just need to avoid your face."

"True, Niall, but I think your sister would notice those bruises later."  That remark made David take a swing at him, but Niall stopped it and  Gybbon walked away.

Gybbon went up to his room and stripped off his clothes. He forced  himself not to look at the door that would take him to Mora's side. It  would be folly to give in to that temptation. He would have her as his,  without question, after tomorrow, so he could just control himself for  one night.



Mora woke to Jolene and Mary and another maid, their arms full of  clothes and flowers. She was tugged out of bed as some servants came in  and filled a bath. Jolene poured some pleasantly scented lotion into the  water, then urged Mora to shed her night shift and get in. Unused to  undressing before other people, even though these were other women, Mora  tossed off her night shift and hopped right into the water, sinking  down until she was somewhat shielded.

She scrubbed herself as Mary washed her hair. Then she was dragged out,  dried off, and had cream rubbed into her until she thought she would  swoon from the embarrassment. At last she was dressed again in a gown  Jolene was lending her, but she had no time to admire it. She was sat  down in a chair and her hair dried, then Mary set a wreath of flowers on  her hair. The other maid, Anne, handed her a small bouquet.         

     



 

"Now ye can look," said Jolene, and tugged Mora to her feet, then turned her so she faced a large looking glass.

Mora looked and lightly smoothed her hand down the fine gown Jolene had dressed her in. "It is beautiful."

"Are ye happy?" Jolene asked.

"Happy to be made so pretty?"

"Happy to be a bride."

"Aye and nay. Last night I thought on how I wished he could have had the  time to ask me so I could always be certain this is what he wanted."

"Oh, he wants it, Mora, or he would have fought. This way he gets to wed  the woman he wants and your brothers can feel like they have done what  is right by you. 'Tis all manly nonsense though. I just wanted to be  certain it was what you wanted."

"Aye, 'tis. I just bemoan nay hearing what he would have said."

"I ne'er heard a grand proposal from Sigimor, ye ken. He decided it was the best way to keep me safe and we got wed."

"Oh. I hadnae realized that. 'Tis a silly thing to fret over."

"Not really, but there is no purpose in it and no gain, so why do so?"

"True. The priest is waiting downstairs. I have met him and he is a  stuffy, very pious fellow, so I would like to get down there before  Sigimor says something that will get us both excommunicated."

Mora laughed and left the room with Jolene, but the woman made her stay  at the top of the stairs until Mary signaled her to come down.



The priest was an older man and so pious and self-righteous it set  Gybbon on edge. He was pleased to see that the man irritated Sigimor as  well, only Jolene's hand on his arm keeping him even slightly polite.  Jolene had arrived downstairs after helping Mora prepare just in time.  Gybbon hoped Mora was not having second thoughts though, as he glanced  at the door only to catch Mary waving someone in.

Mora stepped in just before he looked away and he had to admit, Jolene  had done a wonderful job. Mora's hair was long and flowing, revealing  what was almost stripes of red in her pale hair, and the blue gown that  must have been Jolene's brought out the color of her eyes. She had a  wreath of flowers in her hair and held a small bouquet in her hands as  she walked toward him.

"They didnae hurt ye, did they?" she asked softly as she stepped up  beside him and frowned at her brothers, before waving at Harcourt and  Annys.

"Nay, Sigimor told them he wanted to see me as handsome as possible today." He grinned when she laughed softly.

The priest cleared his throat, drawing their attention, and out of the  corner of his eye he saw Andrew scurry closer, holding two wedding bands  on a small pillow. Gybbon wondered whose he was being given. When  Mora's eyes widened and the hint of tears gleamed in them, he knew. They  had been given her parents' rings.

"She always said they should go to the first one wed," said David.

"Oh, thank ye for bringing them," Mora whispered as she lightly touched them, and Gybbon nodded his thanks to the man.

He was surprised that she had not packed them in her bag, but then his  attention was pulled back to the priest. The man droned on and on and  suddenly Mora was nudging him to speak and he dutifully said aye. He  listened as Mora repeated her vows and felt an odd swelling in his  chest. This obviously meant more to him that he had anticipated. Soon  enough it was over and he kissed the bride, doing his best to keep it a  respectable kiss just to seal the vows.

Harcourt came over and clapped him on the back as Mora's brothers  engulfed her with hugs and kisses on the cheek. "Feeling trapped?" he  asked softly.

"Nay. Just annoyed that I wasnae the one to do the asking," Gybbon replied.

"Ah, good. Ye had planned on doing this anyway."

"Aye. Had just decided on it when those two rude fellows walked in."

"Hope ye were decent."

"Nay. Although Mora got that way by putting her night shift on under the covers." He smiled faintly when Harcourt laughed.