Epilogue
One month later, Kerr Castle blazed with light and life.
Leona stood in her childhood bedchamber, staring at her reflection in the polished mirror and barely recognizing herself.
The woman looking back wore a gown of cream silk embroidered with delicate gold thread, a family heirloom her mother had worn, and her grandmother before her. Her hair had been woven with white roses and heather, the traditional flowers of Highland brides.
She looked happy. Radiant, even.
She looked like a woman about to marry the man she loved.
“Ye’re stunnin',” Isla said softly, coming to stand behind her. Her eyes were bright with tears. “Yer faither would be so proud.”
“I wish he was here,” Leona whispered.
“He is, darling. In spirit.” Isla squeezed her shoulders. “And he’d be so happy to see ye marryin' for love. Just like we did.”
“Thank ye for lettin' us have the ceremony here,” Leona said, turning to embrace her mother. “I ken it must bring back memories.”
“Good memories,” Isla assured her. “Yer faither and I had a happy life together in this castle. We raised ye and Rufus here. We built somethin' beautiful.” She pulled back to cup Leona’s face in her hands.
“And now ye’ll build something beautiful with Murdock.
That’s how it should be. Love begetting more love. ”
A knock at the door interrupted them.
Rufus poked his head in, looking uncomfortable in his formal attire but trying to hide it.
“They’re ready for ye,” he said. Then, catching sight of his sister, his eyes widened. “Leona… ye look…”
“Like she’s gettin' married,” Isla finished, laughing. “Come. Take yer sister’s arm and try nae to trip on the way down.”
“I’m nae going to trip,” Rufus protested, but his ears went red.
Leona took her brother’s arm, surprised by how steady he felt.
When had he grown so tall? So solid? He was becoming a man, she realized. And she’d almost missed it by being too focused on survival.
“Thank ye,” she said quietly as they made their way toward the Great Hall. “For everythin'. For bein' brave when I needed ye to be. For supporting this.”
“Ye’re me sister,” Rufus said simply. “And he makes ye happy. That’s all that matters.” He paused. “Though if he ever hurts ye, I’ll kill him.”
“Ye’ll have to get in line,” Leona said, thinking of Ailis' and Kristen’s very similar threats. “His sisters got there first.”
The doors to the Great Hall opened, and Leona’s breath caught.
The hall had been transformed. Swaths of Ainsley blue and Kerr green hung from the rafters, the colors intertwining in a symbol of the joining clans.
Tables had been pushed to the sides to make room for rows of benches, all filled with people, Murdock’s clan on one side, her own on the other, with a few notable guests scattered throughout.
At the far end, beneath an arch woven with heather and thistle, stood Murdock.
He wore traditional Highland dress, a formal plaid in Ainsley colors, a crisp white shirt, and a black jacket that made his broad shoulders look even more imposing.
His dark hair had been combed back, though a few stubborn strands had already escaped.
And his eyes… Those dark, intense eyes were fixed on her with such love and longing that she felt her knees go weak.
Beside him stood Hamish, grinning like a fool. And in front, fidgeting with a basket of rose petals, was Skye.
The little girl wore a dress of pale blue silk, her dark hair crowned with flowers that matched Leona’s. When she saw Leona, her whole face lit up.
“She’s here!” she announced loudly, coaxing chuckles from the assembled crowd. “Da, Leona’s here, and she looks like a princess!”
“Aye, she does,” Murdock said, his voice rough with emotion.
The musicians began to play a traditional Scottish tune that Leona’s parents had used for their own wedding. As she walked down the makeshift aisle on Rufus’s arm, she saw faces she loved on both sides.
Her mother, shedding happy tears. Ailis and Kristen, dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs. Laird MacBain, who’d finally managed to attend the wedding, grinning and whispering something to his companion that made them laugh.
And there, near the front, was Nyx. The black cat sat perfectly still on Ailis’s lap, her yellow eyes tracking Leona’s progress with feline intensity. Behaving, for once.
When they reached the front, Rufus placed Leona’s hand in Murdock’s with surprising ceremony.
“Take care of her,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “Or I will kill ye.”
“I will,” Murdock promised. “Else I’ll let ye kill me.”
Rufus nodded and stepped back, and suddenly it was just Leona and Murdock, standing before the priest and their loved ones, about to make promises that would bind them forever.
“Dearly beloved,” the priest began.
But Leona barely heard the words. She was too focused on Murdock, on the way his hand trembled slightly as it held hers, on the love shining so brightly in his eyes.
“Do ye, Murdock Lyall, take Leona Gilmore to be yer lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.” His voice was steady, certain. “Before God and all assembled, I swear to love her, protect her, and cherish her for the rest of me days.”
“And do ye, Leona Gilmore, take Murdock Lyall to be yer lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.” Leona’s voice was clear and strong. “Before God and all assembled, I swear to love him, support him, and stand beside him for the rest of me days.”
The priest smiled. “Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce ye husband and wife. Ye may kiss yer bride.”
Murdock didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled Leona into his arms and kissed her with a passion that made several people in the audience whistle and cheer.
When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Leona saw Skye jumping up and down with excitement.
“They’re married!” the little girl announced to anyone who would listen. “Leona’s me ma now!”
The word hit Leona in the best possible way. She looked at Murdock, saw the same emotion in his eyes, and felt tears spill down her cheeks.
“Aye,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I am.”
The hall erupted in applause and cheers as the newlyweds walked back down the aisle, hand in hand. Skye darted ahead, throwing rose petals with wild enthusiasm, while Nyx batted at them from Ailis’s arms.
Outside, waiting servants ushered them to the adjacent room, where the feast had been laid out.
Tables groaned under the weight of roasted meats, fresh bread, wheels of cheese, and casks of ale and wine.
Musicians tuned their instruments in the corner while children ran underfoot, already wild with excitement.
“This is wonderful,” Murdock murmured in Leona’s ear. “But exhaustin'.”
“We have to stay for the feast,” Leona reminded him. “It’s tradition.”
“I ken. Doesnae mean I’m nae countin' the minutes until I can have ye alone.” His hand settled possessively on her waist. “Me wife.”
The word sent a thrill through her. “Me husband.”
They were pulled apart almost immediately, Leona by a stream of well-wishers, Murdock by men wanting to toast the new bride.
Leona found herself embraced by both of Murdock’s sisters, both crying and laughing at the same time.
“Ye’ve made him so happy,” Ailis said, squeezing her hands. “I havenae seen him smile this much since… since before everythin' happened.”
“He deserves happiness,” Kristen chimed in. “And ye’re perfect for him. Strong enough to stand up to him, soft enough to reach his heart.”
“Thank ye,” Leona said, genuinely touched. “For accepting me. For supportin' this.”
“Are ye jokin'?” Ailis laughed. “We’ve been planning this weddin' since the day we arrived at Ainsley Castle and saw how he looked at ye.”
Before Leona could respond, Isla appeared with Rufus in tow.
“Me darling girl,” her mother said, pulling her into a fierce embrace. “Married. Me baby is married.”
“I’m nae a baby anymore, Maither.”
“Ye’ll always be me baby.” Isla pulled back, wiping her eyes. “But ye’re also a woman now. A wife. And someday, ye’ll be a maither.” She glanced at Skye, who was showing Nyx to a group of fascinated children. “Though it seems ye already are, in a way.”
“Aye,” Leona said softly, watching the little girl. “I am.”
The feast was everything a wedding celebration should be: loud, joyous, and slightly chaotic. Leona and Murdock sat at the head table, barely eating despite the incredible spread before them. They were too busy stealing glances at each other, too aware of every touch, every brush of hands.
Around them, the celebration continued. Hamish, slightly drunk, attempted to flirt with one of Leona’s cousins and got his ear boxed by Ailis for his trouble.
Laird MacBain regaled anyone who would listen with an extremely embellished version of how he’d been invited to the first wedding.
Rufus, looking both proud and overwhelmed, accepted congratulations from clan members on his upcoming ascension.
And Skye, flower crown askew and face smudged with cake, held court with Nyx at the children’s table, telling anyone who would listen about how she’d known all along that her da and Leona were meant to be together.
“She’s nae wrong,” Murdock said, following Leona’s gaze. “I just wish I’d realized it sooner.”
“Ye realized it exactly when ye were meant to,” Leona said, lacing her fingers through his. “Any sooner and we might nae have been ready.”
“Wise words for a new bride.”
“I have me moments.” She leaned against his shoulder, feeling contentment settle over her like a warm blanket. “This is perfect. Exactly what I wanted.”
“Is it?” Murdock’s voice went low, intimate. “Because I can think of somethin' even more perfect.”
“Oh?” Leona looked up at him through her lashes. “And what might that be?”
“Ye. Me. Alone.” He stood, pulling her with him. “Come with me.”
“Murdock, we cannae leave our own wedding feast.”
“Just for a moment.” His eyes glinted with mischief and something darker. “I want to show ye something.”
Leona let him lead her away from the celebration, through corridors she knew by heart. She realized where they were going just before they arrived, the same hallway they’d fled through that first night.
Murdock pulled her into the shadowed alcove where they’d hidden. The same spot where everything had begun.
“Do ye remember?” he asked, backing her against the wall.
“How could I forget?” Leona’s breath hitched as his hands framed her face. “Ye were…terrifyin'. And magnificent. I couldnae get enough.”
“Is that so, me bride?” His mouth brushed against hers, feather-light. “Well, I’ll have ye ken, even then, I saw the strength in yer eyes. I admired yer courage. And ye were the most beautiful thing I’d seen. I might have not admitted it even to meself, but I wanted ye.”
“And now?”
“Now?” Murdock kissed her properly, deep and claiming and full of promise. “Now I have ye. Me wife. Me love. Mine.”
“Yers,” Leona agreed, her arms wrapping around his neck. “Always.”
They lost themselves in each other for a few precious moments, the celebration continuing without them. When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Murdock rested his forehead against hers.
“I love ye, lass,” he said quietly. “I’ll spend every day of me life provin' it.”
“I ken.” Leona smiled up at him. “And I’ll spend every day lovin' ye back.”
A burst of laughter reminded them that they had guests waiting.
“We should go back,” Leona said reluctantly.
“Aye.” But Murdock didn’t move. “Though I’m nae lookin' forward to sharing ye.”
“Ye’ll have me all to yerself tonight,” Leona promised. “And every night after.”
“Every night.” Murdock said it like a vow with a soft kiss on her forehead. “For the rest of our lives.”
Hand in hand, they returned to the celebration. To the music and laughter, to Skye’s delighted squeals and Nyx’s plaintive meows, to family and friends and the beginning of their life together.
It wasn’t the wedding Leona had once been afraid of—there had been no forced march down an aisle, no loveless arrangement. Instead, it had been everything she’d never dared to hope for.
Love. Real, honest, overwhelming love.
And as Murdock pulled her into his arms for their first dance as husband and wife, as she looked around at all the people who’d supported them till they reached this moment, Leona felt it.
Utter happiness.
“What are ye thinkin'?” Murdock asked as they swayed to the music.
“That I’m glad I walked into the dungeons,” Leona said honestly. “That I’d do it all again, every terrifying, dangerous, wonderful moment, if it meant ending up here with ye.”
“Ye’re nae getting rid of me, wife.”
“Good.” Leona pulled him down for a kiss that made several people cheer. “Because I’m nae lettin' ye go. Ever.”
“Promise?”
“I promise,” Leona said. “For better or worse. In darkness and in light. For the rest of our days.”
“For the rest of our days,” Murdock echoed, and sealed it with a kiss.
Later, much later, after the last guest had stumbled off to bed and the musicians had packed away their instruments, Murdock and Leona stood together in her bedchamber.
“Happy?” he asked, pulling her close.
“More than I ever thought possible,” Leona admitted. “I cannae wait to go back to our home though. Ainsley. Ye?”
“Me too. But I’m terrified,” Murdock said honestly. “I have so much to lose now. Ye, Skye, this life we’re buildin'. Sometimes I wake up afraid it’s all a dream.”
“It’s nae a dream.” Leona cupped his face in her hands. “It’s real. We’re real. And we’re goin' to have a beautiful life together.”
“Aye,” Murdock agreed, finally letting himself believe it. “We are.”
He was about to kiss again when a familiar, enthusiastic voice reached them.
“Da, are ye kissin' Ma again?”
Leona turned pink and Murdock laughed.
Yes, this was his life. And he loved every moment of it.
Leona smiled warmly.
“We’re coming, sweetie,” she called as she took his hand and led him outside. To their daughter. To the celebrations.
To their future, that was brighter than ever. And he couldn’t wait.
The End?