Chapter 7
The wedding was performed with remarkable efficiency by the minister, who kept looking at her as if he expected her to run away.
Elspeth wanted to tweak the clergyman’s nose.
Why was everyone acting like she was a lamb to the slaughter?
Elspeth was getting married to a gentleman.
This was exactly what she was supposed to do.
“…man and wife,” the minister concluded. “You may kiss the bride,” he advised Struan quietly.
Struan hesitated, then took her hand and briefly lifted it to his lips. Elspeth tried to smile at him, but the moment she felt his breath across the backs of her fingers, she somehow grew hot, and gasped.
He stopped and dropped her hand abruptly, stepping back a pace.
At the gentle urging of the minister, who assured them that the ceremony was complete and irrevocable now, Struan escorted Elspeth back down the central aisle, where she accepted the congratulations of the small but intensely interested crowd.
Elspeth’s few school friends and neighbors who’d come gave her best wishes and some conflicting advice about married life, most of which Elspeth didn’t really hear.
The men who’d come to the church with Struan seemed keen to talk with her.
And she was happy to learn more about them, especially if they could tell her anything about Struan.
However, she wasn’t able to get much out of them, since the discussion was largely focused on her and how she felt about her new marital status.
She had to keep reassuring everyone that she was delighted.
While they talked, Elspeth looked over at the man who was now her husband. Her father’s words echoed in her brain: He has chosen you.
But how exactly did he do that? That was still a mystery.
Elspeth didn’t have a great many friends in the city, and she went to only a few entertainments—and most of those were largely intended for women only.
Mairi sometimes hauled her along to the meetings of the League for the Advancement of Scottish Women, but men were rare at those!
And she’d have remembered seeing Struan MacInnes, if for no other reason than his sheer size.
Then she realized how good Struan was at standing back, remaining still and unnoticed. He’d obviously made an effort to keep himself away from the center of attention, knowing that everyone made a fuss over brides at a wedding. Or maybe he felt uncomfortable about the scars he wore.
The gentleman’s appearance was impressive, not frightening. And as for the scars around his neck and the rather long one on his face…well, her first impulse was sympathy. She hoped the scars were just scars at this point, and he no longer suffered pain.
“We ought to go home,” Mairi said at last, nudging her. “We’ve got to get you in proper traveling attire and all that.”
“Yes, don’t dawdle,” their father told them as he passed by. “Mairi said you wanted to walk back together, though you better get your husband’s permission first. Not my concern now!” He grinned as if he’d told a marvelous joke.
Mairi remained by her side as her family departed the church. Then she said, “I had hoped for better from Father and our stepmother, but to be honest, this is exactly what I expected. He ought to be ashamed of himself. Not even giving a wedding breakfast.”
“He’s only concerned about the future, I think,” said Elspeth. “And after all, now I am in the care of my husband, who will surely feed me breakfast if I ask.”
“Yes, but will you?” her sister wondered aloud. “You’re not good at asking for what you want, and you can’t survive on air.”
“I suppose you think that I’ve failed womankind by marrying.”
“You were always meant to marry,” her sister responded, now with a softer tone.
“It’s in your nature. I shall never choose to do the same, but that is my choice.
That’s all a woman really wants—the choice.
Whether it is what gown to wear, or whether to stay home or go to a party, or if she wants a husband or not.
It ought to be her decision, instead of society making the decision for her. ”
“When is the next meeting of your ladies’ league?” Elspeth asked with a laugh.
“Wednesday,” her sister replied promptly. “Too bad you’ll be in the Highlands by then, or I’d drag you along.”
“Should it not be my choice to go or not? To the meeting, I mean.”
Her sister burst out laughing. “You have been listening! Oh, that’s encouraging. Pest, I’m going to miss you so much!” She suddenly flung her arms around Elspeth, who returned the tight hug with tears pricking her eyes.
“I’ll miss you as well. But you can come for a visit. Or we shall return to the city from time to time.”
Mairi said, “You’d better! If he keeps you up there forever, he’s a beast.”
It was unfortunate that Struan reached them just at that moment, hearing only the last few words.
Elspeth felt horrid, and hoped that he didn’t think her sister was referring to his scars. “We were just talking about whether you would permit my sister to come visit,” Elspeth told him.
“It’s a long way,” Struan said to her sister. It certainly sounded like a no. He was frowning. But maybe he always looked like he was frowning.
“Then when do you expect to come back to Edinburgh? For the Season, perhaps?” Her sister’s question was perfectly polite, but she issued it like a challenge to joust.
“Perhaps.”
He wasn’t the most talkative of men. Elspeth took a breath. “We will discuss all those details later. You must forgive Mairi,” she added. “I’m afraid that she’s rather blunt. But she’s my sister and I assure you she means the best.”
“I have always wanted the best for Pest,” Mairi said, so quickly that the pet name wasn’t caught by anyone but her.
“Oh, that reminds me.” Mairi reached over to Elspeth’s neck and untied the pearls.
She put them back into the velvet pouch and then handed it to Struan.
“Will you kindly keep these safe for your wife? They’re a family heirloom and it would be a shame if they got… lost in the commotion.”
Struan took the pouch, clearly confused.
Elspeth was also confused, because she didn’t lose things.
Not even her sewing needles, and certainly not her mother’s jewelry.
Then she remembered her father’s glare when he saw the pearls, and she decided that Mairi was worried he’d demand them back if they were still around her neck when Elspeth returned to the house.
Then Aunt Rosalind called to her near the church door, and Elspeth nodded to show that she’d join her. “Goodness, everyone wants to talk to me today.”
“Well, it’s your wedding day,” Mairi commented tartly.
All Struan said was, “You must see what she has to say. And you then need to go back to your house to prepare for the journey north. I’ll come for you at three, if that’s acceptable.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be there. I mean, obviously I’ll be there. It’s my house. Well, my family’s house. It was my house up until a few minutes ago. Now my house is your house,” she said in a rush. The very thought of sharing a home filled her with joy.
He blinked, then said, “So three is fine?”
“Wonderful. I can’t wait. I mean, I will wait…of course.” Elspeth took a breath. When she was nervous or excited, she tended to chatter. “But don’t be late, please.”
* * * *
Struan regarded the woman who was now his wife.
Elspeth was hurrying toward her aunt, who’d been not so patiently waiting to talk to her. Her whole family seemed to think that Elspeth ought to always be ready to respond to anything they said or did.
But at least she had a family.
Now he did too, or at least the beginning of one. He had a wife. Who seemed happy to be his wife.
Why? What woman would want the Struan who returned from the battlefields?
The one who didn’t just look damaged on the outside, but was twisted inside, until he hardly resembled the man he once was.
What woman could ignore that reality, and blithely step into Struan’s old fantasy of a simple, happy family life?
It was madness.
And yet, Elspeth hadn’t hesitated.
He wasn’t fooled. She’d been startled by his appearance when she finally saw him. She must have a strong sense of duty to carry out the promise her father made on her behalf. Struan respected her grit, concealed behind that cheerful facade.
He just didn’t believe that he could give her the future she was no doubt hoping for.
“She’s really like that, you know.”
Mairi McGregor was still standing next to him. He’d been so consumed with his sudden shift in fortune that he’d forgotten she was there.
“Like what?” he asked.
“Warm. Kind. Sincere. Selfless. Trusting.” Mairi shot off the list of virtues like a challenge.
“People often think she’s putting on a good face, but that’s her true face.
She’s pure sunshine. I see it easily because I’m all thundercloud.
But she’s my sister, and if I hear a single hint that she’s unhappy, I will know that it’s serious because Elspeth is never unhappy. ”
“I’ll do my best to avoid making her unhappy.”
“Do better than that, sir. It’s not enough to simply decline to cause pain. It is your responsibility to cause joy.”
“I’m not terribly good at joy,” he said.
Mairi raised one eyebrow. “Elspeth will balance that out…so long as you don’t mangle your own role.”
“Thank you for the advice,” he said.
“I offer it freely, in the hopes that you will take it. Because if you don’t, and you make my sister miserable, I’ll find a way to make you miserable too.”
Struan took a deep breath, unsure if he’d actually just been threatened by this fierce creature disguised as a young lady. “You’d have to work hard to surpass the misery I’ve already endured.”
Mairi inclined her head in acknowledgment, but not apology.
“Then I have my assignment, and you have yours. Congratulations on your marriage, sir,” she said, suddenly smiling wide.
Struan realized that Elspeth was returning.
“And since we are now all family, I trust that we shall never be long out of touch.”
Elspeth heard that and took it at its surface meaning. Trusting, Mairi had said. She reached out to take her sister’s hand. “Oh, yes, Mairi. I shall write three times a week! And I hope you will manage it at least once.”
“For you, I’ll endure the hell of weekly letter writing,” Mairi replied with a grimace. “And I will read every single word you send me. Now let’s go back home to get you ready.” As they headed toward the church door, Mairi sent a glance at Struan over Elspeth’s shoulder.
Struan knew that look. He used to get it from old sergeants and captains, men who expected instant and complete obedience to their orders.
So what else was he to do?
He raised his hand to his forehead and gave Mairi a lightning-quick, subtle salute.
But his mind was on Elspeth.
“She’s friendly,” Calan said to Struan in an undertone as he joined him.
“Elspeth is. Her older sister, not so much.”
“Well, that makes sense. My older brother is a complete arsehole. But your new wife…she’s cheerful.”
Struan said, “I’m just glad to have it over. The courtship and wedding part, I mean. I don’t think I could have endured another humiliation like the first.”
“Forget Isla,” Calan advised. “This Elspeth McGregor is a better match for you.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.” Calan said, “The fact is, I didn’t like Isla. She was pretty, and knew the right things to say, but I never warmed to her.”
“I’m surprised there’s a woman in Scotland you haven’t warmed to,” Struan replied, not bothering to keep the tight tone out of his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“If I had, what would you have done? It’s not as if you could’ve broken off the engagement without causing some scandal. Even though her reasons were shallow, and frankly disgusting, I’m glad she jilted you. It saved you a world of misery.”
“We’ll see.” Struan regarded the gleaming blonde woman who was speaking to guests by the church door—despite Mairi’s obvious impatience to get Elspeth back home.
They were both speaking to Thane and his companion, Catriona Ross.
Evidently Miss Ross and Miss McGregor were in the same ladies’ rights group, a fact that was causing much discussion among the three women.
Elspeth gestured as she made some point he couldn’t overhear. She was just as beautiful every time he looked at her. It scared him. How could a person with such a lovely face look on his face without repugnance?
Just then, the lady glanced over toward him. She dropped her gaze a moment later, but the smile on her face remained, looking for all the world like a woman who was pleased with her life.
Struan couldn’t believe it. Her father had been desperate to get rid of her. There had to be something wrong with Elspeth McGregor. However, no matter how long he looked at her or observed her behavior, he couldn’t for the life of him tell what that flaw was.