Chapter 40
A s Brigid and Sandy reluctantly pulled apart, a strange clattering noise sounded from outside. The music and laughter faded as everyone turned to face the still-open door. Swords were raised, and conversation fell silent. Sandy strode towards the door, towing Brigid along with him. They reached the steps outside just in time to see a group of people dismounting from their horses in the centre of the courtyard.
Brigid realised who it was and laughed in relief.
“It’s my family,” she told Sandy, loud enough for word to spread into the hall. “They must have followed me.”
Kara and Drest came striding over, followed by Brigid’s brothers. Brigid hastily introduced them all to Sandy, and they all shook his hand gravely.
“We should move everyone inside,” Mary said softly from Brigid’s elbow. “I will see to having Tam’s body placed in the chapel.”
Brigid’s happiness dimmed slightly. She saw the same happen to her family.
“My condolences,” Kara said softly, inclining her head to Mary.
“Thank you,” Mary said, with a tight little smile.
She kissed Brigid gently on the cheek, and reached up to ruffle Sandy’s hair.
“I know that you two will be wonderful together,” she said, then strode off towards the cart where Tam still lay.
The rest of them filed into the great hall, all chattering loudly. Drest quite unashamedly admitted that they had stolen the horses from some men fleeing the camp.
“I doubt they were the legal owners,” he said, his voice carrying over all the noise and chatter. “And then we just followed the cart ruts, and here we are.”
“Quite a place, this,” Connor said, gazing up at the hall’s rafters in admiration. “Amazing to see a castle still in action.”
“Amazing indeed,” Sean said, winking at the nearest serving girl. Brigid rolled her eyes.
Sandy called for ale and whiskey and as much food as the servants could find. It was all laid out on the long tables, and everyone piled in. There was a lot of conversation and laughter - although with plenty of weeping mixed in, as the news of Tam’s death slowly spread across the hall.
Brigid’s brothers seemed to take to Sandy immediately, as he regaled them with outlandish stories of his time as a highwayman. Kara and Drest were quieter, although they both watched Sandy intently. After a while, Kara leaned close to Brigid.
“I think you’ve chosen well,” she whispered in her ear.
“It’s just a shame that we weren’t present for the wedding,” Drest pointed out loudly.
Everyone around them fell quiet, staring. Brigid’s cheeks went pink.
“I’m afraid that we can hardly have another wedding,” she said. “Not with Tam’s body lying in the chapel.”
Sandy squeezed her hand a little. Brigid squeezed back, wishing she could do more to comfort him.
“Well, then,” Drest said, his eyes twinkling a little. “Why don’t you say your vows again right here in the hall, so that your mother and I can have the pleasure of attending our only daughter’s wedding?”
Brigid stared at him in horror. “Here? Now?” she asked. “But I’m a mess!”
Sandy stroked the damp hair out of her face. “You look beautiful,” he told her.
Brigid felt nervous, and more than a little foolish. But as she stared up at Sandy, she felt all of that fade away. So, they stood there in the centre of the hall, facing each other, and repeated their wedding vows. Without the priest there to help, Brigid fumbled over the words a little, but Sandy still smiled at her like everything she said and did was perfect. And, as they finished, everyone cheered again. Drest swooped forward and swept both of them into a tight hug. Wrapped in the arms of her father and husband, Brigid almost burst into tears again.
Sandy called for yet more ale. The atmosphere in the hall became a party, Edmondson’s men mingling with the Gillies Tower tenants and servants. Brigid drifted from person to person, chattering away to the people whose laird she had married. It seemed that everyone had finally accepted her - although she expected that the presence of her huge, intimidating father didn’t hurt.
After a while, though, Brigid noticed that Mary had never returned. She hadn’t entered the hall at all.
“Should we look for your sister?” she asked Sandy softly, slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow.
He nodded, his forehead creasing with concern.
Hand in hand, they walked up to the chapel. Tam’s body lay on a table before the altar. He had been draped in white satin, so that only his peaceful face could be seen. A sprig of oak leaves lay beside him, still damp from the rain.
“Mary’s favourite,” Sandy said, reaching out a finger to touch them gently.
But Mary herself was nowhere to be seen. When they climbed another flight of stairs, she was not in her room, and no one had seen her.
Sandy frowned. “Should we send out some kind of search party?” he asked. “I can’t help but worry that she’s done something foolish.”
Brigid shook her head. “Your sister can make her own decisions,” she said. “You should know that by now. She’ll seek us out when she’s ready.”
Sandy smiled at her. “You’re right,” he said. “I can only hope that she finds her way home very soon.”
Clutching each other’s hands, they made their way back down to the hall, where laughter and music spiralled all the way up to the rafters.