Chapter Nineteen
Serving maids brought out platters of food and placed them on the table in front of the trencher sitting between Emma and Morgan.
If any of the warriors or clan members were surprised or angered at him being at the dais with the laird, it wasn’t evident. A few surprised looks were about all he’d noticed. Most likely word was passed among the servants and warriors about his new status and upcoming marriage to Emma.
Laird Daniel Mackenzie had welcomed him, introduced him to the others at the table, and then proceeded to ignore him. Which was perfect because he was still unsettled after his conversation with the laird and the signing of the alliance earlier in the day.
Once the meal had ended and Morgan was fiddling with his mug of ale, Daniel looked over at the two them. “I managed to get a priest after all, so I will no’ be marrying ye tonight. He will arrive at first light.”
St Bridget’s armpit! If they didn’t marry until tomorrow, they would not be able to share a bed tonight. That meant they would consummate their marriage on a pile of leaves in the woods!
If the laird had already arranged it, there was no reason to dispute it, except for the obvious one. It did look to him that as Daniel gave them this news, he was hiding a grin.
He looked down at Emma. “Enoch brought back my sword that Aaron had sharpened for me. I had also asked to have two sgian dubhs made, one for me and one for ye.”
Emma’s brows rose. “I ne’er carried a knife before.”
“’Tis important for ye to have something to protect yerself.
I will always protect ye, but if for some reason I am not with ye—which should ne’er happen,” he added with a frown, “just remember ye have to get verra close to use it on someone, but if ye are grabbed, that would be close enough to stab.” He grinned.
“Always aim for the most important part of a mon’s body. ”
“The heart?”
Morgan almost spit his drink out. “Nay, lass, more to the south.”
As understanding grew, she turned bright red. “Aye.”
Again he cursed not having her in his bed tonight. He shifted in his seat, attempting to adjust himself.
Emma took a sip of her ale and placed the mug on the table.
“I was also busy today working in the garden. I picked a great deal of healing herbs, and then went to the kitchen and had both Janet and Enoch help me prepare ointments, tonics, and bandages. Since you stated that ye have no idea what the situation in your keep is, I wanted to be prepared in case someone—other than ye—would need attending.”
“How are Janet and Enoch faring with having to take over the healing?”
Emma shrugged and ran her fingertip round the top of her mug. “Nervous, of course. Janet has had, obviously, more training than Enoch, but he is eager to learn and is quite intelligent.”
He nodded. He would not have to feel guilty at removing the Mackenzie healer. He studied her for a minute, then nodded at the serving lass who poured ale into his mug.
“Ye want to ken why I asked for ye to come with us?”
Emma huffed and raised her brows. “Ye mean demanded? Making it part of the alliance? Because ye think ye cannot make it to Clyth Castle without my healing skills?”
He grinned. “Aye. Because ye are by far the best healer I’ve kenned. Do ye think I would want to return to Clyth Castle and find the mess I’m expecting with no support?”
He hesitated and then took a deep breath needing to say something he didn’t truly want to. “I doona want just a healer, lass.” He reached out and took her hand. “I need ye, Emma.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Nay, Morgan. Ye doona need me aside from my duties as a healer.”
He pressed his lips together. “When we finish our meal, we must talk.”
True, he was terrified of getting his heart stomped on again, especially by a woman named Emma, but he was through pushing away. He wanted her, and from the way she’d reacted when he’d kissed her, she wanted him as well.
With a healing leg, and a clan who might very well think him dead or physically unfit to be leader, he needed someone who he could hold at night, her soft warm body wrapped in his arms.
Right now he had no idea what that meant, why he felt this need for her, but he knew pushing her away had not been working.
They needed to talk so she could understand he wanted her, the woman he’d grown to know, not just the healer.
He’d wanted her for a long time, but had refused to admit it, even to himself.
Now that the decision had been made, he was more than happy to be Emma’s husband, take care of her, and give her all the bairns she wanted.
*
Emma rose from her bed, most likely the last time she would do it in this room. As soon as she washed and dressed, she would leave her bed chamber, where she’d lived her whole life, until she’d become a healer.
It looked bare since everything she owned had been packed into a trunk that had already been taken downstairs. Despite this being her wedding day, she had chosen to wear a deep-blue wool outfit, fit for travel, with her Mackenzie arisaid wrapped around her.
One she would soon trade for a Gunn arisaid.
Amazingly, she had no strong thoughts one way or the other about wedding Morgan Gunn. She was fair enough to admit that she was looking forward to discovering what came after the wonderful kisses she’d shared with the man.
She knew a little of what to expect, which came from her work as a healer. Seeing a small, screaming bairn, the result of a man joining with a woman, was wonderful, but she was anxious to have more of the feelings that Morgan had aroused in her when he held her and kissed her.
Emma shivered, but before she could dwell on it any longer, she patted her hair, picked up the flowers Morgan had somehow found for her, and left the room. She smiled as she remembered how he’d stumbled over his words as he’d given them to her. “Every woman should have flowers at her wedding.”
As she closed the door to the bedchamber, and her life thus far, she thought of Janet and Enoch, hoping they were trained enough to take over the healing.
But with Daniel letting her go with Morgan, he must have been certain that all would be well.
She needed to stop fretting and move on with her own life in her new role.
Wife.
She went down the stairs to the great hall where Morgan, Daniel, Beth, Gregory, Megan, and a priest stood in a group.
Emma took a deep breath and joined them.
Since Morgan had no Gunn dress clothes with him, he wore clean clothing, obviously borrowed. The smile on his face immediately relaxed the tightened muscles in her stomach.
Maybe they really could have a good life together. There was certainly a very strong attraction between them.