Two months later, Castle Ferniehurst
“’Tis time tae go down tae the chapel, Constance,” Agnes said, her voice full of excitement as she looked admiringly at the bride.
“Yes, I am ready, if Morag has finished with my hair,” Constance replied, jittery with nervous anticipation.
“Aye, just a few more moments tae get things perfect,” the maid told them, fussing over the folds of Constance’s beautiful ivory brocade wedding gown in front of the long mirror.
“I love my dress,” Constance sighed happily, hardly believing how flattering it was to her figure and how sophisticated she looked. It had a high, tight bodice that nipped in her waist, a fashionable sweetheart neckline, and long, narrow sleeves trimmed with the same floral embroidery as the overskirt.
“She makes a lovely bride, tae be sure,” Agnes agreed, opening the chamber door in readiness for their departure. “Bane is gonnae be thrilled when he sees ye, Constance,” she added with a giggle. “And I bet he’s gonnae be lookin’ right braw in his weddin’ clothes as well.”
“I think he will, and I can hardly wait to see him,” Constance replied with a twinkle in her eye.
“Ye mean out of them, surely?” Morag observed cheekily, finally satisfied with the adjustments to Constance’s dress. That sent them all off into fits of laughter, even young Amelia, though her cheeks turned bright pink, as did Constance’s when she looked in the mirror.
“Now, have ye got yer strip of ribbon fer tyin’ the knot?” Morag asked, bustling around the room in search of it.
“I have it here,” Agnes aid from the doorway, waving a piece of lace ribbon. “Come along, girls, we must hurry or Connie will be late fer her own weddin’.”
“We’re coming,” Amelia said, joining Agnes in the doorway. Constance tuned towards them and stopped for a moment, flooded with emotion to see her sisters side by side in their beautiful bridesmaids dresses.
“Oh, you both look so lovely. I am honored to have such gorgeous ladies as my attendants,” she told them, going over and kissing them both on the cheek.
“I would hug you, Connie, but I am afraid of creasing our dresses,” Amelia confessed, blowing her a kiss instead.
“Aye, me too,” Agnes agreed, doing same.
“Nosegay, Nosegay!” Morag muttered, picking up the posy of flowers and handing them to the bride.
“I cannot hope to be wed without my nosegay. Thank you for remembering, Morag,” Constance said, laughing. She held out her wrist to Agnes, who tied the strip of ribbon around it. It would match the one Bane would be wearing on his wrist. The forming of the knot around their joined hands would be a symbol of their union that would be carefully kept for future generations to admire.
“Now, come along, ladies,” Morag chivvied them out of the doorway and into the hall, where Constance took up the lead of the procession, with her bridesmaids following behind, holding the short train between them as they made stately progress along the hallway towards the staircase.
“Are ye nervous?” Agnes asked Constance as they carefully negotiated the stairs.
“I am, yes, but I think I am happy more than nervous,” Constance replied.
“She cannae wait tae be Lady Graham officially,” Agnes teased.
The bride’s party reached the bottom of the staircase, glided across the vestibule, and came to a halt outside the great doors of the castle chapel. There, her father was waiting, done up in his fully lairdly regalia, smiling warmly at them.
“Father, you look splendid,” Constance exclaimed, impressed.
“I need tae dae me daughter justice. Ye look radiant, lass,” he told her, proudly. “And the bridesmaids will be attractin’ a few admirin’ looks from the young feels at the cèilidh later on, I venture,” he told her sisters jovially, taking Constance’s arm in his.
“Do I look well? Do you think Bane will like my dress?” Constance asked her sisters, feeling a little more nervous than before, now the ceremony was only minutes away.
“Why, ye’re as pretty as a picture, Sister,” Agnes assured her, her own cheeks pink with excitement.
“Ye are the most beautiful bride ever, Connie,” Amelia said, nodding her agreement with Agnes. “I am sure Bane will fall in love with you all over again when he sees you.”
“Oh, you are both so sweet!” Constance exclaimed, thankful to have both her sisters with her on this most important day of her life.
“Are ye ready?” her father asked her.
Constance took a deep breath. “Yes, I am ready,” she replied, “but my legs have suddenly become awfully wobbly. I hope I do not trip over and make a fool of myself.”
“Dinnae fear, lass, lean on me. I’ll hold ye up,” her father assured her.
“Aye, ye willnae trip, silly. Now, let’s go and get ye married,” Agnes said, beaming at her joyfully. “Just try tae remember yer vows and dinnae swoon too much over yer groom,” she added jokingly, pushing the doors open.
The chapel was brightly lit by hundreds of candles, and the enormous space was packed with friends and dignitaries from the neighbouring clans who had come to witness the wedding. The congregation turned to smile at Constance as she entered on the laird’s arm.
She began the walk up the aisle between the pews, smiles and happy faces on both sides, glad to have her father’s steadying presence next to her.
Her attention went instantly to the imposing figure waiting for her at the altar, her heart leaping in her breast as she drank in Bane’s appearance. It began to race as reality set in. After all they had gone through together, it was like a dream come true to know that the big, handsome, splendidly attired man waiting for her would soon be hers forever.
A thrill ran through her to see how handsome he looked in his dark, fitted jacket, white linen shirt with ruffles at his throat, and a full kilt in her father’s tartan. The outfit set off his powerful physique perfectly. He was gorgeous!
As she drew nearer, and he turned and smiled at her, she thought her legs would finally give way. She leaned on her father’s arm and gathered the strength to walk the last few paces to stand at his side.
“Good luck, lassie,” her father whispered to her as he handed her over to the groom. Bane took her hand gently in his and looked deeply into her eyes, his own twinkled, full of love for her. She squeezed his hand and gazed up at him in a daze of happiness, trying to tell him silently how much she adored him.
“Ye look stunnin’ in that dress, Connie, I didnae think ye could be more beautiful, but I was wrong,” he whispered, his gaze sweeping over her appreciatively.
“Thank you, Bane. And you look incredibly handsome,” she whispered back, basking in his admiration while simultaneously thrilled by the sight of him.
The minister took up his position behind the altar, then and opened his bible, so they both looked forward. The ceremony began. Most of it passed in a daze for Constance. She found it very hard to focus on the solemn words with Bane standing next to her looking so dashing. She simply could not wait to be his wife.
Nevertheless, she managed to remember all her vows, which meant so much more when she spoke them looking into Bane’s eyes. When Bane said his in return, she felt tears of emotion threatening to fall, they meant so much to her. But somehow, she held back the tears.
Before she knew it, it was time for the handfasting. Tav was acting as Bane’s helper. He too was resplendent in his full kilt as he stepped up and used his dirk to make long, shallow cuts across the bride and groom’s palms. He pressed them together so the blood would mingle, then bound them up with the strips they both wore around their wrists.
The centuries-long tradition was completed after the ritual words were spoken, solemnizing the handfasting. The happy couple exchanged loving looks as they slowly pulled their hands apart. The strips formed a perfect knot, which Tav carefully removed and took away, to be carefully kept as a lasting symbol of their union.
Soon after that, the minister closed his bible and announced with a benevolent smile, “I now declare ye man and wife.” He nodded at Bane in encouragement and told him, “Ye may now kiss the bride.”
Elated to be his wife, Constance returned Bane’s kiss with enthusiasm as they stood before the congregation. “I will always remember our first kiss as a married couple,” she whispered to Bane.
“Aye, ’tis engraved on me heart, but ’tis just the start of many more tae come,” he promised, giving her another just for good measure.
“I am now officially Lady Graham,” she said excitedly, hugging his arm. “Oh, I feel wonderful!”
“Aye, I think I’m gonnae enjoy bein’ yer husband very much,” he told her, squeezing her arm with his.
The congregation roared their approval of the kiss. Constance’s heart felt as though it would burst with joy as she clung to Bane’s arm and they walked down the aisle to accept the storm of congratulations awaiting them.
Bane received a hefty backslapping from Tav and her father, as well as a hearty handshake from his brother-in-law, Laird Knox Stewart, the husband of their adopted sister Fia. Fia showered him and Constance with affectionate kisses, obviously delighted to see her big brother happily wed.
Agnes and Amelia were now being escorted by a happy looking Henry, and all three wished them both every happiness and kissed the bride, while Henry enthusiastically pumped Bane’s hand and said he was proud to call him brother- in-law.
“This the happiest day of my life, Bane,” Constance told her new husband, ecstatically. “I do not think I could ever be happier.”
“’Tis the best day of me life bar the one when I abducted ye in that wood,” he told her with a grin, seizing her around the waist and kissing her. “I’m sure I can find some way tae make it even happier fer ye, but that will havetae wait until a bit later,” he told her with a cheeky wink.
Constance laughed as she blushed, knowing he always kept his promises.
The End.
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