Vows of a Kilted Marriage – Extended Epilogue
One month later…
There was no doubt in Tegan’s mind that this was going to be the best day of her life. How could it not be? She was marrying Ciarán, and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. Just a few months ago, she would never have imagined she would ever fall in love. Now though, against all the odds, the dream she had never dared to dream was finally coming true.
As the wedding day dawned bright and clear over Castle Kincaid, Tegan was a bundle of nervous excitement when Ailis, and her future sisters-in-law Lillie, Diarmaid’s wife and Lady Kincaid, and Maddison, joined her for breakfast. They were all to serve as her bridesmaids.
Lillie was a lovely young woman with a warm personality, about the same age as Tegan, and they had quickly bonded. The pair had soon become firm friends once Ailis and Tegan had settled into Castle Kincaid. In the short time the sisters had been there, the four young women had formed a close and supportive relationship that Tegan loved being a part of.
“Well, me dears, there’s much tae be done,” Lillie said with a smile, replacing her empty teacup in its saucer. “We should finish our breakfast and make a start on getting Tegan ready if she’s nae tae be late tae her own wedding.”
“Aye, ’tis eight o’clock already,” Maddison pointed out, “and the weddin’s at noon. Ye must get a shift on, Tegan.”
“What?” Tegan exclaimed. “’Tis four hours tae go. ’Tis nae gonna take me all that time tae get ready. All I have tae dae is put on the dress and get me hair done.”
The other three looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“I told ye she’d say somethin’ like that, did I nae?” Ailis said, still chuckling.
“Aye, ye did, and ye were right,” Maddison said, giving Tegan a mischievous look. “I’m surprised she’s even agreed tae wear a gown. I thought she’d be goin’ up the aisle in her usual clothes, dressed like a man!”
They laughed some more, and even Tegan could not help joining in. Then Lillie told her gently, “There’s a lot tae dae tae make sure ye look yer best fer Ciarán on yer big day. Ye want tae look nice fer him, de ye nae?”
“Of course, I dae she said, “but I’m nae used tae so much fuss bein’ made about what I look like.
“Ach, come on,” Maddison teased, “I’ve seen how Ciarán looks at ye when he sees ye wearin’ a fine gown. He can hardly keep his eyes off ye, let alone his hands.” Tegan blushed while she laughed.
“Aye, I’ve noticed that as well. But I bet it willnae stay on long when ye’re alone,” Lillie added, sending Ailis and Maddison into fresh paroxysms of quite unladylike hilarity, while Tegan’s cheeks burned.
“Wheesht, Lillie, ye’re terrible!” Ailis cried with tears in her eyes.
“Well, Ailis, I’m wed tae his braither, so I ken what I’m talking about!” Lillie answered with a saucy wink at the bride, eliciting more chuckles.
“Now, Tegan,” Maddison told her when they had stopped laughing. “Ye can relax and let us dae everythin’ fer ye. First ye must bathe in scented oils, so ye smell nice, then have yer hair curled, then ye have tae get into yer wedding clothes, and that takes a wee while, ye ken, with three petticoats, and yer headdress and all that.”
“And jewels, she must have her jewels,” Ailis put in. “And some perfume.”
“And yer shoes. Ye must nae forget yer shoes,” Ailis said, making them all laugh again.
Tegan, secretly tickled by their mirthful mood, curbed her smiles and with mock severity pretended to scold them. “Come on, then, what are ye wastin’ time chatterin’ fer? There’s a lot tae be done in a mere four hours, and yer makin’ me late fer me own weddin’ already!”
And so, the long preparations to turn Tegan into a bride began.
“I think she’s just about ready,” Lillie said at about a quarter to twelve. Tegan, who felt she had been moved about and posed like a living doll for the last few hours, had been growing increasingly excited, nervous and impatient all at the same time.
“Aye, she looks like a beautiful bride in a painting,” Ailis agreed. Then, she grinned at Tegan and asked, “Are ye really me sister? I dinnae recognize ye.”
“Wheesht!” Tegan said, looking at the lovely woman in the looking glass with amazement. “I dinnae recognize meself.”
The gown was unlike anything she had worn before, even as Ailis’s bridesmaid. The full, wide skirt was supported by a complicated underpinning, with three lace petticoats to add volume, and finished by a pale lilac overdress richly decorated with embroidery and encrusted with tiny glittering pearls. Her waist had been cinched in by Maddison until she feared she would never breathe again.
The sleeves were short and puffed, and the fashionable square neckline plunged lower than any she had ever worn before, putting the top half of her breasts on show. Tegan felt a little exposed and very daring, but she was secretly thrilled to imagine how much Ciarán would appreciate it. She admired her pretty headdress of lilac silk roses and the same pearl beads. It perfectly set off the mass of curls pinned atop her head. Her pearl earrings, necklace, and matching bracelets, presents from Diarmaid and Lillie, glimmered softly against her white skin.
I actually look beautiful! I just hope Ciarán thinks so too.
“Och, ye certainly make a bonny bride. I swear Ciarán’s eyes are goin’ tae pop out of his head when he sees ye comin’ down the aisle,” Lillie put in, dabbing perfume behind Tegan’s ears.
“Shoes!” Ailis ordered, helping Tegan to put on her embroidered silk slippers.
“There, ye’re ready,” Maddison finally declared with a last circuit of the bride. “Ye ken, ye all look lovely too, in yer bridesmaids’ dresses,” Tegan told them,
admiring them in their matching cream silk dresses, as per ancient tradition. “Ye dae me credit, and I cannae thank ye enough fer all yer help.” She air kissed them all, wanting to avoid smudging the light application of rouge on her lips.
“I cannae believe the way ye’ve made me look. I’m so grateful. I hope me groom kens who I am when he sees me!” she joked despite her nerves. They were really starting to set in as the hands on the clock crawled closer to noon.
“’Tis ten tae the hour. We must go down,” Lillie said. “Are ye ready, Tegan?”
Tegan took as deep a breath as she could in the tight corset. “Aye, I’m ready,” she replied. “I wish Faither and Maither were here tae see this,” she told Ailis, feeling sad that they were not there with her on that day.
“Ye ken they’re lookin’ down on ye and burstin’ with pride,” her sister assured her with a reassuring smile. Tegan squeezed her arm affectionately, hoping it was true.
Lillie opened the door, and they went downstairs, flanked by a bevy of excited maidservants. Finally, after moving gracefully along the beautifully decorated hallways, they came to a halt outside the doors of the great hall. There, they were greeted warmly by two smartly dressed servants. While they waited to be summoned, Tegan’s heart fluttered in her chest, and she found it hard to breathe. All she could think of was that she was marrying the man she loved.
After what felt like an eternity to her, the doors were opened, and a smiling equerry peeped out at them.
“We’re ready for the bride,” he said. Tegan swallowed hard as she looked over his shoulder into the packed room. The murmur of conversation stopped, and a hushed silence fell over the congregation. Then came a soft rustle of clothing as many guests turned their heads to look at her. The walls were adorned with colorful decorations, and a galaxy of lamps and candles cast warm, amber light over the vast chamber, lending the scene a dreamlike, magical air in Tegan’s eyes.
She stepped onto the carpet that formed the aisle, and she and her bridesmaids set off at a regal pace, as they had rehearsed several times, towards the makeshift altar at the opposite end of the hall.
When she spotted Ciarán’s tall, broad figure standing there before the minister, her heart fluttered madly, and a smile burst forth onto her lips to see he had turned and was smiling back at her. When she finally came up to join him, she thought she might swoon, for he looked so handsome in his clan regalia and fine clothing, his long dark hair caught up behind his head, revealing his sculpted features and dark-gray eyes. They exchanged loving looks, gazing deep into each other’s eyes and grasping each other’s fingers tightly.
The ceremony began, the minister intoning the service gravely. At last it came to the part where Ciarán made the small cuts on their wrists with an ornamental dagger and pressed them together to mingle their blood. Diarmaid was there to bind their hands together with strips of cloth of their respective clan tartans. Then, he pulled them tight, to form the marriage knot that would be preserved as the symbol of their union and the union of the two families and clans. When Diarmaid carefully slid the knot away, releasing them, and the minister pronounced them man and wife, Tegan thought she would explode of joy.
“Ye may now kiss the bride,” the minster pronounced. Ciarán wasted no time in taking Tegan in his arms and kissing her thoroughly in front of the assembled congregation of distinguished clan families, the allies and friends of Clan Kincaid. Tegan kissed him back with enthusiasm, pouring all the love in her heart into it.
Now married to the man she adored with all her heart, Tegan’s nerves dissipated, and the fun began as they embarked on the wedding breakfast. There were traditions to follow, of course, like drinking the whisky from the quaich, the two-handled cup that signified unity, from which the whole company must drink after the bride and groom to ensure good luck.
Then, before the feast officially opened, Ciarán had to pay the piper his due, a dram of whisky. They were then piped into dinner and thus guaranteed good luck their whole lives through. For Tegan, the party passed in a blur of wine, whisky, food, laughter, chatter, dancing, and being whirled around the dancefloor by her husband.
In between times, she sat on Ciarán’s lap, stealing more kisses, before they were eventually carried by a good-natured, well-oiled crowd, led by Diarmaid, up to their newly appointed wedding chambers. It took some time before the well-wishers could be persuaded to return to the party.
“Ach, I’ve been waiting all night tae get ye alone,” Ciarán murmured as he shut the door on the last of them and turned to his bride. He grabbed Tegan around the waist and danced a little jig with her over to the enormous bed, where they fell onto the coverlet side by side, giggling like children.
They lay facing each other, nose to nose.
“I love ye, Husband,” she whispered.
“And I love ye, Wife,” he whispered back as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“This has been the happiest day of me life, Ciarán. Thank ye, fer everything.” She stroked his face tenderly, her heart bursting with love for him.
“’Tis the same fer me. I feel blessed tae be married tae me lovely lassie at last. And now, I’m going tae make love tae ye all night long.”
“Are ye? Is that a promise?” she teased excitedly, already filled with desire for him.
“Aye. Well, maybe we’ll just have a wee nap first, eh?” he told her with a grin, snuggling close to her and wrapping his arms around her. “I must admit, I feel a wee bit tipsy. ’T’was all that drinkin’ and dancin’ that did it.”
“Mmm, I ken. I feel a bit sleepy too.”
So, they fell asleep on the coverlet, cuddled up like puppies, after a very busy, very important day. But wine and whisky have a way of wearing off. In the wee small hours of the night, when the lamp was burning low, they awoke. They wriggled out of their fine wedding clothes, helping each other with the various fastenings. Then, they lay naked, breast to breast, lip to lip, and were soon overtaken by an insatiable passion.
Ciarán pulled Tegan closer, their breath mingling together. She closed her eyes as their lips collided, savoring the taste of him as her husband for the very first time. It made her dizzy to think he was hers, and she was his.
Slowly, delicately, they explored each other’s lips and mouths, their tongues entwining in a leisurely, erotic dance. Tegan smiled into his mouth to feel his manhood already throbbing hard against her thighs, never tiring of how she loved the power she had to excite him. It spurred her own passion. She pressed her hips and breasts against him as their kisses deepened, emboldened by his need for her. He made her feel beautiful, desirable, and she wanted to give him everything and take everything he had to give.
Sliding her hands across his broad chest, she shivered to feel the soft, springy dark hairs covering it. While their kisses grew more fervent, her hands wandered across his muscular back, tracing with her fingertips the snakelike scar she had come to love so much. Intoxicated by the power and strength he exuded, Tegan’s breath quickened as she marveled at his sheer magnificence.
On an impulse, she straddled him, rubbing her moist, burning sex against his already throbbing member provocatively. She took it firmly in her hand and guided it to her entrance. Slowly, groaning deep in his throat, his eyes dark and hungry upon hers, he let her impale herself upon him. Tegan let out a small scream of ecstasy as he filled her, letting him linger deep inside her for a few moments before she began moving her hips up and down, with Ciarán’s hands gripping them, carefully regulating the rhythm of her movements to tantalize him, wanting to give him pleasure as well as herself.
“More,” she breathed, increasing her rhythm as her desire demanded. Her hands gripped his shoulders as she bounced in his lap, smiled into his eyes. Needing no second bidding, Ciarán smiled back, thrusting his hips upwards to match her pace until they were moving in perfect harmony.
Tegan moaned and thrashed as desire moved up her body in waves, spurred on by Ciarán’s groans of pleasure. Their movements quickened as they began chasing the pinnacle of their mutual passion. Finally, they peaked at exactly the same moment, clutching at each other, their lips clashing, sweating and panting.
“Och, Ciarán, I love ye so much!” Tegan exclaimed into his neck.
“I love ye too, Tegan, with all me heart and soul,” he breathed raggedly against her hair as he shuddered to a climax inside her.
In the afterglow, they lay tangled together on sheets dampened by their passion, content and sated, sharing kisses and gentle laughter. Tegan could not recall a time when she had felt so happy and complete as she did at that moment, lying in Ciarán’s arms.
“I didnae think I could ever be happier than this,” she murmured against his chest.
“Me neither, but we have the rest of our lives together to find out if we can be,” he replied with a small chuckle, kissing the tip of her nose and gazing lovingly into her eyes.
Tegan stroked his cheek tenderly. “Aye, the rest of our lives. I cannae wait.”
The End.
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This book was amazing I loved the plot of a magical sword. Tegan was not your ordinary girl and that made her very special to Ciaran there was lots of adventures for them it was a great story Shona
Thank you so much for your kind words my dear Gari! Your support means the world and I am so glad you loved my book! I am now testing to add more magical elements in my book so I am glad it worked <3
I love the way that Ciaran and Tegan collaborated, supported each other, respected the other, and fell in love with each other. Their tale is “sigh-worthy”!
Hello my dear, I am soo glad you noticed how Ciaran and Tegan are perfect for each other!
I loved it
Thank you so much, my dear Liz! 💖 I’m thrilled you loved it—your support means the world to me! 📚✨