Secrets of a Kilted Seduction – Extended Epilogue
“Will ye stop with that bloody tuneless whistlin’ of yers?” Liam complained again as he put the finishing touches to Tadhg’s wedding outfit.
“I’m happy, that’s why I’m whistlin’,” Tadhg explained. “’Tis the only way I can keep me nerves at bay,” he added, turning to look at his reflection in the mirror.
“Well, can ye try tae stay in tune at least? Ye’re drivin’ me mad,” his brother said, standing back to survey his handiwork.
“Wait until after I’m wed and I’ve had a few drams. It’ll nae be the whistlin’ ye’ll need tae worry about then,” Tadhg warned him.
Liam groaned. “Ach, the singin’. I’m gonnae have tae drink an awful lot tae avoid havin’ tae pay mind tae yer caterwaulin’. Now, give me yer arm. I need tae tie the strip fer the handfastin’.”
Tadhg obediently offered up his wrist as he inspected his reflection. “How dae I look?” he asked, wondering what Alana would think when she saw him waiting for her at the altar in his dark blue wedding coat.
“Well, ye cannae dae anythin’ about yer ugly mug, but I suppose the clothes look all right.” He finished trying the strip and stepped back.
“Ach, yer just jealous, wee Braither,” Tadhg said, brushing off the insult with a grin. “Bloody handsome, is what ye meant tae say, I think.” He pulled at the lace cuffs protruding from his coat sleeves. “I dinnae think I’ve ever worn such fancy clothes.”
“Aye, me neither,” Liam agreed as the two brothers stood next to each other in front of the long looking glass in their wedding finery. Their reflections smiled back at them.
“D’ye wish Ma and Pa were here tae see ye wed?” Liam asked. Tadhg looked at him in the mirror. It was unusual for either of them to mention their murdered parents. It was far too painful.
“Aye, I have been thinkin’ about them,” Tadhg admitted. “Alana reckons they’d be very proud of me and want me tae be happy.”
Liam nodded. “I reckon she’s right. I hope they’re lookin’ down on us from heaven, feelin’ proud. That’s what I like tae think, anyway.”
Tadhg clapped his younger brother on the back. “Aye, me too, lad.”
“They certainly would be surprised tae see ye marryin’ a laird’s daughter. The MacTavishes are goin’ up in the world.”
“Well, ye never ken, now I’m hobnobbin’ in all the right circles with the posh folks, ye may find a high-born lassie fer yersel’. Ye may even find her at the cèilidh tonight, eh?”
“Mayhap I will, Braither. I’m sick of always bein’ the single one. Alana and Maddison say they’ve made sure tae invite plenty of unwed lassies fer me tae choose from.” Liam adjusted his neckcloth pin. “And I intend tae dance with all the prettiest ones.”
“That’s the spirit, lad,” Tadhg told him before glancing nervously at the mantel clock. “Ach, time’s gettin’ on. I dinnae want tae be late. I think we should go down so we can get intae place before the bride arrives,” he added.
“Stop tryin’ tae dae me job,” Liam said, pushing his brother towards the chamber door. “Ye’re just the groom. Ye dae as yer told. Right, off we go.”
They made their way down to the great hall, where a makeshift altar had been set up. “Well, the place looks grand,” Tadhg observed, moved to see how much hard work had gone into decorating the lofty hall. Colorful pennants and garlands of greenery and expensive hothouse-grown flowers, paid for by Laird MacIver, adorned the walls and columns.
“Ye can thank Maddison fer that. She planned it all,” Liam said as they made their way up the aisle to the altar and shook hands with the minister, who was already waiting there for them.
“The bride is due tae arrive soon,” Liam said. “Are ye ready, Tadhg?”
Tadhg took a deep breath and pulled himself up to his full six-feet-two. “Aye, as ready as I’ll ever be, lad.”
“Ach, ye soft thing, ye ken ye’re lookin’ forward tae it,” his brother teased.
Tadhg laughed. “Ye have me there, and when ye see Alana walkin’ down the aisle in her beautiful gown, then ye’ll understand why, lad.”
The next minutes may have been the longest of his life. When the great doors finally opened, and he looked around to see Alana enter the hall on the arm of her father, with Maddison holding her train, his heart stopped beating for a few moments.
She resembled a queen as she moved at a stately pace up the aisle between the rows of seated guests towards him, a sweet smile on her lips. Her gown of apricot silk flowed around her legs, demure yet somehow managing to flatter every curve. He had the feeling he must have done something right in life if this clever beauty was actually choosing to shackle herself to him!
His heart resumed its drumbeat at a slightly quicker pace. When Alana came up to him, their eyes met, and the happiness that engulfed him to see the love in hers was more than he had ever expected to experience in his life. When Laird MacIver handed her over with a smile, they secretly clasped their fingers before turning to the minister as he began the ceremony.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today in the sight of God…” came the solemn words, but Tadhg found it hard to focus on what the man was saying. All he could think of was Alana standing at this side, and that in very short time she would truly be his.
The time came for the handfasting, just before they both spoke their final vows, and Liam came forward and handed Tadhg a fancy dagger. Tadhg took it and made a rapid cut, one across Alana’s hand and one across his own, drawing blood. The exchanged loving glances as they pressed their hands together, mingling their blood, while Liam drew together the two strips of fabric around their wrists into a perfect knot.
“Dae ye, Tadhg MacTavish, take this woman…” the minister intoned. Tadhg listened carefully to the words, for the vows meant everything to him. He wanted to remember every word, and for Alana to know he meant them with all his heart and soul.
“I will,” he said, gazing deeply into her eyes. And when it was her turn, his heart somersaulted in his chest to hear her say she would always be his, ‘til death parted them. But Death could go to hell as far as he was concerned because even after that, he had no intention of ever letting her go.
With the scared vows spoken and sealed with blood, Liam came forward again. This time, he carefully slipped the intact knot over the couples joined hands and laid it on a velvet cushion. It would be treasured as a symbol of their union for generations to come. They held hands as the ceremony drew to its conclusion.
“I now pronounce ye man and wife. Ye may kiss the bride.”
“Our first kiss and man and wife,” Tadhg whispered as he took Alana’s face tenderly between his palms and bent to exchange a heartfelt kiss with his new wife.
“’Tis wonderful indeed, husband,” she murmured, catching his bottom lip playfully between her teeth before she let him go.
The guests cheered and whooped and stamped their appreciation of the match. No doubt the anticipation of the party to follow was part of it too. The happy couple were showered will well wishes as they made their way to the next stage of the celebration.
“I feel like a king,” Tadgh told his wife as he escorted her proudly the short distance to the laird’s table. “Ye look so beautiful, Alana, ye take me breath away. I cannae wait tae get ye alone.”
The blush on Alana’s cheeks and her smile as she looked up at him sent hot little flames running up his spine. He bent to kiss her lips again. She kissed him back, smiling. Then, she stood on tiptoe and said into his ear, “Ye look very braw yersel’, husband, and I’m lookin’ forward tae our weddin’ night too. But now, behave yersel’. We have a wedding tae celebrate with all our guests. And look, there’s the quaich. We must dae our duty.”
She drew back and gestured with her chin to the MacIver family quaich, which was standing on a small table covered with a white cloth just in front of them. Laird MacIver stood by it and passed it to the newlyweds with pride glinting in his eyes.
Knowing she was right, he tried to collect himself and looked down at the quaich, the traditional, double-handed lovers cup. The MacIver version was of heavy, embossed silver. It stood alongside a small barrel of whisky. He filled the cup to the brim with whisky, and he and Alana took hold of a handle each and lifted it to their lips.
Alana laughed as they tried not to spill to much of the amber liquid before drinking from the cup together to seal the union and bring them good luck. The quaich was then passed around to everyone else, as a way of making sure everyone participated in the solemn ritual.
Next was the feast, but to bring more good luck, before the meal could start, Tadhg first had to pay the piper. The centuries-old tradition said that the piper must have his dram in payment for piping the company to its dinner. This was accompanied by the rapturous and very loud enjoyment of the newly-weds and their guests as the piper downed his whisky, blew up a tune, and led them all in a winding procession, which ended at the dinner table.
The wedding feast commenced in earnest then, with music and entertainment provided, mountains of food, and rivers of ale, wine, and whisky. When darkness descended outside, hundreds of candles and lamps were lit, casting a magical glow over the lively scene below.
“Look at all the food Faither’s laid on,” Alana said, chuckling as she gestured with her arm at the dazzling array of dishes on offer. Ruby-colored wine swished in the glass she was holding. “I’ve never seen so much.”
“Aye, he’s certainly spared nae expense. ’Tis a really wonderful spread,” Tadhg agreed. Then he suddenly asked, “D’ye think getting’ married makes ye hungry? I havenae eaten much in the last few days, but all of a sudden I’m starvin’,” he confessed, taking a long drink of ale from his tankard.
“Och, me too. Come on, let’s eat before the dancin’ begins,” she said.
So, they sat in their place as bride and groom and enjoyed a lavish dinner, while being the center of attention, and the subject of several loud and amusing toasts given in their honor. But the most important one was given by Laird MacIver himself, talking about his joy at finally finding his daughter and his pride at giving her away to Tadhg. He then went on to mention the couple’s role as his new heirs and the passing on of his title to Tadhg upon his demise, which he jokingly said he hoped would be as late as possible, given he had just escaped death. Then he raised his glass, followed by all the guests, and the party continued.
When the feast had largely ended, the benches and tables were pushed back, refreshments were relegated to the sidelines, and the party started in earnest. Pipe and fiddle and drum began beating out the songs of old which compelled feet into motion. Thus, the married couple had to be the first to take to the dance floor, for the rest were champing at the bit to get out there.
A much-loved country reel was announced. Tadhg turned to Alana, grinned, and said, “Me dear wife, would ye dae me the honor of this dance?” He bowed gallantly and held out his hand.
“I’d be honored husband,” she said, taking his hand and kissing him on the lips. “’Tis the first of our married life together.”
“May there be many more,” he declared as they took their places at the head of a twin column of dancers that fell in behind them. They raised and linked their hands, their fingers entwined. Tadhg smiled at her, lost in his love for her and his faith in their happiness together, and she smiled back radiantly.
The reel began, and he seized her by the waist, dancing her in circles, making her laugh breathlessly as she clung to him, matching him step for step.
They recreated the same dance later that night, after they had been raucously escorted to their bedchamber and put to bed by a rowdy party consisting mainly of Liam, Odhrán, Maddison, Knox Stewart.
“I had tae literally push them out of the room!” Tadhg complained, shutting the door firmly against any possible return of the well-wishers. He turned to Alana and grinned at her lasciviously, rubbing his hands. “Alone at last.”
“Aye, thank goodness. Me head’s spinning with all that wine and dancin’,” she said, smiling as she came to put her arms around his waist and rest her head against his chest. She was humming the last tune they had danced to, swaying a little from side to side, as though the music had not quite left her.
He joined in, folding her in his arms and moving in time with her. She looked up at him, her eyes shining, and said, “It’s been a wonderful day.”
He kissed her lips softly, reveling in the feeling of her body pressing against him. She was his! “Aye, the best day of me entire life. I cannae imagine bein’ happier, Alana.”
“Me neither. We’ll never forget it, will we?” she asked, reaching up to stroke his cheek. Her beautiful blue eyes and her moist, pink lips as she gazed up at him were pulling him in, as was her enticingly plump decolletage.
“Nay, and ’tis nae over yet,” he said, desire rushing through him. Spurred by it, he suddenly spanned her waist with his hands and lifted her up. She laughed and automatically wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his shoulders.
Their lips clashed eagerly as they continued the dance, and they made slow revolutions around the rug to music only they could hear, their bodies locked in a passionate embrace. Alana’s fingers tangled in Tadhg’s hair as their kisses intensified.
“I want ye, Tadhg, I’ve been waitin’ all night fer ye and I need ye now,” she murmured hotly against his skin. The sound of her voice, her warm breath against him, the words themselves made him harden beneath his trews.
He grinned, drawing back from her far enough to look in her eyes and tell her, “That’s funny because that’s exactly how I’m feelin’ about ye, wee wifey.” He danced her against the nearest wall, where he pinned her easily with one hand cupping her behind. “And I’m awful eager tae please ye.”
She moaned as he pressed against her, leaning back against the wall, pulling down the top of her dress, cupping her breasts and offering them to his mouth.
“What did I dae tae deserve ye, Alana, me love?” he murmured, burying his face in the valley between them and submerging himself in her soft warm flesh for a few intoxicating moments before luxuriously taking the stiffening peaks into his mouth and slowly sucking on them and nibbling at them, watching her moan and writhe in pleasure.
Boldly offering more of herself to him, Alana pulled up her skirts and grinding the moist warmth of her naked sex warm against his belly. He tore at the fastenings of his trews and got them undone, while Alana used her feet to push them down around his hips.
His desire wildly inflamed and wanting to add to his own pleasure by increasing hers, he slipped a hand between her legs. “Ach, ye’re so ready fer me,” he said, his breathing coming raggedly, stroking her slit and slipping his fingers inside her.
“Ah!” She gasped, her body bucking as she leaned back further against the wall and opened herself to his explorations with a wanton enthusiasm he found quite intoxicating.
Her desire for him was a huge aphrodisiac of him, stoking the fires of his need for her. “D’ye want me inside ye,” he asked in a whisper, his fingers probing her deeply, his thumb toying with her swollen bud until she thrashed her head from side to side.
“I want ye, please,” she moaned, her eyes liquid slits as she gazed at him. Then, she arched her back and cried, “I’m co–.” She gripped his shoulders and tightened her thighs round his waist, shuddering as he took her over the edge into ecstasy.
As soon as she had climaxed, he seized his club-like erection in his hand and guided it into her slick, pulsing sex, pushing deep inside her with a deep groan of satisfaction and indescribable pleasure.
“Make love tae me, Tadhg,” she moaned. Her walls gripped him as he thrust in and out at an increasing frantic pace, sweat trickling down his brow. His mouth greedily devoured her breasts, while his hand gripped her behind tightly to keep her pinned in place.
His intense love for her and the overwhelming pleasure she was giving him soon had him reaching his own shattering peak. It was greatly enhanced when he felt her coming again, and they rode the wave of ecstasy together, thrusting against each other wildly, as if their lives depended upon it.
They stayed there for a while, recovering their breath, laughing, kissing and caressing each other, caught in the bubble of their love and mutual desire. When Tadhg finally carried her over to the bed and they toppled down, lying side by side, he brushed her dark locks from her face and smiled down at her. “Ye’re the most precious thing in me life, Alana.”
She smiled and laced her arms around his neck. “I feel the same about ye, Tadhg. Ye’re the best thing that ever came intae me life. I dinnae think I truly kent happiness until I met ye.”
They kissed and snuggled up in each other’s arms, and before long, they fell fast asleep, with smiles on their lips.
Everyone knew that Tadhg had had a meeting with Laird MacIver and Alana recently, the upshot of which was a signed agreement and will amendment that Tadhg would take over the lairdship after the laird’s death. This was by virtue of both marrying Alana and the high esteem in which his father held his future son-in-law.
Her father was very pleased with the match. He tended to take a fatherly, almost proud attitude towards Tadhg, treating him like the son he had once had but lost, while showing him respect. Tadhg enjoyed his company too. They rode out together, hunted, played cards and chess, and drank and talked for hours.
“He’s teachin’ me what it takes tae be a laird,” Tadhg had explained to Alana one day when she asked about it.
“That’s good, is it nae?”
“Aye, very good. When I take over as laird, I want tae be the best I can be at the job. So we can dae our best ruling taegether, fer ye will always be by me side helping me make the right choices fer yer… our people.”
“I ken that but are ye’re sure ye have nae worries about taking it on?” she had asked. “’Tis a big responsibility.”
“Nay, are ye mad? I’m yer husband, Alana. It’ll be me job, and I want tae dae ye proud. ’Tis a great honor fer me tae have this opportunity, but I wouldnae have it if it wasnae fer ye. I’m nae gonnae let ye down. I’m nae worried, I’m grateful fer the chance and excited about our future,” he had told her.
“And ye dinnae mind taking the name MacIver?”
He had laughed. “Nae at all, lassie. I look at it this way; I’m gainin’ a name. I’ll be Laird Tadhg MacTavish MacIver. That’s quite a mouthful, eh?”
“It certainly is,” she agreed with a chuckle. “I only want ye tae be happy, darlin’,” she added.
He gently pulled her down on to sofa with him, enfolding her in his arms, and nuzzling her neck. “I love ye, and I’m gonnae dae everythin’ in me power tae make ye happy.”
The End.
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This was a great read Tadgh and Alana story had it all great job
So happy you enjoyed Tadgh and Alana’s story! 😊🙌 It’s wonderful to hear that it had everything you were hoping for.📚 Thanks for the awesome feedback dear Gari! 😄💖
Sweet ending for the newlyweds. Excellent and captivating tale, Shona. Thank you for sharing your vision.
Thank you for your kind words and for diving into my story. Your support means a lot my dear! 💕📖
This one kept me trying to guess what was going to happen next.
I’m so glad to hear it kept you on your toes! 😄 Keeping you guessing is one of my favorite things to do. Thanks for diving into the story and sharing your excitement my dear Barbara! 📚✨
Great storytelling a love that over came all the devastating hurdles set before them.
Thank you my dear Camilla! 🌟 Your kind words truly make my day! 📖💫
Loved this story. Never saw the plot twist coming with The Laird being in the dungeon. Very nice touch.
Thank you so much my dear Deborah! 😊 I’m delighted you enjoyed the story! Your feedback makes me so happy. 📚💖
Although I have never known a man to be so lovestruck, it’s nice to read about it!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, my dear Sheri! 💖 I’m glad you enjoyed the portrayal of a lovestruck man. Fiction has a wonderful way of exploring emotions we don’t always see in real life!🌼📚
Was A Fun, Interesting Read-Very Much Enjoyed
Thank you so much, my dear Susan ! 😊 I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the story. Knowing it brought you some fun makes my day! 💖✨
Loved it and love the series. You are such a great storyteller that I love reading your books
Thank you so much, my dear Mary! 💖 Your kind words truly mean the world to me. I’m so glad you’re loving the series, and knowing you enjoy my storytelling warms my heart. Happy reading, always! 📚✨