Wee William's Woman, Book Three of the Clan MacDougall Series (35 page)

The wedding feast lasted well into the night. Nora and Wee William, along with the hundreds of guests, had eaten, drunk, and danced to their hearts content. One toast after another was made wishing them both a long happy life filled with many children.

John’s mood had lightened considerably and even he danced a time or two with each of his sisters and a few of the younger lasses. It was a very happy day in deed.

All through the evening, Wee William watched his wife closely. She looked radiant and quite happy. Her cheeks were flushed from all the dancing and never had he seen her smile so much as he did this night. He made a solemn oath that he would spend every day of his life making sure that smile never left her sweet and bonny face.

The hour grew late and the party began to die down. Elise and John would spend the next day or two at the castle while Wee William and his wife enjoyed their wedding night in the home he had built for them.

Nora had been speaking with Aishlinn, Isobel, and Mary when Wee William called for her from across the room. “Wife!”

Nora turned and smiled at him as she bit her bottom lip. She caught the glimmer of playfulness in his eyes as he stood with his hands resting on his hips. As she started to run to him, Isobel held her back.

“Nay lass! Ye don’ go a runnin’ every time he bellers!” she giggled. “He’ll get used to it and expect it from ye all the time! Make
him
wait. He’ll come to ye, ye’ll see.”

The women broke into a fit of giggles before turning serious expressions toward Wee William. The smile left his face. “What be ye tellin’ me bride there lassies?” he asked as he crossed the room toward his wife.

The women broke into another round of giggles. “See?” Aishlinn told Nora. “Only let him think he’s the master of his castle. Ye’ll ken the truth!”

Wee William approached, crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the women. “What are ye tellin’ me wife?”

Isobel cleared her throat and tried to look serious. “Nothin’ much, Wee William. Just some marital advice.”

“What kind?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mary slapped Wee William on his arm. “Now don’ ye go fashin’ yerself over it, Wee William. We were just telling her to that she must always listen to ye and do as ye tell her.”

The women cast knowing glances at one another before breaking into more laughter.

Wee William seriously doubted that these women were telling his wife any such thing but he decided to play along.

“Well then,” he said as he scooped Nora up into his arms. She squealed, much to his delight. “If that be the case, we’ll be leavin’ now!” He raised his eyebrows and cast a wink toward the group of giggling women.

From across the room, Rowan and Black Richard, well into their cups shouted at Wee William. “Do ye ken what yer to do now, Wee William?” “Don’t be frightened Wee William! I’m sure yer wife will be gentle with ye!”

Wee William chose to ignore them as he carried his wife out of the gathering room and out of the castle.

Nora’s smile warmed his heart. “What are we doing, now William?” she asked.

“We’re goin’ home, lass,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I believe it be time to make the marriage official.”

Nora’s smile quickly faded. She could only guess, from the devilish look in his eye, that he meant one thing and one thing only: it was time to consummate the marriage. A wave a fear washed over her and she was glad they’d stepped into the black of night, for then, he could not see the utter fear she knew her eyes must hold.

How he found his way from the castle to their cottage in the dark she had no idea. She had hoped he would get lost somewhere along the way, thereby delaying what she knew to be inevitable. But find it, he did.

Their home was not far from the castle. The soft glow of candle light burned from within and the closer they got the more her heart filled with dread and her limbs trembled.

“Yer cold,” Wee William said as he felt her shiver in his arms. “Do no’ worry, we’ll have ye inside where it be warm, soon enough.”

Moments later, he pushed open the door to their home, wondering who had hung it because he hadn’t done that before he left. It mattered not at the moment as he carried his bride across the threshold and into the light. “I see the women folk were here,” he said as he looked about the room. Candles were lit along the mantle of the fireplace. Rugs had been placed on the floor, dried lavender, lilac, and heather hung from the rafters. At the moment, he only cared about one room -- their bedchamber.

He crossed the kitchen and opened the door that led into their bedchamber. Thankfully, the women folk had adorned the bed with clean sheets, pillows, and warm furs. A low fire crackled in the fireplace, more rugs had been spread across the floor, and more dried flowers were placed about the room.

He turned his attentions toward his wife. She looked positively terrified. “Lass, ye look as though yer scared to death!”

Nora swallowed and tried to pretend she was anything but terrified.

Wee William finally set her on her feet and wrapped his arms around her. “Lass, ye tremble. Are ye cold?”

She shook her head as it rested against his chest. She couldn’t answer him.

“Nora, are ye frightened?”

Frightened. Mortified. Nauseous. Scared out of her wits. She remained mute. How on earth could she explain things to him?

Wee William ran a soothing hand up and down her back. He knew a terrified lass when he saw one. “Lass,” he said as he pulled her away and lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. She kept her gaze averted as she fought back tears.

“If we want our marriage to be a good one, then we must always be honest with one another.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Now, ye must tell me what yer thinkin’.”

Nora swallowed hard again. She could only hope he was right. She did want their marriage to be successful. She knew a big part of it would be what would be taking place in their marital bed. The last thing she wanted was to upset him or make him regret he married her.

Wee William waited patiently for several long moments. He could see that she was fighting some inner battle and his heart began to feel quite heavy.

“Lass, ye
can
talk to me. I be yer husband after all. We can talk to each other about anything. Now please, tell me what has ye so frightened.”

She took a deep breath. She could not put it off any further. “What if,” she began, taking another deep breath, “what if I cannot please you in
there
?” she said as she motioned toward the bed.

He wanted to laugh, but resisted that urge. “Lass, the only way you’ll ever
not
please me is if yer no’ honest with me. Ye’ve been pleasin’ me since ye threatened to marry Rowan if I did no’ kiss ye!”

She finally gained enough courage to look up at him. Lord above, the man was handsome! She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but genuine concern and adoration and that made her feel all the worse. She wanted to be a good wife, in every sense of the word. “But, William,” her voice was so quiet he could barely hear her. “I was never able to please Horace in our marital bed, and I worry I’ve not improved.”

It was all he could do to contain himself at the mention of her former husband’s name. He never wanted his name spoken in his home, least of all the bedchamber he was going to share with Nora. His jaw tightened, he counted to ten in four languages before he finally spoke.

“Nora, do ye see that bed there?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the bed. Nora glanced at it before turning to bury her face in his chest again.

“How many people do ya think it holds, lass?”

She looked up at him, the fear returned to her face and she began to tremble as she thought back to the time Horace wanted her to not only share the bed with him, but one of his friends as well. Certainly not all men wanted their wives to do such things! She felt the room begin to spin.

“Lass, that bed has only room for two. You and me and no one else.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she let out the breath she had been holding and thanked the good Lord above.

“I will no’ have ye worryin’ over that man. He is no’ here, and I am no’ him.” Wee William could only imagine what hell Horace had put Nora through. He realized it would take some time for her to get over that and be able to trust him.

“I’ll no’ do anythin’ that ye do no’ want me to do. We’ll take as much time as ye need. We can talk as much as ye need to, Nora.” He pressed his lips to her cheek and brushed a tear away with his thumb. “Ye can ask me any question, ye can tell me anything ye wish to. I be yer husband, Nora, and I want nothing more than to make ye happy. Do ye believe me?”

She looked up into his eyes again. There was no anger, no frustration, only adoration and kindness in those hazel eyes of his. How was he able to calm her fears so easily?

Nora cleared her throat, nodded her head and placed her hands on his. “I can ask any question that I want?”

Wee William smiled and nodded his head. “Aye, lass, anything ye want.”

She cleared her throat again and took a deep breath. “I do have a few questions,” she said. “But I need you to promise you will not laugh at me.”

His smile widened. “Nay, lass, I’ll no laugh at ye.”

“And ye won’t get angry with me?” She needed his reassurance.

“On me honor, I’ll no’ get mad at ye.”

She studied him for a moment, praying that he could keep his word.

“Mayhap we should sit down?”

Wee William could not remember ever being so angry. It took every bit of willpower he had not to saddle his horse and head for England. He was not angry with his wife. He was furious with the bastard who had done unthinkable things to her.

If Horace Crawford was not dead, he would kill him. And if he were dead, Wee William would dig up what was left of his body and hack it into pieces before setting it on fire.

They had talked for more than an hour, with Nora blushing with each question and blushing further with each of Wee William’s answers. By the time they were done, his face had gone from pale, to red, to purple. It took all that he had to keep his temper in check.

“William?” Nora asked from the edge of the bed. “Are you angry with me?”

“Nay, lass,” he said as he draped an arm across her shoulder. “I be no’ angry with ye. Ye did no’ know the way of it, so how could I be angry with ye?”

Well, she thought to herself, there were plenty of times during her marriage to Horace that he took his anger out on her, though she had nothing to do with whatever it was that was angering him. She didn’t think she should share that with Wee William. He looked upset enough as it was. She was growing worried that he might have an apoplexy, for his face was a very deep shade of purple and he kept flexing his jaw back and forth. She wasn’t that big of a fool.

“William, did you not say we must be honest with each other if we’re to have a good marriage?”

He could not look at her just yet. “Yes, I did.”

“So is it only me that has to be honest, or does that include you as well?”

He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. She was going to turn his own words on him. “Nay, it goes for both of us.”

“Then will you tell me what you’re thinking?”

He stood up and walked to the fireplace and added another log to it. He couldn’t very well tell her everything he was thinking and feeling at the moment. “I am thinking that I wish I had cut the bastard’s throat myself.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

“William?” she asked in a low voice that trembled. “Did Horace ruin me?” That was in fact her worst fear, now that she had learned that the things Horace had done were wrong.

He spun around to look at her. She was playing with the ends of her belt, her eyes cast to the floor. “If you’ve changed yer mind, and want an annulment, I’ll understand, William.”

He went to her then, bent to one knee and took her face in his hands. “Nay, lass, ye be no’ ruined and I do no’ want an annulment.” Nay, what he wanted was to hold her in his arms the rest of the night and reassure her that she was still, in his eyes, the most perfect and beautiful woman he had or would ever know.