Medieval Ever After (89 page)

Alex heard a few small gasps as soon as Maddie stepped into the chapel. He turned his head to find her. Their gazes locked, and his breath caught at the sight of his beautiful bride-to-be. She turned sideways and he noticed the tiny flowers woven through the golden tresses cascading down her back. The pearls he had given her were draped across her neck, and her blue dress perfectly matched her eyes. The cloth of the dress clung to her curves as she glided toward him, her regal carriage befitting her noble birth. She carried the bouquet of dried flowers Tommy’s mother had given her days before, and the beaded slippers on her feet had also been given to her as a gift. Noticing Brodie’s stunned expression, he elbowed him, hoping to entice him to close his mouth.

Jennie skipped down the aisle like a little fairy, throwing fistfuls of flower petals as she went. Though he knew he should be watching his wee sister, Alex could not take his eyes off his Maddie. She came toward him on Mac’s arm, and when they reached the front, the older man kissed Maddie’s cheek and stepped back. Madeline placed her small hand in Alex’s large one, and he was humbled by the gesture of trust. Her hands trembled, but when she gazed up at him, there was no fear in her eyes—only excitement. His heart melted.

As one, they turned toward a beaming Father MacGregor. The couple said their vows, and when Alex leaned down to kiss his bride, cheers exploded from outside the chapel.

The time came for the newly married couple to leave the chapel, and they were preceded by Jennie, who rushed out ahead of them so she could throw more petals. Once they were outside, little Tommy ran forward to hand Alex Midnight’s reins.

“Here you are, Chief!” Tommy beamed as he did his part, clearly proud to have been allowed a role in the festivities.

Alex mounted his horse and settled Maddie in front of him.

“Finally, you are mine,” he growled into her neck. Maddie proceeded to give him a kiss as the crowd roared around them.

Normally, they would have ridden around the bailey and even outside the gates. But with Kenneth possibly still at large, Alex had decided not to chance it. They pranced around inside the bailey for a bit and then headed to the great hall for the feast.

As they dismounted at the steps to the great hall, Alex turned to Maddie and said, “I am sorry, sweeting. This will take a while, but it must be done. You may lean against me if the crowd is too much for you.”

Grasping her hand, he guided her up the steps to the keep. At the top, he turned and waited quietly as his guardsmen formed columns in front of them. Once they were in formation, the entire crowd quieted.

***

Maddie was perplexed, but she let Alex take her hand in his and lift their entwined hands above their heads. Surveying the crowd, he said, “Behold my wife, Lady Madeline. Treat her as you treat me.”

He lowered their hands, and they stood there on the steps as Robbie and Brodie marched forward, knelt down before her, and placed their swords on the ground pointing in her direction. After they retrieved their weapons, they bowed to her and strode away. She glanced at Alex in confusion as the next pair of guardsmen came forward and repeated the process.

Leaning down, he whispered, “My men must swear to honor and protect you as they do me. You are my wife. It is a requirement of all my guardsmen.”

Since there were many guardsmen, Maddie eventually leaned back against her husband, but she managed a smile and a nod for each of the clansmen. When the last guardsmen stood, the entire area erupted in a cheer. Alex bowed to his men and turned to lead his wife into the great hall.

As soon as they reached the dais, and Brenna called for the food service to start. People filled the hall, anxious to take part in the great feast. When Robbie and Brodie joined them, the family exchanged hugs and well wishes.

Brodie held up his mug of ale and announced, “To many years of happiness!” The yelling in the hall was deafening.

Alex leaned over and whispered in Maddie’s ear, “Are you happy, my lady?”

“Oh, aye, Alex, I have never been happier.” She smiled up at her husband’s gray eyes.

“And I think you have never been more lovely, lass,” he said as he rubbed his hand down her hip.

Maddie blushed and whispered, “You are very handsome, my husband.”

Jennie found her way to the table and quickly hugged her brother and Maddie. “Kiss her, Alex. You are supposed to kiss your wife!”

Needing no more prompting than that, Alex kissed Maddie, making his wee sister giggle. “I love weddings!” she declared.

Brenna ushered them all to their seats as the food was served. There were loaves of brown bread, pheasant, roasted pig, lamb, fish, and trenchers of various stews and meat pies. There were also baked apples, squash, cinnamon pears, and turnips.

“Brenna, the food is wonderful,” Maddie said as she fussed over the baked apples.

“When do we get the tarts, Brenna? I want an apple tart!” Jennie exclaimed.

“We have plenty of time, little flower,” Alex said. “Did I tell you what a pretty lass you are in your pink dress?” Leaning over, he lifted her out of her chair and set her on the floor. “Let me look at it again.” He twirled her in the dress until she was dizzy and chuckling. She promptly forgot about the pastries. Tommy rushed over and they twirled about together.

Brenna sighed and shook her head. “It does not take much to distract her, does it, Alex?”

Alex laughed and said, “‘Tis good to hear her laughter again. Isn’t there any lad here to distract you, Brenna?”

“Nay, I am too busy with my own family, as you know,” his sister answered quickly.

“Well, there are plenty of lasses here to distract me,” Brodie said wistfully. “I cannot wait for the dancing to start.”

A short time later, the hall was cleared of tables, and the dancing began. Maddie danced with Alex, Robbie, Brodie, Mac, and even some people she did not know. After a while, Alex tugged her off the floor, found a chair, and settled her on his lap.

“I do no’ want you to get too tired, lass, especially with your arm,” he whispered. “We have much ahead of us.”

Maddie leaned her head down on his shoulder. “Oh, Alex, I am fine and my arm is fine, although it feels a wee bit heavy when I am dancing. But ‘twas such fun! I have not danced in a long time, but I think I have had enough.”

“Those words are music to my ears, lass. Are you ready to depart for our chamber yet?” He quirked a brow at her.

As if intuiting their conversation, Alice appeared at his side. “My lord, may I escort Maddie upstairs and help her get ready?”

He sighed. “Aye, you may, Alice. I will be up shortly.” He gave Maddie a quick kiss on the cheek and set her off his lap. Hopefully, Alice would offer some advice to Maddie. He chuckled a bit, realizing that even he was feeling apprehensive. Tempering his desire for his wee wife would not be easy, but he did not want to make any mistakes tonight. It was important to him for Maddie to have fond memories of their wedding night.

***

Maddie and Alice made their way up the steps to the chamber. Maddie’s face turned bright red when she heard all the crude comments some of the guests were making. She turned slightly and noticed Alex had posted guards at the bottom of the stairs. Breathing a sigh of relief, she reminded herself she would get through this night.
Give me strength, Lord. Help me, Mama.

After Alice gave her hand a final squeeze and left the room, Maddie sat in front of the hearth. She twisted her new gown nervously. Alice had made her a night rail of the finest silk. It was completely transparent, and she was a little embarrassed to be wearing it. Of course, Alex was now her husband and he had a right to see her naked. Alice had prodded her to discuss her concerns about coupling, but she just could not talk about certain things. She repeated in her mind the last thing Alice had said to her, “Trust your husband, lass, he is a good man.” Maddie believed that statement with all her heart, but it still did not keep some of her old fears from surfacing.

What is keeping Alex anyway?
She stood and started pacing. She glanced at the door and the bed, making sure she could make a quick dive for the bed and bury herself under the covers if anyone made it past Alex.

She jumped when the door finally opened, but when Alex stepped in alone, she breathed a sigh of relief. She could hear some yelling from below, but there was no one behind him. He bolted the door quickly and said, “For them, lass, not for you. I do not want them bothering us.”

Alex turned and stared at his wife. His mouth went completely dry and his thoughts were lost. She stood in front of him in a gown that hid nothing. He could see her full breasts, her hardened pink nipples, and the fair patch of curls between her legs.

She still wore her pearls. He walked over and kissed her. He could not take his eyes away from her body. Running his gaze down the length of her, he said, “So beautiful.”

Maddie clutched her pearls and said, “I agree, I think the pearls are beautiful as well. They do remind me of my mother. I hope you don’t mind if I keep them on.”

Alex smiled. “Not the pearls, Maddie, you. I was talking about you. You are absolutely stunning.”

Maddie’s blush only made her bonnier. After removing his leine, he reached for her hand and said, “Come sit with me by the fire.” He poured two glasses of wine from the bottle that had been left in the room, he handed one to her it to her. “I had Father MacGregor bring us back a special wine. I hope you like it.”

She sipped the wine and said, “Aye, I do.”

Determined not to rush, he sat in the chair and pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. “Are you cold, lass? Is your arm bothering you?”

Maddie was shivering, but she answered, “Nay,” and snuggled closer to him.

He kissed her softly on the mouth. She gazed into his eyes and the love and trust he saw there gave them faith that this would work, that they would be able to lay together as husband and wife. He kissed her again, but deeper this time. His tongue swept her mouth, and she leaned into him, driving him mad when she pressed her breasts against his chest. He groaned and kissed her harder on the mouth, possessing her.

Alex thought he would lose control when she touched his chest and started caressing his nipples. He noticed her breathing was increasing at a rate to match his own. He moved his hand up her thighs and over her hips, caressing her luscious curves. Detecting resistance, he stopped to give her more time to adjust to him. Then he slowly moved his hands up her sides until he was cupping her breasts. How was it possible his wee wife had the most perfect body he had ever seen? He would love to kiss every glorious inch of her. Following a path down her neck with his lips, he flicked his thumb across her nipple, causing her to moan and arch her back, bringing her even closer to him. How much more could he take? She squirmed in his arms with a little catch in her throat and he turned rock hard underneath his plaid.

He kissed her shoulder and down her collarbone. Shifting her in his lap, he was able to maneuver her broken arm so the full beauty of her breasts was revealed to him. She gazed at him, panting, licking her full lips, her free hand tangled in his hair. Moving slowly, he made his way down her right breast and stroked her nipple with his tongue. He teased her other nipple before taking it full in his mouth and suckling her. She arched her back, pushing her breast closer to him, and he chuckled low in his throat at his wee wife’s passion.

***

Confusion battled in Madeline’s mind. She lost all ability to think when Alex’s tongue raked her nipple. She never wanted him to stop; there were too many strange and enjoyable sensations in her core. She didn’t understand it, but he was making her body writhe. She reminded herself to trust him.

Nothing hurt. In fact she wanted more—more kisses, more caresses. Shocked at how good it felt for him to suckle her breast through the thin material, she pressed her breast closer to him. She clutched his chest as his hand moved down her side and over her belly, causing her legs to spread wide on their own. He caressed a spot on her woman’s part and she groaned. What was he doing? Wiggling in the chair to widen her opening, he used his thumb to brush lightly over that spot, caressing her, and she lost all sense. Was this what the servants were always talking on about? Her hand clenched tight on his arm to spur him on.

She didn’t know what she was supposed to do next. His hardness pressed against her, but she did not care. She was shocked to hear herself panting.

Standing her up, Alex unhooked her gown and let it pool on the ground. He lifted her and deposited her on the cool sheets that had already been pulled back, pausing to place a pillow under her broken arm with a tenderness that moved her. Then he dropped his plaid on the floor. He moved in close, gathered her in his arms and kissed her hard, almost desperately. Wandering fingers found her core, and she spread her legs for him without thinking. He moved on top of her, lifted her hips and started to thrust inside of her.

And Maddie fell apart. As soon as his hardness breached her entrance, she panicked. Pummeling his chest, she yelled, “Stop, Alex, stop! Nay!” She clamped her legs together and jumped out of bed, hurtling across the room.

***

Alex rolled over onto his back and groaned. He stared at the ceiling for a minute to try to regain his control. He glanced at his wife cowering over by the hearth, her entire body trembling.