Page 16 of Highlander’s Fruit of Eden

A Beautiful Day in the Mountains

“ I ’m telling you, he is planning on having me wed you, Jon. I would not think that I was ready for this yet, but I am. Is it not the most wonderful thing?”

“Married,” said Jon. “I… just… it’s a wee bit sudden, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that is true, but is this not what we wanted?” asked Amelia.

“Well, we did nae ever talk about it. We spoke about being together and that I would talk with me uncle when he came back, but I did nae get a chance to yet. It’s a good thing that William came to me to let me ken about the new trade deals, or I might have confronted him about the treasury.

Say what ye want about me uncle, but he kens how to lead this Clan. ”

“But he all but said that he wants us to be married, Jon. We have his blessing, so there is no need to sneak around anymore.”

“Ye are sure that he said that?” asked Jon. “He came out and said that he wanted the two of us to be wed?”

“Well, not exactly like that, but he spoke about marriage, and he brought you up, and he was talking about me, and how hard it was to find you a wife, and if I was ready to start a family, and I think it is just wonderful, and I do want a family, Jon, and I know that we have not talked about it yet, but it feels like everything is falling into place, and he even winked at me when he was talking about it all, and if that is not the sign we were looking for, then I do not know what is.” Amelia stopped talking to take a deep breath.

“I do have feelin’s for ye, Amelia, I do. I want to be with ye, I just want to do it on me own terms. Can we focus on that?”

“Of course,” said Amelia. “I am not saying that we should be married straight away or even soon, and we should spend some more time together first, at least, but we have your uncle’s blessing. Though, he did say that he worried he would be married before you were.”

“He spoke about gettin’ married?” asked Jon.

“Yes, he did. What is wrong, Jon?”

“I ken exactly what he is doing. He does nae want me to lead this Clan. If he is going to find someone to wed, he’ll have bairns with them, and his oldest son will be the next Laird, the people will expect it.”

“Does that even matter anymore?” asked Amelia. “Is that what you need to be happy? We can be together, Jon, does that not make you happy?”

“Aye, it does,” he said, wrapping one arm around her. “I’m sorry for actin’ like this. Being Laird is a privilege and not a right. The Clan is looked after, and that should make me happy, and it does make me happy, and ye make me happy too, Amelia.”

“There, is that not better?” she asked. She turned her head and kissed him on the cheek.

If she had her way, this would be the last time that they had to sneak out to be together.

They had had to be careful this time, even with her visit with the Laird, Jon had insisted on it.

He wanted to keep them a secret until he could speak with his uncle.

They had both left the castle separately, riding out to the clearing they had met in before, but they went on farther when they met each other there.

There were some larger hills not far after the foothills, and there were plenty of winding paths that they could hike through.

If they did spot anyone coming, it would be from afar, and they could divert their path.

“Why did your uncle never marry before?” asked Amelia.

“I think that it was partly because of me,” said Jon.

“Me and the Clan. Me faither was Laird before me uncle, but when he passed, both the title and I passed onto me uncle. He became the Laird, and he took care of me too. I think that taking care of a young lad and the Clan all at once was too much, and he didn’t have time for anything or anyone else.

Now that I’m grown, and the Clan is in good shape, he’s thinkin’ about a family for himself.

I hope that he does find what he is lookin’ for.

He’s been good to me me whole life, and raised me to be the man I am today. ”

“Then I must thank him for that,” said Amelia. “But I do not understand. If your faither was the Laird, then would that not pass on to you?”

“I was far too young at the time, just a bairn, and that wouldnae have done anyone any good. Me faither decided that me uncle should be the Laird, and that was a wise choice. I always thought that he would pass the title into me, but maybe ye are right. I dinnae need to be the Laird to be happy. Ye’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been before. ”

“I am glad to hear you say that,” said Amelia. “Now, you must help me over this stream.”

Jon smiled and took a step onto the rock in the middle of the stream. He took Amelia by the waist and lifted her over the stream and onto the other bank. He hopped over after.

“My hero,” said Amelia, placing the back of her hand on her forehead.

“I think that you deserve a reward for that.” She leaned in close to Jon, and he came toward her, his eyes closed.

As soon as he had closed his eyes, she bent down and scooped up some water from the stream, splashing it on his shirt.

“Aah!” shouted Jon. “That’s freezing’!”

“Oops, my mistake,” said Amelia. She took off running.

“Hey, get back here!” shouted Jon after her.

Amelia felt the excitement rise as he chased her. She ran as quickly as she could, knowing that he would soon catch up with her—the powerful man that he was.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on them.

There was not a cloud to be seen, but there were geese up there occasionally, a sporadic honk sounding out every now and then when a flock of them were flying overhead.

The hills were not heather covered here, but there were spots of purple spread out across the landscape.

They had hiked so high up that they could see the castle in the distance, and it looked magical with the lake behind it.

“Got ye!” shouted Jon as he grabbed Amelia around the waist. Amelia let out an excited scream, and Jon went to work, using his fingers to tickle her until she could almost not breathe. Amelia fell to the ground laughing, her cheeks bright red. She rolled over onto her back and looked up to the sky.

Jon kneeled beside her. “So, do I get me reward now for catching ye?”

“I think that is only fair,” she said.

He bent down and kissed her, his hand resting on her midriff.

The grass was soft under her head, and a smell of clover was in the air.

Amelia felt more now than she had before.

She had been excited by this man, felt passion toward him, but after her talk with the Laird, those feelings had developed.

She did not want to scare Jon off, but she wanted nothing more than to marry him and spend her life as his partner, and she had only known him for a few weeks.

It did not even scare her. She knew that it was meant to be with this man, and she could not wait to be with him.

Now, when he kissed her, there was more to the kiss.

The feeling she got when he touched her was heightened.

His tongue invaded her mouth, and she welcomed it in, her whole body tingling at this simple action.

She cupped his face in her hands, melting into the ground below, sinking down and down into a warm pit of pleasure.

The world ebbed away from her until it was only the two of them.

She could see her whole future before them.

She did not care if he was the Laird or not, but she did want to live in the castle.

She had found herself comfortable with him, and she felt at home in the castle too.

She wanted to have a family with this man, and lots and lots of children.

The thought of Jon as the faither of her children brought a smile to her lips.

“Oh,” she gasped, and Jon jerked back.

“What is it?”

“There’s someone there,” she said, rolling onto her side and getting up, fearing the worst. But what was the worst that could happen?

Jon burst out laughing. He stood up beside Amelia, and they both looked at the invader who had disturbed their moment together.

Standing a few yards from them was a highland cow, the long brown hair hanging over its eyes and horns sticking up through it.

It gave a loud moo and then went back to chewing the grass.

Amelia let out a giggle and placed a hand on Jon’s chest. “I do not have to worry about being caught anymore, do I?”

“I hope nae,” he said. “Dinnae worry, it will all be sorted soon.”

“Shall we walk some more?” asked Amelia.

“Aye.” Jon held out his hand, and Amelia took it, feeling safe in his grasp, be it against an unknown enemy or a cow. She chuckled again at the thought of it.

There was some more wildlife to see as they walked.

A stag crossed their path when they were near some thick bushes and a herd of deer not long after that.

When they walked by the river, Jon was sure that he saw a stoat, but Amelia did not see it.

There was also a grouse that startled them as it ran out from some undergrowth.

But that was an opportunity for Amelia to jump into Jon’s arms again, and that led to more kissing.

Amelia soon found that she used any excuse to kiss this handsome Highlander.

He was a good kisser, and he always knew what to do with his hands when they were kissing—caressing gently at points and grabbing onto her to increase the passion between them.

“Is that someone up ahead?” asked Amelia at one point. Jon looked, but he could not see anyone.

“I’m nae worried about us being seen. Ye ken, even if me uncle were against the two of us, I would still be with ye. He has some sway over the Clan, but he cannae tell me who to wed. I can make me own choice when it comes to that.”

“You are right,” said Amelia. “But do not worry about talking with the Laird, I believe that he sees me as his niece already.”

“Alright, enough talk about that. Let’s enjoy our time together, and we can talk about marriage when the time is right.”

“As you wish,” said Amelia with a pout.

Jon leaned in quickly and kissed her pouting mouth, and Amelia held the pose, keeping her lips stuck out as her man locked onto them. It was not long before the two of them were laughing uncontrollably again.

“Come on, ye wee scamp,” said Jon. “We should be getting’ back.”

“I wish that we could stay longer,” said Amelia.

“Well, if ye and me uncle get yer way, I’ll be stuck with ye for the rest of me life.”

“So, you are thinking about it,” said Amelia.

“I have to admit that ye are growin’ on me, Amelia.” Amelia smiled. “Like a weed,” he added. She slapped him on the shoulder.

“Will you help me over the stream again?” she asked when they got there.

“Only if you promise not to splash me,” he said.

“I promise,” she said. Jon hopped onto the rock and lifted her over to the other side. When she joined him there, she gave him a proper kiss as a reward.

They soon found themselves back at their horses.

“I’ll head back to the castle first. I have a meetin’ to attend, and I cannae be late for it.”

“I will wait a little, and then I will follow you home,” said Amelia.

She kissed Jon again, never tiring of his lips, and she watched him go.

Even seeing him bouncing up and down on the horse as he rode excited her.

She patted her horse as she waited, stroking his neck.

The horses brayed a little and went back to chewing on the grass.

When she had waited for long enough, Amelia mounted her horse and took it carefully out of the forest.

It was as she was exiting the trees that she saw a glint of something to her left, like the sun shining on some metal.

She turned to look and almost fell off the horse in shock.

When she recovered herself, there was nothing there.

She took a moment to scan the area before spurring her horse on, galloping from that place quickly with fear in her heart.

She hoped that she had imagined it, but she was sure that she had seen a man hiding in the trees—a thin, wiry man with a dagger.