Page 39 of The Rightful Highland King (The Last Celtic King #4)

Nessa waited impatiently at the harbor, barely able to contain herself while the ship prepared to deboard its travelers.

It had been her decision to stay behind while her sister needed her, but now she was tired of waiting.

She had not been idle in the past year, working hard with Cailean and Maeve and the rest to rebuild the country, and indeed, The Hopeful Soldier was returning to a very different Scotland from the one it had left a year before.

The land was experiencing true peace for the first time in Nessa's entire life.

Clans that had been all but destroyed were rebuilding from the ground up, and people who had been afraid to live openly were now able to experience the life that they had been born to experience.

Trials had been held for those most closely associated with the Ashkirks, and though justice had been dealt, the sentences had been fair.

Many had sworn themselves to Cailean in the aftermath of the battle, and many more had renewed their promises to their king and the peace he had fought so hard to bring for them.

Nessa had stayed at McNair Castle. She had, after many weeks of discussion, convinced someone much more suitable to take over the clan lands her father had ruled for so long.

She did not believe that was a task meant for her, and the work of the new laird and lady of the clan had proven her entirely right.

The lands now known as the Kerr Lands had thrived under Eoin and Breana, and the birth of their daughter, Mary, had ensured the start of a new lineage that would continue for hopefully a long, long time.

Meanwhile, Nessa had worked hard with Neala and Maeve, helping create a Scotland in which women like them could flourish.

As well as hard work, there had been much joy in the intervening year between the downfall of Edric Ashkirk and now.

Blackthorn Castle had been torn down entirely, and from its ruins they had built an orphanage to take care of the many, many children who had been left alone thanks to the war.

The White Sparrows had taken over, raising those who needed it and opening a healing room to anyone and everyone.

Laura and Morag still trained women who wished to learn to protect themselves, but they no longer had to hide in the shadows.

Mary was not the only child to bless them.

Fergus was now a father too, much to Kier's joy, and most excitingly of all, Maeve was due to give birth any day now.

She was convinced she was going to have a boy, but Cailean was sure it would be a girl.

Nessa knew that, no matter what the child was, it would be the most beloved in the world.

Senan had set out to find survivors of the Campbell clan, and he now stayed with them, helping to restore his childhood home.

Ewan and Hamish, though, had remained at McNair Castle, acting as Cailean's most loyal councilmen to this day.

Many of the rebels had returned to their clan, but others, like Deirdre, Ben, and Patty, had taken on roles at the castle, continuing their loyalty to the king they loved so much.

As for Neala and Ansel, their transformation had been the most remarkable to watch of all.

Nessa had seen Ansel work harder to make up for his past than anyone had ever expected of him, and Neala had supported him all the way.

It had been hard work, but with Neala's help and the support of Nessa and the others, Ansel had slowly gained trust from those around him.

Against everything they had once expected, he and Cailean had become friends, and rumor had it that Cailean was ready to declare Ansel his new captain of the guard.

All of it had been wonderful, but right now, Nessa could scarcely care about it. All she cared about was the passengers on this ship, for whom she had waited so long that it felt like a lifetime. She was so anxious to see them again, to see him again, that she could barely keep still.

"Keep calm, lass," Kier said, grinning broadly as he patted her shoulder.

"I'll be calm when they're standin' before me," she replied, tapping her foot. Only she and Kier had been able to come and meet the ship, though she knew that, back at the castle, many were waiting just as impatiently.

At long, long last, the gangplank settled into place, and the sailors began to disembark. A few people later, a strange shape appeared, silhouetted by the sun. Nessa squinted, shielding her eyes, then understood.

Ann sat in a strange chair with wheels, color in her cheeks and a smile on her face.

Nessa marveled at the rolling chair. They had written to her about how a medical scholar in Italy had helped them craft it, but she'd never seen anything so wonderful.

Behind her, Ferda pushed the chair forward, smiling wildly.

The scout's hair had been cut short, and she wore a sailor's shirt and trousers.

"That lassie will never be proper," Kier said with a sigh, but he was beaming. As Ann and Ferda stepped onto solid ground, he hurried forward and gathered his niece in a huge bear hug, then let go of her and kissed Ann on the cheek. "Welcome back."

Nessa welcomed them too, but her eyes were still fixed on the gangplank. Dirk was the next down, much taller and more filled out than he had been when he left the year before. He smiled at her as he passed, but Nessa barely heard his words.

Because at that moment, Darren appeared.

His hair had lightened in the Southern European sun, and his skin, now lightly bronzed, was covered in bursts of wild freckles. His hair was tousled, his clothing a mess, and he looked every inch the roguish pirate. Kier saw his son and started to laugh with delight, but Nessa couldn't wait.

She started to run up the gangplank at the same time he spotted her and broke into a run as well.

They met in the middle with a clash, throwing their arms around each other and losing themselves in a deep kiss.

She wasn't sure how long they stood there, lost in each other, before a sailor behind them cleared his throat in annoyance.

"Sorry," Darren told him with a grin. He took Nessa's hand, and the two of them hurried back to the harbor, where Kier hugged his son in greeting. Darren never let go of Nessa's hand.

In the carriage on the way back to the castle, Darren had his arm around Nessa and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Only Kier was in the carriage with them; Ann, Ferda, and Dirk had taken another along with Ann's amazing chair.

Kier was politely looking out of the window and pretending not to see them.

"I missed ye," Nessa told him. "I missed ye more than ye can imagine."

"Ye did good work of describin' it in yer letters," Darren replied, kissing her hair. "Ye made me weep more than once. Rather embarrasin' when I was tryin' tae show off tae the sailors."

Nessa laughed. "So yer head wasnae turned by all the lovely Venetian women?" she teased.

He snorted. "Me head wouldnae be turned by Venus herself," he replied. "Ye made me a promise a year ago, and I intend tae make sure we see it through. Assumin' ye still want that, of course."

"I see a year of travelin' hasnae made ye any brighter, son," Kier commented with a laugh. "The lass has spoken of nothin' else since ye left."

"In fact," Nessa replied, "They're waitin' for us now. If ye're ready."

"Och, Nessa," Darren said, "I've been ready since the day we met."

Breana fixed a bluebell in Nessa's hair while Maeve helped her set the sash around her dress.

They'd returned to the castle two hours before, and now it was time.

Breana and Maeve both talked of their own wedding days, and though Nessa adored them for their devotion and care, she could barely hear them.

Her pulse was racing, and she could barely concentrate on anything apart from her own amazement and joy that this was all happening.

"I didnae really have a weddin' day," Neala pointed out from where she was busy preparing a bouquet of flowers for Nessa to hold. "Perhaps I should do it again and get all this fuss."

"Ye'd hate all this fuss," Maeve told her. "And besides, I think that the day we saved the country is enough of an event."

Neala stuck out her tongue, and Nessa laughed. Maeve grinned back and touched her round belly, then said, "Are ye ready, wee sister?"

"More than ready," Nessa replied.

Breana took her hand. "Then let's go."

The ceremony was brief, but it would be imprinted on Nessa's heart forever.

Both of her sisters linked arms with her and walked her up the aisle, where Darren stood waiting in full formal dress, the Bruce tartan proudly waving in the air.

Nessa's heart fluttered when she saw him as if another year had passed, even though it had only been a few hours.

She wondered if she'd ever stop feeling like that, and she hoped that she would not.

When they reached the top of the aisle, Breana placed Nessa's hand in Darren's and kissed Nessa's cheek. "Be happy," she said.

"Aye," Maeve agreed, kissing her too, then looking at Darren. "And behave yerself."

That caused laughter from the gathered crowd, with Darren laughing louder than anyone. Maeve and Breana returned to their seats, and Cailean began the ceremony.

Darren and Nessa beamed like fools the whole time as they spoke the traditional vows, each lost in their world of happiness.

Nessa had never felt so giddy, and she could not keep her feet still.

She could hear the polite and loving laughter from those gathered as they watched her fidget, but she didn't care.

Every time she glanced at Darren and saw him looking back at her with so much love and happiness in his eyes, she felt like she was about to burst.

"I will," she promised, to him, to the world, to anyone who would listen. "I will, a thousand times and more."