We went down to the very small family chapel. I had only been here when there had been family members to mourn, but my husband came here a great deal, whenever something was on his mind. The room was small, seats for about twenty, the altar was positioned at the end of the room, and beyond it the Earl’s pride and joy: the large stained glass window. The dawn light was streaming through. Incense wafted around the space, a lovely scent — Lizbeth had once told me it was Frankincense and Sweet Myrrh, her favorite, and now one of mine too. The chapel filled me with awe.
Magnus’s hand tightened around my own as he led me down the aisle, as if the moment had become even more important. We were met at the altar by the stooped minister. He spoke to the ground, his words so thickly spoken I didn’t understand anything, but open before him was the book and beside it the quill pen, which was really the entire focus for Magnus and me.
Magnus spoke to the minister for a few moments, and then turned to me. With Archie in his arms, he took my hand. “Tis nae as formal as twas before.”
“True, but it might make me cry it’s so beautiful.”
I stroked the side of Archie’s face because he looked concerned. Then I raised Magnus’s hand to my lips and kissed his knuckle. “So what do we say?”
“I will tell ye that I, Magnus, love ye and I want tae spend the verra rest of m’life with ye.”
Tears streamed down my face. “And I will say that I, Kaitlyn, love you, and want to spend the very rest of my life with you.”
“And onward tae eternity, forever and ever.”
Archie reached for my face worried about my tears. I took his little hand in my other hand. “Kay-be okay. I’m just crying because your Da is telling me that he loves me forever.”
Archie said, “Wuv oo forever.”
I sobbed. “Of course, absolutely. Forever and ever —”
Isla shifted in the wrap and I sob-laughed that she was waking to say her part too. Magnus and I both peered down on her sweet face.
Magnus said, “Dost the bairn want tae add tae the plight n’troth?”
I was crying so much that I had to drop my head to his chest and lean there.
He put an arm around and held me, whispering into my hair. “Thank you, mo reul-iuil, tis a verra complicated life tae tie yerself tae mine, the life of a time-traveler and a king, I am grateful that ye hae met me here tae hear m’oath. I promise tae love ye forever, till all m’days are ended, and then tae love ye in the eternal life as well.”
I nodded, overcome with emotion, unable to speak. I sobbed but then considered saying, ‘me too.’ But that was a stupid thing to say — did I really want my eighteenth century marriage ceremony to end with saying, me too?
I straightened myself, pushed my hair from my face, and wiped my tears on my sleeve. “I Kaitlyn, do love you, Magnus, all the days of my life, and on, in the next life as well.”
He raised my chin and kissed me. A sweet and perfect kiss. That bridal wedding kiss I had always wanted.
He smiled. “Ye hae married me, Kaitlyn?”
“Aye, I hae married ye.”
He hugged me with a chuckle and then spoke to the minister. “We are finished with our vows. We will want tae place it in the register.”
The old man droned on about it and then slowly opened the book and very slowly turned over a page, then he slowly reached for the quill pen. He brought the quill up in front of his eyes and inspected it, dipped it in the ink well, and slowly lowered the quill to the page. He scratched a thin shaky line and then slowly dipped it in the well again.
Magnus quietly said, “Och, I will hae a heart attack waitin’ for him tae finish the first letter.” To the old man he yelled, “Might we write it in the register for ye?” He lowered Archie to the ground, “Wait here, wee’un, Da must write somethin’.”
He reached in his sporran for a coin and placed it on the pages of the register. The man pocketed the coin in his robes.
Magnus pulled the book around in front of himself, dug through his sporran, and pulled out a pen. He clicked the end, his eyes glinting merrily. “Tis