He looked down at her; the sinful glint in his eyes caused an intense heat to flood her body and pool between her thighs. “Nothing about being with you is a chore.” He bent his head and claimed her mouth in a kiss that robbed her of breath. “Love, I ache to be inside you. You’re the most fascinating, wildly bewitching woman I have ever known, and I will spend my life striving to make you happy.”
Isla swallowed deeply. She imagined glimpsing his muscular thighs as the wind blew his kilt. The urge to straddle him in the meadow took hold. “Then let us hurry,” she said rushing in front and tugging his hand. “I cannot wait to lie with you now you’re my husband.”
The smile that touched his lips made her want to kiss him until they were drunk and dizzy with desire. “Then I suggest we run.” With a firm hold of her hand, they hastened to the cairn.
“What are we doing here?” Isla struggled to hide her surprise. She’d imagined he would take her to the hunting cabin, to the place where they had consummated their love.
“I called here yesterday. There is something we need to do.”
The boulder covering the entrance had been moved to provide easy access to the tunnel. Lachlan removed the lantern and the tinderbox from just inside the narrow walkway. He set about lighting the candle, and then they made their way down into the chamber.
They walked over to the stone coffin where Talliano had stored the lady’s remains. Isla noticed a couple of items on the floor: a leather book, a rectangular shaped piece of wood.
“Leo gave me Talliano’s notebook,” Lachlan said, following her gaze. “There are pages of writing we cannot translate. It’s foolish of me to presume her spirit could be comforted by it, I know. But everything that has happened in the last few weeks has taught me never to discount the impossible. If Talliano wrote about her, it is only right it remains here.”
Isla stared at him. She loved him so deeply it hurt.
“No. It is no
t foolish at all.” She stepped closer and hugged him tight. “When we were down here with Boyd, and we saw the spirit, I knew that Talliano was her father. It seems so sad that their lives ended as they did.”
“I know you have struggled to put it from your mind and so thought the gesture would bring you comfort, too.”
She glanced up at him, silently thanked fate for bringing him home to her. “I love you.”
He kissed her softly on the lips. “I love you.”
“And what about the piece of wood?” she asked, curiosity burning in her chest. “I don’t recall seeing it here before.”
“No, I made the plaque. It’s for you. Again, I thought you might like to place it in the coffin.”
How interesting. He was surprisingly resourceful. “What does it say?”
He picked up the plaque and handed it to her. “You see it has the same tribal mark shown on her bracelet.”
Isla studied the carved symbol before reading the inscription. Her throat felt tight as she tried to hold the rush of emotion at bay.
“Let me read it to you.” He waited for her response and when she nodded he said, “Love knows no boundaries. Love is not governed or restricted by time. Love is everlasting.”
“Oh, Lachlan, it is beautiful.”
He shrugged, and she noted a slight look of embarrassment. “Standing here looking at you, I still cannot believe you’re my wife. There are so many people to thank. Something drove Talliano to invent a cure. Perhaps it was love, perhaps a promise made long ago. Leo and Ivana came all this way to save you. I shall be eternally grateful to all of them.”
She touched his cheek, the tender sign of affection just a small expression of all she felt. “During the years spent alone in the castle, I never imagined I would know true happiness. But here, in this moment, I feel it thrumming through my veins.”
He smiled. “Come. Let us share our love with the lady buried here.”
Moving the stone lid once more, they made a gap wide enough for her to place the items inside the coffin. She executed her task with care, whispered a final prayer of thanks as they resealed the tomb.
He came behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist. “Now our task is complete I have a sudden urge to hurry back to the castle.”
Desire flared.
Isla took his hand and led him outside. A few white clouds drifted idly across the blue sky: an indication there was little chance of rain. Indeed, it was an ideal climate for frolicking in the grass.
As she watched Lachlan push the boulder back into place to conceal the entrance, she felt calm and at peace. “I feel as though I can put the past behind me and look forward to the future,” she said as they began their walk back across the meadow.
“The future is something we need to discuss. Castle Craig is your home. One day, I will inherit Carrick Hall. We must decide where we are to live.”