Chapter Twenty-Seven

A month later, Aaron stood with his wife, Crystal, the Marchioness of Lyle, on the stairs in front of St. Giles’ Cathedral, proudly holding her hand and smiling as family and friends gathered around them. The marriage had been a simple affair, though Crystal looked ravishing in her silver threaded dress, a headdress of pearls and diamonds atop her head, and his personal gift of pearl and diamond earrings glittering in the morning light.

He was a married man, and he couldn’t be happier. Even his father had come around and accepted his marriage, especially when Aaron had offered to pay off his debts due to his business contracts being finalized.

A crowd stood cheering on the pavement in front of the cathedral, the young weaver lassies throwing rose petals until Aaron reached into his pocket and threw coins at them and they squealed in excitement. He pressed some coins in young Jenny’s hand.

“Thank you, my lord,” she said.

“I have good news for you. They have convicted the MacLeod laird of kidnapping and deporting his people for profit. I have the name of the boat your mother is on.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “Can you get her and my sisters back?”

“I will have the ship’s captain arrested the moment he docks. Rest assured, Jenny, I will never stop until I have them back for you.”

“Thank you, my lord. You are a good man. And I wish you and Lady Crystal the very best for your life together,” Jenny said.

“You’re a very kind man,” Crystal said when Jenny had joined the other girls. “The lassies looked so bonny in the cathedral in the new clothes you bought them. I was so glad we could invite them all to the wedding.”

“When I became your benefactor, I became theirs, too. I have a good teacher in you,” he said.

“We will achieve so much together.” She smiled, kissed him on the lips, and went to greet the young girls.

Aaron’s father came and slapped him on the back in congratulations. “I never thought I’d see you married, son.”

“It’s important to have an heir. You were married by my age and already had two,” he said teasingly, repeating his father’s words back to him.

“I told you to let the boy find his own wife,” the dowager duchess said to the duke. “Just look how well he’s done.”

His father looked at Crystal, who was chatting with her students. “You found a fine one indeed. She’s strong and knows her own mind.”

“Aye, marriage suits me just fine now.” Aaron knew it was a turnaround in his beliefs, but he’d never realized how important the commitment of marriage was until he’d fallen in love.

“You make a verra good pair. One is full of ideas, the other finds a practical answer, and both of you are good and kind,” his stepmother said. “You are innovators, and I know you will do great things together.”

Aaron gazed at Crystal, delight filling his whole body. “Aye, I believe we will.”