Now, looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, Caitlin’s stomach was filled with butterflies. She wondered if her mum would be proud of her. Would she be happy she had finally met the man of her dreams? A lump lodged in her throat, and she paused for a moment to compose herself.
She had slipped on her dress and had pulled her hair into a neat chignon to one side and was now applying her make-up. Archie had strict instructions to stay out as she only wanted him to see her once she was totally ready.
As soon as she was happy with her appearance, she stepped back into their family-sized suite and Archie turned to face her. He looked so incredibly handsome in his pristine white shirt, waistcoat and kilt. She’d hoped he’d wear one but hadn’t been sure what to expect. The Sutherland tartan was a dark green, red, white and navy fabric, rich in both colour and history. She’d always loved a man in a kilt, but her man in a kilt truly was a sight to behold.
He shook his head as he gazed at her with adoring eyes. ‘Wow! You really are the most beautiful woman in the world. I’m so lucky.’ His voice broke and he walked towards her and took her hand. ‘Are you still sure about this?’ he asked. ‘I know it’s fast and I don’t want to rush you.’
She fixed him with a confident gaze. ‘I’ve never been surer of anything. How about you? You’re going to be surrounded by women.’ She laughed lightly. ‘You’ve still got time to change your mind.’
Archie smiled and raised his eyebrows. ‘With you looking like that? Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re stuck with me for life.’
She squeezed his hand. ‘I could certainly think of worse things.’
He bent forward and kissed her gently as if scared to ruin her make-up, and the obligatory sicky noises came from the girls, followed by an outburst of laughter and giggles. Caitlin turned to see them standing there in their pretty, dusky blue dresses with their hair pinned up and curled by Grace.
‘You girls look so beautiful,’ Caitlin told them with a wobble to her voice and tears in her eyes.
‘Mum, don’t cry! You’ll ruin your make-up andyoulook so beautiful,’ Grace insisted as she hugged her.
Sophie hugged her legs. ‘You look pretty, mummy Cakelin.’
Caitlin dabbed at her eyes. ‘Thank you, my lovely, lovely girls.’ She glanced down and laughed out loud. ‘And wow! Bowie and Cleo… Don’t you look the part?’ She crouched to straighten Bowie’s bowtie and to scratch Cleo behind her ears. The little blue ruffle of the tutu and sparkly hair clip just added to the Yorkie Poo’s cuteness. She stood again. ‘Well, we’d better get going, the ceremony is at eleven and it’s twenty to.’ She picked up her little posy of thistles, lavender and white roses, which were tied with a ribbon of Sutherland tartan – a surprise from Archie.
‘Aye. Come on, lasses, before she changes her mind!’
* * *
On arrival at the old Blacksmith’s Shop, they walked underneath the arch of horseshoes and into the room where the wedding would take place. The officiant waited at one end of the whitewashed room with a welcoming smile. Candles stood on the steps giving a cosy warm glow and flowers decorated the edges of the room and the windowsills. The famous anvil sat before the officiant and, much to Caitlin’s delight, the sound of the Outlander theme song, ‘The Skye Boat Song’, played over the sound system.
‘A little whisper of home,’ Archie told her with a smile. She squeezed his hand.
Archie and Caitlin walked down the centre of the room, followed by Grace and Sophie, Bowie and Cleo. Then, after confirming their names, the ceremony began.
Archie and Caitlin faced each other and held hands and his gaze was fixed on her as he recited his vows, his eyes were glassy with emotion and his voice wavered as he repeated after the officiant. Once his vows were finished, he whispered, ‘I love you.’ And swiped at his eyes.
Caitlin’s turn came and she recited her own vows with a smile. They exchanged the white gold Celtic wedding bands that Archie had purchased and the registrar hit the hammer against the anvil to mark the occasion before announcing them as husband and wife, which garnered a loud cheer and a dance from Sophie and Grace.
After the ceremony, their photographer arrived and took pictures of them at the anvil and then outside standing by the famous Gretna Green sign. After that, they were snapped under the weathered steel sculpture of the clasped hands. The photographer took a wonderful family photo of all of them together in their finery, and Caitlin immediately knew it would be framed.
Although the wedding was over so soon, Caitlin couldn’t have been happier. They were going to eat lunch and then set straight off for Glentorrin. They sat around the table in the hotel and toasted each other with lemonade. The hotel provided them with a bottle of fizz for when they arrived home to Glentorrin and the girls had gone to bed, which was incredibly sweet. Over lunch, they relived the wedding and the photographs. Caitlin had taken selfies on her phone, too, and they had one of them all staring into the lens making funny faces. Caitlin and Archie presented the girls with white gold bracelets with a little Celtic family knot dangling from the clasp. The same knot appeared on their wedding rings and as Caitlin and Archie fastened the bracelet on each girl’s wrist, Archie told them, ‘This little knot ties us all together as a real family now.’
Grace beamed and Sophie hugged her big sister. Caitlin slipped on her engagement ring, alongside her wedding band and admired the way the two looked together, glinting in the sunlight.
‘Mummy Cakelin, can we keep our nice dresses on until bedtime?’ Sophie asked.
Still touched by her new title, Caitlin reached out and took the little girl’s hand. ‘You can as far as I’m concerned, sweetie.’
‘I mean all of us. Can we all stay in our fancy clothes until bedtime?’
Caitlin glanced at Archie who shrugged. ‘I’m up for it if you are. It’s not often I get to wear a kilt.’
Caitlin glanced down at her beautiful lace dress. If she was honest, she didn’t want to take it off anyway. ‘Why not!’
Full of food and love, they climbed into the car for the long journey back to Glentorrin. Grace and Sophie were whispering in the back seat and the dogs curled up together in the footwell.
‘Thank you for a lovely day, Mr Fraser-Sutherland.’
Archie glanced across at her. ‘Thank you, Mrs Fraser-Sutherland.’ He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. ‘I love the sound of that.’
