Page 29 of A Two-Faced Laird
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Edina was returning home from the village school two days after the confrontation with Aidan—she could no longer think him as Lewis—thinking about him and feeling immensely guilty. She should never have taken him up to the turrets, she realised, because the fear on his face had been sad to behold, and she was ashamed of herself because she had behaved so cruelly.
She had knocked on his door that night intending to apologise, but he had dismissed her without a hearing. Having thought about it, Edina did not think she could blame him. The way she had acted had almost been an act of torture.
Edina had not seen hide nor hair of him since then, but she put it down to his habit of isolating himself in nature or losing himself in the company of the guards or the huntsmen occasionally. However, on the second morning after their confrontation when she still had not encountered him, she asked Lady Findlay where to find him, still being careful to call him Lewis.
“He has caught a little chill,” she replied. “And I know why. The stable lads were doing a lot of coughing and spluttering theother day, and I think he picked up whatever they had. He hangs about there too much. He is resting in bed, but I think a bit of sleep and a lot of willow bark tea will help him. The healer is seeing to him, and she is very good at what she does. She has been treating the family for years.”
“Can I go and see him, Milady?” she asked. “I just want to see if he needs anything.”
“I think it is better if he is not disturbed,” Lady Findlay replied. “All he wants to do is sleep at the moment. I have never seen him so sick before, but Mistress Gibson tells me it is nothing serious, and I must not worry about it.”
She sighed, then looked at Edina anxiously, and she saw with dismay that there were tears in Lady Findlay’s eyes. “However, I am a mother, and worrying about my children is my job.”
Now Edina felt even more guilty than before. He might have caught some sickness, but hauling him up to the turrets against his will had not done him any good at all, and had likely aggravated it.
She went through the rest of the day in the usual manner, seeing to the schoolchildren, writing letters to her friends and cousins in Inverness and chatting to the seamstresses who worked in a big room beside the kitchen. However, Aidan was at the back of her mind all the time, and many of the women she met commented on how distracted she looked.
When she almost cut herself on a pair of sewing shears, one of the seamstresses caught her hand before she leaned on the sharp instrument lying on the table.
“Mistress,” she said, frowning. “Be careful! These things are mighty sharp an’ can hurt ye very bad!”
“Thank you, Flora,” Edina let out a huge sigh of relief and passed her hand across her forehead. “I do not know what is the matter with me today!”
Flora, a plump woman in her middle years, smiled at Edina. “Dinnae worry, Mistress, we a’ have days like that!” she said.
Edina blushed hotly, feeling utterly foolish. She laughed self-consciously, then said quietly, “It is a woman’s thing.”
This was a lie, but Edina knew that all the women would believe her.
“Oh,” Flora nodded knowingly. “I see. I know just how ye feel, Mistress.”
Somehow, Edina managed to get through dinner, even though she could think of nothing else but Aidan. She was still trying to process the fact that his name was actually Aidan and not Lewis, and was terrified that she would slip and give herself away.
“Do you know if Lewis is feeling any better?” she asked of no one in particular.
“He is a strong man,” the Laird answered, looking very unconcerned. “I doubt if a little chill will do him much harm. I can assure you, Edina, since you have been away, he has been through much worse than this. He has had chicken pox, measles and mumps, and is still alive to tell the tale. Do not worry so much.”
Edina nodded, but caught an expression of extreme sadness on Lady Findlay’s face that seemed quite out of all proportion to the situation. However, it passed as quickly as it had come, then Edina smiled at Laird Findlay and forced herself to finish her meal. She had an extra glass of wine with her food, hoping that no one would notice, and fortunately, no one did. When it came to drinking, she was very abstemious and she had never been more than a little tipsy in her entire life.
After her wine, she yawned, politely covering her mouth with her hand.
“I think I will go to bed early,” she announced. “It has been a really busy day, and I am very weary.”
“Yes, you look tired,” her mother remarked, frowning. “Please make sure all these matters you are attending to are not too much for you, Edina.”
“Just because I am a wee bit tired does not mean I am going to collapse with exhaustion, mother!” Edina laughed softly and patted her mother’s hand. “I am fine. Truly.”
“All the same, you are right, Edina,” her father agreed. “My own mother always used to tell me to listen to my body. She said it was always right and would never give me any bad advice. Have an early night.”
He stood up and smiled at her, then at Laird and Lady Findlay.
“Do we not have a beautiful daughter, Lady Eleanor, Laird Davie?”
The Laird and Lady Findlay both smiled warmly. “Indeed you do, Roy.”
“You are making me blush!” Edina said, waving away their compliments. “Goodnight, everyone.”
