Page 8 of A Two-Faced Laird
“I am Lewis, goodwife,” he called back, before they moved on.
Edina looked at him quizzically.
“It happens all the time,” he told her. “Take no notice. It will likely happen again.”
“Do you get any word from him?”
“I think we had better go back now,” Lewis said grimly. “It looks as though it might rain.”
She was surprised when Lewis abruptly changed the subject. She was not expecting such odd behaviour from him.
Edina looked up at the hazy white sky, searching for any grim grey clouds, but there was not a sign of one anywhere. There was no indication that rain was going to fall, but she decided not to argue, since he obviously had his reasons for wanting to return home.
They rode back to the castle very slowly, and in complete silence. It had been a very strange afternoon, Edina reflected. When she had thought about returning to Achnabreck her memories had been those of two little boys. Of course, her logical mind told her that they were both grown men, but she had expected bright personalities like the ones she had left. Now, one brother was gone, and the other had turned into the sullen, moody creature beside her. What had gone wrong?
3
Lewis was absent from dinner that night, and Edina wondered why, although she was not surprised. Lewis was the most capricious man she had ever met, and she decided that nothing he did from now on would surprise her.
“Before you ask where Lewis is,” the Laird said as he cut off a piece of meat from the roast on the table, “he is likely in his room reading, drawing pictures or playing chess by himself. He and Aidan used to play together a lot, and were very evenly matched. I know it may seem strange, but my two boys were very close, and sometimes Lewis misses his brother so much I think he wants to be alone so he can think about him and perhaps pretend he is here.”
They are talking about Aidan as though he is dead,Edina thought, but she did not voice the notion, although it bothered her. The idea of him being so far away must leave such a hole in a close family, she thought. Edina looked at the normally happy faces of the Laird and Lady. They were suddenly a little subdued, but as she watched, Laird Findlay leaned over to kiss his wife’s cheek, and she smiled at him with such love it was almost palpable.
However, the thought of Aidan did not leave her. She wondered what he looked like now. Judging by the reaction of the village woman, the likeness between Lewis and him must have been so strong, they were akin to identical twins.
“You will not see Lewis tomorrow, either,” Lady Findlay said. “He will probably go hunting, and be up at the crack of dawn.”
“Hunting?” Edina asked in disbelief. “On his own, Milady?”
“Only for small game,” the Laird answered instead. “Rabbits, game birds, that kind of thing. He brings it to the pot, and nothing is ever wasted. Aidan was the one to seek bigger prey, but Lewis has always been humble.”
“Ah!” Roy McCarthy cried, laughing. “My daughter is very frugal, too.”
“There are a lot of people in the country who have nothing,” Edina pointed out. “I am going to learn to hunt and fish, then help provide for some of the poor in the village.”
“What else are you thinking of doing?” Bettina asked, smiling proudly. “Did riding with Lewis give you any more ideas?
“Yes!” Edina’s voice was eager. “I see that there is an orphanage there, and they need some basic education, as do all the other children in the village, so I would like to start a school for them all if M’Laird permits it. As well as that, I can see that many of their clothes are in terrible condition. Very likely they have been outgrown by one child and passed down to the next, and gradually worn out, and I would like to do something about that, too.”
“What do you suggest?” Lady Findlay asked, interested.
“I can do some basic sewing, Milady” Edina answered, “but too much needs to be done. I would like to employ some seamstresses and give them work. It need not be elaborate. If the clothes are hard-wearing and practical, that will be enough, and probably some of the village women can do it.”
She paused for a second, then, warming to her theme, she went on.
“If they can make enough strong working clothes, perhaps we can begin to sell them to the workers of other villages at a cheap price. Is it wonderful, Milady?”
She clapped her hands in joy as idea after idea came pouring into her head.
“Before you go on,” Lady Findlay leaned forward and grasped Edina’s hands. “This needs thinking, planning and discussion with the villagers concerned. I admire your ideas and your strength and determination, but let’s not get carried away. We need to start slowly and build up momentum, not try to run before we can walk.”
Edina nodded, trying to calm down. “I want to do everything now,” she cried, laughing even as she was filled with frustration.
However, they were right, and a proper strategy would have to be put in place before anything was done.
“Edina, you are such a good girl,” her father said proudly. “Nobody I know has a heart as big as yours.”
Contrary to whatthey had told Edina, Lewis had changed his plans for the day and decided to go out riding with the guards from the castle instead of spending the day by himself. However, even as he rode along in the company of twenty guards, all of whom were swearing, cracking lewd jokes and laughing outrageously, he could not wrench his thoughts away.
