It wasn’t fair to do so, but internally she couldn’t help but curse her uncle. She’d almost managed to go a whole day without thinking of Ivor, and now here she was again, three days after he’d abandoned her, trying to fight back the tears.
He didnae abandon ye, silly woman. Stop being dramatic.
“Come, Eithne, before it gets too cold in the darkness,” Myrna said. Eithne smiled and nodded, excusing herself before following her sister out of the dining hall. She was honestly relieved to leave the strange atmosphere behind.
* * *
Eithne and Myrna sat at the very edge of one of the crags, staring out into the inky blackness of night. Their legs hung out over the nothingness, and Myrna could imagine their mother’s voice yelling at them to come away from there before they fell. It made her smile in a way that hurt her heart.
She couldn’t see, but she knew that the road that Ivor had taken with little Callum wound out in front of them. She wondered where they were now. Had Ivor found Callum a home? Was Ivor sleeping in an inn? Did he miss her?
I miss him. I dinnae ken if I’ll ever stop.
“Are ye all right?” Myrna asked. “Ye look so far away.”
“I am,” Eithne admitted. “Me head is everywhere except here.”
“With Ivor?” Myrna asked. Eithne didn’t respond, but Myrna reached out and took her hand. “He’s alright, Eithne.”
“Aye,” Eithne said, but there was no conviction in her voice. “I wonder if we’ll ever see him again. I didnae get the impression that our Laird Uncle was all that fond of him.”
Myrna was quiet for a long moment before she spoke again. “I…Eithne, I ken that Uncle is…a wee bit odd. I ken that he comes across as a wee bit cold, and his word choices are quite strange. But ye must understand, he’s a good, good man.”
Eithne didn’t say anything.
“He is,” Myrna insisted. “Ye must understand. He lost his sister and his nephew and brother-in-law just as surely as we lost our own family. His own wife is long since dead. He only had his lads and our Mam, and now she’s gone as well. Is it any wonder he’s acting so strangely, especially when we both look so much like her?”
Mammy. Oh, Mammy, you shouldnae have stayed.
Myrna squeezed her hand. “In a way, he understands us more than anyone else does. He’s the only other person who truly kens what it means to lose a sibling.”
Eithne’s mind went to Killian once more, her friendly brother with his easy laugh and gentle smile, his warm hugs and gentle reassurances. His friendship with a poor mercenary lad who had nothing.
“Ye’re right,” she said finally. She realized that her eyes were wet, and she reached up to rub her eyes with her sleeve. “Ye’re right, of course, ye are. It must be hard for him to have us here.”
“Aye, but he loves us regardless,” Myrna said. “He doesnae ken how to show kindness through the pain in his heart, but he’s a good man. I wish ye’d give him more of a chance. This is the only family we have left.”
“I ken,” Eithne assured her. “I really do. I’m…it’s just…”
How do I explain that I’ve lost two families in the span of a week – first me parents and Killian, then Ivor.
“It’s all right, Eithne. I ken things are confusing for ye right now,” Myrna said sympathetically. “But trust me, me darling sister, the future is gonnae be bright for all of us. Me uncle wants what’s best for us, after all. We’ll all help each other move on from this loss. And then in ten years, we’ll both be wed and running after half-grown bairns of our own.”
“Wed?” Eithne asked, amused now. “And who is it I shall marry? The only lad that ever came close was Ivor, and he’s gone now. He isnae coming back.”
“I dinnae believe that,” Myrna replied. “Naebody could look at a woman like he looked at you and not return to yer side. Just like how I believe that Jonah will stay here.”
Eithne’s strange mood cleared at that. “We’ll be hosting a wedding for ye and that soldier before the year’s out. Ye’re six and ten next month, after all – practically an old maid. I’ll just content meself with being yer spinster sister.”
“Unless Uncle tries to makeyewed Gregor instead,” Myrna said with a giggle.
Eithne couldn’t help but laugh as well. “He’d stand there like a statue the whole time!”
“Och, but he’s a good man,” Myrna said. “I wouldnae want to be his wife, and he’s a terrible bore, but he always tries to do what’s right.”
“Maybe that’s what he and his brother are fighting about?” Eithne pondered. “I havenae seen Walter in a day or so.”
Myrna got to her feet, helping Eithne up as well. “Enough intrigue,” the girl said. “Let us just enjoy our lives. I’m fairly certain that in the last little while, ye’ve had more than enough drama to last ye a lifetime. Let’s not go looking for more.”
