Alina nodded and got off the bed. “I will have me wash. Ye should dress and get ready.”
Ceana nodded and walked out of her sister’s chamber, and headed into hers. She sourced for the darkest and most dreary dress she had and put it on. It was such a shame that her hair was a bright and vibrant color.
* * *
The funeral was a dreary one. Bridget’s parents stood by the wooden plank on which Bridget was laid. A large plate had been laid on her chest. The plate held separate portions of salt and sand. Bridget’s parents sobbed heavily. The funeral was not a long one. When young people died, it was not a thing to be celebrated. Due to this, no one sat. The funeral was attended by only a handful of people, which wouldn’t have been the case if she had lived a full life. Instead, those around were those who knew Bridget personally.
The sun was bright that day. To Ceana, it seemed as though the sun mocked them. How could the sun shine so brightly when the people it shined on were dreary?
When it was time, flowers were dropped on the body. Ceana didn’t go—she couldn’t bear to. However, Alina did. She had brought a handful of lavender—Bridget’s favorite flowers. When Alina returned to where Ceana and her mother stood, she was shaken.
Ceana took her into her arms.
“She didnae have her necklace on,” Alina cried. “How could they have forgotten to put her necklace on?”
Ceana knew the necklace she spoke of. It was Bridget’s favorite necklace. It had a beautiful Lavender flower pendant, and Bridget wore it everywhere. She understood why it would upset Alina.
Ceana soothed her sister. However, she wished she had someone to lean on to. She had searched the crowd hoping that Torcall would show up, but he hadn’t. Instead, she had held her sister all through the funeral.
Secretly, she was relieved when it was over. Emotionally, she was drained and felt weaker with every passing moment. Ceana and her mother helped Alina into the buggy, and throughout the quiet ride, they took turns holding her hands. When they arrived at the house, she asked to be left alone, and they obliged her.
Ceana sat on her bed in her chamber, feeling lonelier than she had ever felt. Alina had always been there even when she didn’t want her, and now that she did need her, Alina was lost in her own sorrows. It was a weird and cruel irony that wasn’t lost on her.
There was a knock on the door later, and she hoped against hope that it would be Alina. However, it wasn’t. It was her mother.
Regina sat with her daughter on her bed and pulled her to her.
“How are ye, pet?” she asked Ceana.
Ceana shrugged. “I want her to be alright.”
“Ye must be patient,” Regina reminded her daughter. “One does nae get over loss that easily.”
“But I feel like I am losing her.”
“She will go deeper still,” Regina said with a sigh. “But she will rise above it. The strength of our love will pull her through. I was just yer age when I lost me da. Me ma and I were close but nae as close as me da and I. I went through what she goes through. ‘Tis a terrible thin’ to lose someone.”
Her mother’s words reminded her of Torcall. She wondered how it had been for him to lose both parents. She wished he had been at the funeral, but it was very easy to understand why he hadn’t.
“I will go on a walk, mother,” she informed her.
Regina nodded. “Ye must nae walk to dark alleys on yer own, me pet. And nay staying out at dark. There is evil out there.”
* * *
There is evil out there. Ceana found that her mother’s words echoed in her head even as she walked down the busy streets that led to the market.
There was evil out there, and it chilled her bones to realize it. Even worse, there was nothing she could do about it. The Laird had said nothing on it, and it bothered her greatly.
“Ceana!” a voice from behind her called. Ceana knew who it was.
“Jacky!” Ceana squealed and turned to the little boy.
She took him in her hands and lifted him.
“Ye have nae come to see me for long now,” he said sadly.
“I am sorry, me love,” she said to him. “Some--some bad things happened to me. I have been very busy.”
