Edna’s own smile dimmed. Her great-aunt, her namesake, had fallen ill last month, and though her mother had been to visit immediately, she had come back with some dreadful news. It wouldn’t be long before a great woman, a lady of her own clan, would be passing on. Some said it was heart sickness, missing her great warrior husband that had left before her, and it wasn’t until James had passed on that Edna could believe that there was such a thing.
The door opened, and another man strode in, his clothing covered in dust from their travels. Edna’s breath caught as she took in his tall stature, the dark-red locks neatly tied at the nape of his neck, the way his blue eyes assessed them with little emotion. The large sword strapped to his back told her that he was a warrior, and a handsome one at that, making Edna’s stomach flutter like it hadn’t in some time.
“Och, Malcolm!” Irvine called out, waving him over. “’Tis mah closest friend.”
“I’ve heard a great deal aboot ye,” her mother was saying, inclining her head. “Welcome tae mah home.”
“Thank ye,” he replied, his eyes flickering over Edna.
“’Tis mah cousin,” Irvine cut in, pulling Edna close to his side. “Edna, named after our lady.”
“Nowhere near as strong or brave,” Edna interjected, her cheeks reddening. “Lady Edna is a pariah.”
Malcolm didn’t say anything, his blue eyes still on her, and Edna cleared her throat, feeling suddenly shy by his attention and her reaction to it.
“Wot brings ye here, Irvine?” her mother asked.
“These,” Irvine announced, pulling letters out of the satchel slung over one shoulder. “Mum sends her love.”
Edna’s mother’s face lit up as she accepted them. “I cannae wait tae write back then and tell her aboot all that has happened! Won’t ye stay the night? Ye look like ye could use a decent meal.”
“Och, we could,” Irvine answered, patting his flat stomach. “I never turn up a good, cooked meal of yers, Aunt Finlay.”
Her mother blushed, but Edna continued to smile shyly at Malcolm. Was this the sign that she needed to move on with her life? He was handsome enough, and if he was a friend of her cousin’s, then he was a good Scot.
“Edna!”
Realizing her mother had been calling her name while she had been ogling Malcolm, Edna cleared her throat. “Aye?”
Her mother looked at her oddly. “Show Malcolm tae the guest room. Yer cousin wants tae meet with yer da.”
“Aye,” she breathed, glancing over at the warrior. “This way then.”
Malcolm didn’t respond, instead adjusting the pack on his shoulder, and Edna forced herself to breathe. She was acting oddly, far more than she had in quite some time, and it was because he was so handsome. Yes, there had been other men who had tried to capture her attention in the months after James’s death, but none had caused quite the reaction from her like Malcolm was right now.
“Where did ye come from?” she asked as they climbed the stairs together.
“North,” he replied curtly. “We are on our way back tae McPearson land.”
Edna bit the inside of her cheek, attempting to come up with the next question that would hopefully lead into some sort of conversation with him.
“Ye’re a warrior?” she asked.
“Aye,” he stated, in the same monotone that he had answered her first question.
He didn’t say anything else as they made it to the second landing, and Edna felt disheartened for even attempting to make conversation. Perhaps he was just tired from his journey. “Here you are,” she said, stopping at the door of the room they used for guests. “Irvine will likely want the room right next tae ye, so ye will hear him come up. He has never been one for quiet.” She was rambling now.
He gave her a look, and there was a hint of a grin on his lips. “Aye, he isnae, is he? I’m used tae it by now, lass.”
Finally! “It makes me wonder if he’s going tae be laird because he cannae stay quiet enough for anything else,” Edna continued, giving Malcolm a tiny smile in return. Their conversation was at the expense of her cousin, but if it kept Malcolm talking with her, then she didn’t care so much at all.
Malcolm’s smile faded, and he placed his hand on the knob. “Thank ye for showing me here.”
Edna felt the disappointment flood through her, but she forced herself to step back regardless. “Aye, well, I will see ye at dinner then.”
He didn’t say anything, instead entering the room and shutting the door firmly behind him without another word.
She felt like a fool. Her shoulders slumped as she walked away, her mind replaying all the words she said to him, and she wanted to both laugh and cry at the same time. This wasn’t going to work. With James, she hadn’t needed to garner his attention. No matter what he was doing when she would approach him, he would stop, and their conversation would flow easily out of their mouths.
