“Both Nicholas and I have fairly large families. Both of us want the same for ourselves.”
Clarissa giggled. “Nicholas is going to have to build another wing on the house to accommodate e’eryone.”
Being an only child, Willamina had no experience with large families, even when she was married. Gerard was also an only child, so she had no idea how to handle multiple siblings.
“Surely, your family must no’ be that big?”
Gwen shrugged. “Well, Nicholas and I, and the wee one. Nicholas has six siblings; obviously, Clarissa no longer lives at Huntly, but the other five still do, along with his mother. Though she spends a lot of time in Edinburgh since we married. I have three younger brothers that also live with us.”
Willamina did the quick addition. Ye have 9 children living with ye?” She could not hide the disbelief in her question.
With a laugh, Gwen nodded. “Aye, but most are older. We just have our youngest siblings that we need to worry about. They are forever causing a ruckus.”
“And ye wouldna have it any other way, sister,” Clarissa quipped.
Gwen rolled her lips, her eyes filled with glee. “’Tis true. I love them all and having them with us brings me joy.”
“I am verra happy that ye both have found such happiness in your marriages.”
Clarissa waved her hand in the air. “As will ye, Willamina. Finlay really is a caring man. Even if he seems a bit stiff on the outside. Break through that barrier and he will be like putty in your hands.”
She caught her lip between her teeth and nodded. Looking out the window so that they could not read her thoughts.
“Finlay is indeed verra kind.”
“Ye arena from Edinburgh, I believe I heard Finlay say, aye?”
“Correct, I am from Inverness.”
“What brought ye here?” Gwen swatted at Clarissa for her question. “What?” She rolled her eyes. “Ye dinna have to answer if the question makes ye feel uncomfortable. Curiosity got the better of me.”
Willamina had no plans to tell them the full story, but she did explain how after the passing of her husband and her parents, her cousin thought it a good idea to come to Edinburgh to find a husband.
Clarissa shook her head. “Leave it to a man to pull ye away from a place that makes ye happy so he can tell ye what to do.”
“Clarissa!” Gwen chided. “Watch your tongue. If Alexander hears ye speaking that way…”
“He will do naught. He loves me. My outspokenness and all.”
And that was how the rest of the time spent with Gwen and Clarissa went. They fell into easy conversation, and they teased each other relentlessly as if they truly were siblings. But just looking at them and their interactions together one could tell they loved each other very much.
Willamina, in some odd way, found herself longing for such acceptance. She had never received it from her parents and certainly not from Gerard. Would she ever find herself surrounded by such love?
She could only hope.
