Her eyes rounded. “I have already told ye that is no’ what I was doing. Which ye will soon find to be true.”
“Mmhhmm” he murmured.
“But aye, they were unaware that I was going to attend the party of Viscount and Viscountess Wilson. And they will be most unhappy about it when they find out,” she added, scrunching up her nose.
“How about siblings? Have ye any?”
Her heart sank at the thought of her brother. “I did, but he passed a few years ago.”
“I am verra sorry to hear that. Was he sick?”
She shook her head. “Nay. He fought in the war. He was lost just before it ended.”
His brows furrowed and he got a faraway look in his eyes. “War is never a winning affair. There are losers on both sides. The loss of life is the saddest outcome.”
She could only bob her head up and down. She missed her younger brother dearly. He was kind and loved his family above all else. When duty called, he jumped at the chance.
When she’d seen him off the day he left, she never imagined it would be the last time she would see him. Or hear his voice.
But she didn’t want to think about that. She didn’t want to be sad. She usually kept the memories of her brother locked away in the recesses of her mind. If she didn’t, she would be filled with sorrow all the time. She didn’t want to live her life that way. And neither would he.
“Do ye have any siblings?” She wanted the focus off her and her family. He would find out soon enough how much she and her parents loved each other. And the memories of her brother were all around the house.
“I dinna. My parents passed shortly after my mother gave birth to me.”
“I am so sorry.” Her heart broke at his loss.
“’Tis fine. I dinna remember them. My childhood was filled with nannies and tutors, preparing me for my position as earl.”
She thought of how sad of a life that must have been. She couldn’t imagine a childhood without her brother. Without her parents. It would have been lonely to say the least.
“That must have been hard on ye.”
He shook his head. “’Twasna really. I didna ken any better. And when it came time for me to leave for the war, I didna have to fash o’er a family I was leaving behind.”
That part was true.
“What did ye do in the war?”
Malcolm’s gaze moved to the window and his eyes darkened. His face suddenly looked somber as if the unpleasant memories were more than he wished to think about.
Suddenly, she felt bad for asking the question, though her intentions were purely innocent as she was only curious.
“Ye dinna have to answer that, my lord. I’m sure it must have been a trying time.”
