Page 63 of A Two-Faced Laird
“Oh, I am so glad to see you both!” she cried, beaming at them, then stood aside to let them in.
It was only when she closed the door behind them that she saw the expression on their faces. They both looked heartbroken, and Edina looked from one to the other, puzzled.
“What has happened?”
“Th-the Laird has died,” her mother answered.
Tears were streaming down her face, and her father embraced his wife, looking over her shoulder at Edina.
“It was very quick,” he told her sadly. “He was out hunting, and the horse he was riding missed his footing while he was galloping. Laird Davie fell and broke his neck and fractured his skull, but he died instantly and did not suffer.”
Edina was shocked and sad about Laird Findlay’s death, of course, but her first thoughts were for Aidan and the effect it would have on him.
“Do you have any wine?” Edina’s mother asked.
“I am sorry, Mother,” she replied. “We never keep wine or whisky. I am sure you can understand why. Let me dress and I can get you some ale.”
While she was dressing, Edina wondered how she would break the news to Aidan. He would be devastated; first his brother and now his father. How was he going to cope?
I will have to be the strong one now,she thought resolutely.He will need to lean on me and I will support him.
When she was fully clothed, Edina heated some mulled ale and gave a glass to each of her parents.
“How is Lady Eleanor taking it?” she asked them.
“She is crushed, of course,” her father replied, “but putting a brave face on things. She is consoling herself with the fact that he did not have a long, lingering death. She says that she would rather lose him this way than watch him suffer.”
At that moment, the door opened and Aidan entered. He was filthy and stank of fish, but usually Edina had his bath ready for him, and they would sit and chat about the happenings of the day before eating. Now his face lit up.
“Auntie Bettie! Uncle Roy!” He smiled widely as he saw them, then said: “I’m sorry I cannot hug you, but I’m not very clean.”
At that moment, he noticed the expression on their faces and frowned. He glanced at Edina, then asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“Aidan,” Edina said softly, “your father is dead. It was a hunting accident, quick and painless. I am so sorry.”
Aidan could say nothing, because he felt nothing. Edina stepped forward and put her arms around him, but for once,he could not return the embrace. His father was dead, but he could not take it in. He was not capable of speech, sensation, or movement. He was frozen with shock.
Edina guided him to a chair and helped him sit down, then went to pour him some ale, but when she put the cup in his hand, he merely cradled it without lifting it to his lips. He looked as if he were in a trance.
“Aidan, your mother is coping, but she would be better if she could see you,” Bettina said gently. “You are all she has left now, and she needs you.”
That was when it hit Aidan like a punch in the stomach. His father was dead, no longer walking the earth, and he would never see him again. The pain, not physical but emotional, almost shattered him as the reality hit him then invaded his consciousness. They had said goodbye on the worst of terms, and the Laird had likely still been resentful and angry with his son when he began his search for Aidan.
“I will never forgive myself,” he said huskily.
“For what?”
Edina was puzzled, and she knelt down beside his chair to look into his face, hating the sadness she saw there.
“The last time we spoke, we argued bitterly,” Aidan replied. “I forgave him, but I have no idea if he ever forgave me.”
“He did,” Roy told him. “He and your mother had a long talk, and she made him see that Fenella was not the right woman for you, and you would have both been desperately unhappy. He arranged another match for Fenella, and she seems to be very content, so you see, things worked out better for all concerned, and you have absolutely nothing to blame yourself for. Laird Davie was not angry with you—in fact he wanted to come and see you, so please do not torture yourself for no reason, Aidan. Your father loved you.”
Aidan took a sip of his ale, then a thought occurred to him.
“Did he say anything about my taking over the Lairdship?” he asked.
“He has written everything down in his will, Aidan,” Roy replied. “He did not confide in me, he has left all that to his lawyer.”
