“Then I feel honored that ye’ve brought me here,” Olivia said softly, deeply touched that he would want to share this spot with her.
He sighed as he sat down beside her on the blanket. “Unfortunately, we all have to grow up, eh? I havenae been back here for years.”
“Oh. Why nae, if it is so special to ye?” Olivia asked.
“Well, there wasnae much chance for it. As soon as I was old enough to go to battle, me faither took me off to fight alongside him against the O’Brians.” He paused thoughtfully for a moment before adding, “The war went on for many years before we secured a decisive victory and ended it, so I was often away from home, and there was nay time for such pleasant distractions.”
Olivia’s heart went out to him, realizing that he had spent most of his life on the front, which clearly explained his scars.
“I feel sad for ye,” she told him softly. “To have spent most of yer life fightin’ like that—it is almost as though yer life was stolen from ye.”
He gave her a look she could not interpret, but at least he did not seem angry at her observation, and he was sharing more about himself than she could ever have wished for.
“Even though we won that war, conflict broke out again between the McCallums and the O’Brians a year ago. That was the reason why I had to leave ye on our weddin’ night,” he continued, looking her right in the eye. “Nae because I wanted to.”
Olivia’s heart clenched at his admission. She held his gaze for a few moments before saying, “Thank ye for tellin’ me that, Edan. It matters to me to ken that ye felt that way. It was a shock when ye left like that, but Greta explained to me the history of the conflict, so I understood why ye were obligated to go and fight again.”Even if I didnae want ye to go.
He nodded and looked away, idly pulling at a tuft of grass. “But bein’ the Laird comes with many responsibilities as well. It takes up a lot of me time, so I still dinnae get much chance to get away from it all and do what I want.”
He spoke matter-of-factly, without a shred of self-pity, yet Olivia was sure she glimpsed sorrow in his eyes as he glanced around at their fairytale surroundings.
“This is the first time I’ve been back here since…” He hesitated for a moment. “Since me faither died.”
Realizing it had cost him something to mention his father, she decided not to pursue the subject despite all the questions she had for him. Instead, she said lightly, “Well, life cannae be all about business, Edan. One must have some fun as well. I hope, now that I’m here, ye’ll be able to carve out more time for leisure.”
In fact, ye can be sure of it.
He gave an uncharacteristic chuckle and immediately seemed less tense. “To be truthful, after a year of bein’ away, I’ve almost forgotten what that is.” Again, he looked around the glen, his expression softer. “Ye ken, Olivia, even though I’ve nae been here for years, it’s hardly changed at all.”
When his gaze returned to her, she asked curiously, “So, why have ye brought me to such a special place today for our date?”
“Well, is that nae obvious? Ye said ye wanted time to learn more about me. That’s why I agreed to go on these dates with ye in the first place.”
“Aye, but that still doesnae explain what we’re doin’ here.”
“Well, ye said ye want me to open up to ye, that a husband should tell his wife things, remember?”
“Aye, I remember.”
As if I’d ever forget.
“Well, ’tis hard for me to trust enough to open up to anyone.”
She smiled. “Aye, ye dinnae have to tell me that.”
“But ye are me wife, and ye do have a right to be privy to things, I can see that.”
Olivia was deeply moved to discover that far from brushing her off, as she had expected, he had taken her plea to heart. He suddenly placed his hand over hers and moved closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes.
“Well, this is me openin’ up,” he said softly. “This place is a big part of who I am, Olivia. Ye’re the only person I’ve ever brought here. I thought that by showin’ it to ye, ye could maybe feel that ye ken me better.”
For a moment, her emotions almost got the better of her. But eventually, she managed to say, “Ye dinnae ken how much it means to me to hear ye say that, Edan.” She squeezed his fingers in gratitude. “Thank ye for trustin’ me enough to bring me here.”
He nodded, his eyes full of sincerity. “I ken that things have been difficult for ye, what with me havin’ to leave ye alone for so long. And then, when I did come home and found the council conspirin’ to replace me with Nurkirk, him aimin’ to steal awayme clan and me wife… well, it hasnae been easy for me to trust anyone.”
“Of course, I understand. But I had nay part in it, and I’m still angry with the council for tryin’ to use me like that,” Olivia said. “But ye ken, I would never have married that man. If ye hadnae come home, I would have gone back to me family.”
“Would ye?” He seemed unsure whether to believe it or not.
