To me beloved, Edith.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Her pulse quickened with realization, her fingers tracing the seal on the envelope with fragile care.
“Scarlett…” she whispered, her irritation ebbing.
Her throat tightened. She had waited for this moment for weeks. Since writing to Scarlett, she had spent every waking moment wondering if her best friend was well and if she was ever going to write back.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled the folded parchment out of the envelope.
Several times, she had tried to imagine Scarlett’s new life. Since her best friend had wedded a Laird in exchange for her stay at Hallow Castle, she had barely been able to keep from worrying about her. She had hoped that Scarlett was happy.
And now that the answer to her questions was in her hands, she could hardly bring herself to open it.
She lifted her eyes to Aaron’s. His expression was unreadable as he watched her.
“How did ye get this?” she asked, her voice tight with emotion.
“It arrived earlier.”
Edith swallowed, nodding as though that in itself were a piece of vital information.
The study suddenly felt too small. She breathed, feeling as though she needed more room. Somewhere far away from everyone and everything.
Her hand reached for the door instinctively, and then she paused, realizing a second too late that she could not just walk out while Aaron stood there watching.
She pressed her lips together, turning back to face him. “May I?”
“Aye,” Aaron responded before she had finished.
She pulled the door open and hurried out without shutting it behind her.
She did not have a destination in mind. She clutched the letter tightly in her hand, holding it as though her friend’s words might slip away if she did not read them soon.
She barely noticed anything or anyone as she hurried through the corridors. By the time she slowed to a stop, she found herself standing before the giant oak door that led outside.
She pushed the door open without a second thought, and the evening air greeted her at once, cool against her warm cheeks.
’Tis only right.
She crossed the courtyard, turned toward the back of the castle, and headed to the only place she knew she would not be disturbed—the old abandoned well where she and Scarlett used to hide as children.
It was harder to find her way under the dimming evening light.
That part of the estate had been untouched for years. The grass was tall, and the ground sloped gently downward. And yet Edith continued forward until she found the well, half-hidden beneath ivy and years of disuse.
Her heart swelled with nostalgia as she approached it slowly. The stones were worn smooth by weather and time, and wildflowers had crept up around the base.
She dusted the edge with her hand, sitting carefully and drawing in a deep breath before finally opening the letter.
A small smile spread across her face as Scarlett’s handwriting greeted her, gracious and elegant as though she had put a lot of thought into writing the letter.
The first line was almost as humorous as Scarlett could get.
Edith, you stubborn thing.
Edith pressed a hand lightly to her mouth as a laugh escaped her.
