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“Not long,” Edna answered truthfully.
“Who is he?” Laura asked next.
“His name is Ronin Mckenzie, the heir to the lairdship,” Edna confessed. “I met him at the pub on my birthday. He is the man that fought Bryce.”
Recognition finally dawned in each of their faces followed quickly by amazement. Edna knew that most of the people in the clan still did not know who Ronin was or that the heir to the lairdship had finally returned. Her friends too were in the dark. With the murders happening and everyone involved in thinking about them and trying to protect themselves, no one was paying attention to what was happening in the castle.
“Are ye sure ye love him?” Kathy questioned. Edna knew they were all worried for her and worried even more after knowing his identity.
“I am,” Edna answered honestly and her heart jumped in her chest at the confession.
“He is the son of the man that killed yer father, Edna,” Jana reminded her. All three of them knew about the enmity of her family with the McKenzies; their long and bloody history.
“I ken that and I love him. He is kind, caring, thoughtful and a simple boy with a troubled past just like me. We share a lot in common. Whenever I am with him, my heart feels at peace, and I ken that he truly is the one for me. I ken that it is too soon but this is the best option for us,” Edna went on; knowing that every word she said was spoken from her heart.
Her friends sighed deeply but she could see them smiling. She knew that if there was anyone in the world that would understand her emotions, it was them. They would stand by her in this decision and tell her that she was doing the right thing. She knew in her heart that her decision was right, but having support would increase her confidence in herself.
“Edna, if this is what ye want and it makes ye happy then we are here for ye through all of it. I ken that this is a very hard decision tae make, but ye have our complete support in the matter. We will stand by ye nae matter what,” Laura assured her. All three of them moved forward and engulfed her in a huge hug. It was true that Edna hadn’t been subjected to a lot of familial love in her life but when it came to friendship, she knew she was blessed.
“Are ye sure ye will go through with it today?” Jana questioned; clearly excited but a little hesitant
“Yes, I am certain,” Edna laughed.
“Have ye thought about how will ye get out of the house?”
“Has Ronin even talked to the priest? It certainly won’t be easy getting married this way.”
“Oh, Edna, what will ye wear?”
A bombardment of questions was hurled at her. She hadn't paid attention to such matters because she was too concerned about having someone to support her. Now that she knew her friends were there for her, she knew they'd figure it out and the day would fly by. Nothing bad was going to happen.
“I haven’t thought about any of that,” Edna confessed and they rolled their eyes as if they had already expected that answer.
“Well, we can just tell Freya we are going tae the market,” Jana said; solving one problem.
“And we need to find ye something white but simple so nae one can suspect a thing,” Kathy said before getting up and walking quickly towards Edna’s wardrobe.
They watched as she searched through all the clothes and finally took out a simple, white frock made of soft fabric and bordered with lace. Edna hadn’t worn that in quite some time since it had seemed too fragile to wear during day-to-day activities. It truly was one of her favorite dresses and she knew she would make a beautiful bride in it.
“This is perfect! All we need are some wildflowers for yer hair but we can find those along the way,” Laura said. All of this felt so surreal; she was about to marry Ronin, and she simply couldn’t wrap her mind around it. It was going to be the happiest day of her life, indeed.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Ronin woke up early the next morning and dressed as quickly as possible. He knew he had a long day ahead of him. Once he was dressed, he searched for a small piece of parchment and scribbled across it,‘Come to the church at daybreak. I will need to talk to the priest in order to go forth with the ceremony.’
He stepped out of his room and knocked on Lachlan's door. Lachlan was already dressed and ushered Ronin inside. He could tell his friendwas nervous. Despite this, Ronin remained calm and collected, knowing that if they were careful, nothing could go wrong. He also knew that he truly loved Edna, that everything was predestined, and that nothing and no one could stop him from marrying her.
“Have ye changed yer mind or something?” Lachlan asked.
“I have not,” Ronin answered; laughing at the absurd prospect.
“No harm in asking, right?”
“Absolutely,” Ronin rolled his eyes before continuing. “I need you to go to Edna’s house and hand her this note.”
Ronin passed the parchment to Lachlan, who read it before folding it and tucking it safely inside his pocket. Ronin knew he couldn't afford for anything to go wrong today, including Edna's faith in him. He didn't want her to think of him as a man who would break his promise. He had promised to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her, and he wanted to show her that he meant it.
“And ye will go tae the church?” Lachlan asked.
