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The prospect of telling her mother about the marriage had not seemed so terrifying while she was in her bedroom. Though, as she sat down in front of her, she was having difficulty mustering the courage to speak up. Edna was well aware that shewould not approve of the match, but she had no choice.
“Edna, what is it?” her mother asked.
“What dae ye mean?” Edna feigned ignorance and confusion.
“Ye are fidgeting and have barely touched yer breakfast. Yer mind is elsewhere, and something is truly troubling ye. Tell me what the matter is so we can solve the problem together,” her mother offered; sounding supportive.
Edna was well aware that her mother could read her like a book. She should have known that concealing something this significant from her would be impossible. Nothing in the world could escape herwatchful eye. Shetook a deep breath and steadied herself before finally telling her what had happened over the previous few days.
“Dae ye remember I went tae the pub with my friends on my birthday?” Edna asked. She had decided to start from the beginning.
“I remember,” she replied shortly and turned to face Edna.
“That day at the pub, I met someone. He was very kind to me and helped me escape this lad who would not leave me alone and was trying to force me to dance with him. Later, he even got in tae a fight for me. After that, we spent as much time as we could together, getting tae ken each other. We fell in love, and we got married.”
Edna waited quietly for herto speak or say anything, but sheremained deafeningly silent. Shehad no idea what her silence meant because her face was expressionless. She felt as if she were walking on thin ice, and that the slightest misstep would cause everything around her to crumble. Her mother's approval meant everything to her, and she desperately needed it.
“Who is he?” she finally asked.
“The future laird of the clan, Ronin McKenzie,” Edna confessed hesitantly. She was certain that such a confession would not only raise multiple questions but probably anger her too.
“The man whose father killed yer father,” she replied ever so softly. Edna still had not grasped what her mother was feeling and that worried her far more.
“Mother, I understand how this would anger ye but trust me, I didnae do this on purpose. It just happened. We met, and before I knew it, we were in love. If I hadn’t found a soul mate for myself in Ronin, I would have never gone forth with this. I would have never done anything tae hurt ye,” she said; a tear escaping her eye.
“I am neither angry nor hurt, Edna,” her mother said at last. This was the last thing she had expected her to say. She had expected shouting and crying, but she seemed calm.
“Then?”
“Edna, if there is one thing in this world that I understand, it is love. I ken what love feels like because that is what I shared with yer father. If ye tell me that ye and Ronin fell in love with each other, who am I tae come between ye two? I want ye tae remember this as well, Edna. He isnae responsible for yer father’s murder. He had nothing tae do with the choices his father made, so ye must never let this come between ye two.”
Edna stared at her for a few seconds, unable to believe what she was hearing. She expected her mother to be angry with her for doing something so unthinkable, but instead she was consoling.
“Ye are truly not angry at all?” she asked once again; still slightly bewildered.
“Edna, I already told ye, I respect the love that ye share, and I trust ye. If ye truly fell for this lad, who I have yet tae meet, I am sure ye must have seen something in him,” she told her with a smile and took both of Edna’s hands in hers.
“Thank ye, mama. Ye have no idea how much I wanted tae hear that from ye. Yer support makes me strong,” Edna replied.
“But I am upset that I was not there tae attend the wedding of my only daughter.”
Edna laughed softly and quickly wiped away the tears that were falling from her eyes. She stood up from across the table and walked to where her mother was seated opposite from her. She hugged her from behind and placed a kiss on her head.
“It was a handfasting ceremony. I promise ye we will have a proper wedding later, and ye will get tae walk me down the aisle,” Edna whispered.
“I would like that very much,” her mother whispered back before she stood up to hug her. They remained that way for quite some time and Edna forgot that Ronin would be waiting for her. She quickly separated herself from her mother and looked around worriedly.
“What is the matter?” she asked; holding her by the shoulders,
“It is getting late. I am to meet Ronin. I need tae get tae the castle,” Edna replied; quickly turning to stare at herself one last time in the looking glass.
“Why?”
“Ronin asked me tae be there today. He is planning on announcing our marriage to everyone and his intention to assume the lairdship. He wants tae introduce me as the lady of the clan,” Edna explained, once again feeling a thrill and a nervous shiver engulf her all at once.
“He is going tae dae it so soon?”
“Yes. I thought he would want to wait too, but he was adamant about doing it today, and I couldn’t say nae tae him,” Edna answered. “How do I look?”
