“Nae, Edna, thank god ye are home. I am feeling ill,” Edna walked behind her mother till they entered the living room.
Her mother sat down on the couch, closed her eyes, and rested her head on the pillow behind her. Edna suspected her mother had taken a sleeping draught. It seemed unfair to burden herwith the news of her marriage right now.
“Mother, why don’t ye go tae yer bedchamber and rest? I will make ye a soup,” Edna offered with a smile and walked towards her mother to hold her hand lovingly. Freya opened her eyes and smiled back.
“That would be very kind of ye, Edna. I truly am blessed with the best daughter. I couldn’t thank the Gods above enough for sending ye in tae my life,” her mother remarked as she stood up.
She felt a pang of guilt as she realized how much her mother loved and trusted her, and here she was, keeping such a big secret. Shestood there watching her walk up the stairs and into her room. Edna went outside as quietly as she could. She walked out into the darkness, and Ronin came to meet her.
“Mother is ill tonight. Telling her anything right now would be fruitless,” Edna explained.
“I understand. You take care of her. There is no need to get worried,” Ronin assured her and opened his arms so she could hug him once again.
Edna hid herself in the warmth of his embrace, knowing full well that he would be gone soon and that this would be their last chance to hug for several days. She was aware that their situation was not ideal, but she was simply grateful to be with him.
“I must go now,” Ronin whispered.
“Be safe. I will see ye soon,” Edna replied. She watched him sit atop his horse and wave at her before disappearing into the large mess of trees that aligned the dense forest. Her heart felt empty once he was gone, but she knew the loneliness was not real. Ronin was hers no matter the distance that kept them apart for now.
As she walked back inside the house, all she could think about was that they were bound to one another for life. They had stood in front of a pastor and confessed their love for each other and had promised in front of God to cherish and care till the end of their days.
She went upstairs and knocked on her mother’s door. When she opened the door and peered inside, she noticed she was asleep. Edna smiled and walked inside and straightened her blanket before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
“I wish ye had been there with me, mother but I promise, I will tell ye all about it very soon. I just hope ye give me yer blessing,” Edna whispered.
She stood up, extinguished the candle, and walked out of the room, the hot bowl of soup still in her hands. Once she came back downstairs, she sat in the living room and drank the soup herself. All she could think about was Ronin, and that thought truly made her the happiest newly wedded bride in the world.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
The next morning, Ronin woke up extremely tired since he hadn’t been able to sleep in peace all night. With the murderer still parading around and everyone’s lives at stake, he knew he needed to take each step carefully. He was the future laird of the clan, and he needed the people to trust him to make the best decisions for them and ensure their livelihood and safety. He got dressed, came downstairs, and found Lachlan standing in the hallway with the guards that were investigating the case alongside him.
“There he is,” Lachlan called loudly as he saw Ronin approach. The guards turned towards him and greeted him respectfully.
“What’s the matter?” Ronin asked.
“Milaird, We have reached a stalemate. All we ken is the killer was seeking information. Besides that, we ken nothing at all,” the first guard answered. He already knew this and it troubled him profoundly.
“What of the dagger? Can you not find who owns it?” Ronin asked.
“It could belong tae anyone, milaird. It could have been stolen, or a guard could have given it tae a family member. There are several possibilities, and all of them make it unlikely that we will be able tae determine who the killer is based solely on the weapon,” the second guard explained. Ronin sighed in frustration.
The situation was getting more muddled with every passing day. He wished he could do something. He wished he could find a lead which would help him get to the root of this case. He needed to protect his clan, but things were not working out in his favor.
“Why don’t ye all step outside and Ronin and I will join ye shortly?” Lachlan chimed in. “Are ye okay, Ronin?”
Ronin looked up at the question and raised an eyebrow at his friend, “Do I look okay?”
“Not at all.”
“Ronin, ye need to understand that these are the highlands. Every clan has a list of unsolved murders and, more often than not, the murderers are never found. I personally think that whoever this killer is was only concerned with Thelma and whatever she was hiding. And it appears that he has found it, I do not believe he will kill anyone else,” Lachlan pointed out as they sat down on the dining table, waiting for breakfast.
“And what if he did not find what he was looking for? What if he murders other people searching for the same thing?”
“I ken that is a possibility, Ronin but I dinnae think that ye will be able to reach an end for this one. Whoever he is, he is clever. He already kens all that is going on in the castle. I am certain it I someone from here, and despite what the guard told you, the dagger makes it almost certain that it is one of the guards’,” Lachlan reasoned.
"I cannot give up so easily, Lachlan," Ronin replied. Heknew that his conscience would not let him dismiss this case until it was solved. Both Thelma and her daughter had been brutally murdered; their killer should not get to roam free.
They were so preoccupied with breakfast that they didn't notice when the dining room door opened and Mara walked in. Ronin looked at her as she approached the table, and everything Lachlan had told him about her two nights before came flooding back to him. His subconscious mind recognized this as yet another issue he needed to address.