bit of linen from the sleeve of her blue dress and handed it to her.
“Now, I ken ye cannae see the suitability of marryin’ Lachlan-”
“I cannae see the rightness of marryin’ any man,” Keevah interjected.
“Be that as it may,” Aeschene said, ignoring her altogether. “Ye be a fine woman, Keevah. I may be blind, but even I can see the excellence of marryin’ Lachlan. Ye would make him a good wife, of that, I have no doubt.”
When Keevah began to argue otherwise; Aeschene would hear none of it. “Tell me, Keevah. How long do ye plan on punishin’ yerself for the decisions ye made in the past?”
“I am nae-”
“Aye, ye are. Ye are punishin’ yerself for yer past and refuse to think about yer future. A future that could be filled with so much love and happiness that it might seem too unbelievable.”
“Aeschene, I ken ye’re tryin’ to help-”
Aeschene clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Then ye be lyin’ when ye say ye love him more than anythin’.”
Appalled at the accusation, Keevah sat as straight as an arrow. “But I do love him!”
“Nay. If ye truly loved him, and if ye truly valued yer friendship with him, ye would have said ‘aye’, and ye would be standin’ before the priest. Ye would become his wife and partner. Instead, ye hide yer head in shame, punishin’ yerself for yer past. Ye have sent Lachlan to live out the rest of his days alone as he tries to get the Chisolms under control and prepare a future for my child.”
Her words hurt but didn’t make them any less true. Keevah hadn’t thought of it in those terms. “But he will find a wife. A better woman than I,” she tried to argue.
“Nay,” Aeschene said firmly. “If I ken anythin’ at all about Lachlan, he will never marry. He will spend all the rest of his days waitin’ for ye.”
The thought of Lachlan living the rest of his life without anyone to love or be loved by, felt like a kick to her stomach.
“Will ye at least consider what I have said?” Aeschene asked with a raised brow.
Keevah swallowed back more tears. “I can assure ye, I will think of naught else.”
With the promise made, Aeschene moved the discussion to the reason she had sent for Keevah in the first place. “Now that Marisse is married, she will nae longer have the time to help me.” Marisse had been her constant companion for several years; Aeschene’s eyes to the rest of the world.
Keevah took the chair opposite her friend, soaking up the warmth from the hearth. She was only half listening, for her mind was still on Lachlan.
“I need someone to be my eyes, Keevah. Someone I can trust. Someone I can confide in.”
“Have ye chosen that someone yet?”
Aeschene smiled. “Aye, I have. I would like ye to do it.”
“Me?” Keevah was beyond surprised.
“And I swear, if ye tell me ye are nae good enough, or that yer past would somehow keep ye from sayin’ ‘aye’, I will have to beat the bloody hell out of ye.”
Keevah’s eyes grew as wide as trenchers. She tried to find a good retort, but came up empty handed.
“I need ye, Keevah. I truly do. Next to Marisse, I consider ye my dearest friend.”
It had been years since anyone had held her in such high esteem; since anyone considered her their dearest friend. A pang of … longing perhaps, tugged at her already heavy heart. Kiernan. It had been more than five years since last she’d seen the young woman who’d been as close to her as a sister. But there wasn’t a day that went by when she did not think of her. Not only was she a sister of her heart, but she was also the keeper of Keevah’s secrets.
Aeschene’s voice broke through her quiet reverie. “Will ye please do this for me?”
Keevah knew ’twould be as difficult to agree as it would be to decline. Saying yes meant she would have to watch every day as Aeschene’s family grew. She’d be witness to the love shared between she and Black Richard. Both constant reminders of what she could never have.
But to say no, would mean she’d be turning her back on the friendship they had forged. She would go back to her little cottage and spend every day of the rest of her life alone. Suddenly, the thought of being truly alone no longer held the same appeal it once did.
“Aye, I will