Page 68 of A Virgin for the Stone Highlander
If you are reading this, then I have survived another week of being someone’s wife without losing my mind or setting anything important on fire. I consider that a success.
Edith snorted softly, warmth rising in her chest.
I do not intend to bore you with details of my life, but know that I am well and that Robert has been decent and kind.
A breath of relief escaped her as she held the letter closer, reading the words under the dim evening light.
Her brows drew slightly together at the lack of details, but once she moved on to the next line, her breath caught.
On to more important things—YOUR BETROTHAL.
The dramatic block letters told her at once that Scarlett had been shocked to learn of it.
The thought coaxed a giggle from her.
I surely hope my brotherhas been nothing but kind to you.
Edith scoffed.
Do not let him frighten you with all that Laird nonsense. I know very well how he can get, and I know you know too.
A breath of laughter escaped her before she could stop it. Before the arrangement, she had rarely seen eye to eye with Aaron, and Scarlett knew that and always defended him.
Write to me at once if he mistreats you. And do not fash. I shall give him a scolding once I arrive. Robert says I may travel in the coming weeks, and I intend to take him at his word.
Edith’s chest eased at that. She had been worried about going through the day all on her own, and now it felt nice to know that she would not have to.
Until then, try not to break each other. And if you do, make sure you win at it.
Yours always,
Scarlett.
Reaching the end of the letter felt wrong, as though it should never have to end.
Edith sat with the parchment in her hand for a long moment, reading it a second time, and then a third.
The evening had deepened around her. The sky above was a deep, grayish blue. The wildflowers at the base of the well had lost their color in the fading light, and the air had grown cooler against her skin.
Soon, she could hardly make out any word on the parchment.
She held it against her heart, smiling as though Scarlett might materialize to hug her if she were patient enough.
Try not to break each other.
She knew that her friend had intended those words as a joke. But in truth, Edith was no longer certain who was breaking whom.
She had entered this agreement thinking she had clear expectations. A month of performance and her freedom at the end of it—that was all she had planned for. But now, she found herself constantly getting lost in the midst of the push and pull that was her relationship with Aaron.
Why did he kiss me? Why did he get jealous? Why did he look at me in a way that caused me to forget what I was angry about?
There were so many questions that needed answers, and she had no one else to tell them to but her best friend. And in that moment, even though she had just heard from Scarlett, she missed her more than ever.
She drew in a deep breath, standing up and smoothing her skirt. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to make out the path back to the castle, and she walked slowly, being careful not to slip.
Finding her way back to the courtyard felt just like finding her way through her complicated relationship with Aaron. The comparison was too accurate to be funny, yet she laughed anyway, because the alternative was standing in the dark feeling sorry for herself, and she had more dignity than that.
She picked her way carefully through the tall grass, her eyes adjusting slowly to the dark.
