Scottish Beauty

Chapter Ten - Scottish Beauty

Chapter Ten

It was nearing the third week in October now in the Highlands.  The sun was shining a soft breeze was blowing the sweet scent of moss and the remaining heather in the autumn air.   Emma was out in the gardens doing some last minute preparations to the herbs before the snow settle in.  That is where Ian found her that morn, huddled over a peppermint plant.

“Here ye are Emma,” Ian announced as he started to walk towards her.   “I was looking all over the castle for you.   Twas Margo that told me ye were out in the gardens.”

“Aye Ian, the sun is out today and I wanted to take advantage and pick the remaining herbs for the winter months,” she looked up at him smiling, placing some peppermint leaves in her basket.    “Are ye supposed to be out in the courtyard training with Robert and Andrew?”

“Aye well...aye...I suppose I should be,” Ian shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to say.  Perhaps Emma thought he was a coward for not wanting to train with his brothers and the McKenna clansmen.

Sensing that she might have said something wrong, she softly told him, “It’s alright Ian, ye dinna have to be like Robert and Andrew.   Ye just have to be yourself.”

“Perhaps being myself is a disappointment to my Da and brothers?   I dinna enjoy training and sparring with my clansmen,” Ian told her looking ashamed as he crouched down beside her.

Moving over to kneel beside Ian in the garden, Emma took one of his hands into her own.   “Ian, ye have nothing to be ashamed about.    You are a warm, caring, loving man that any lass would be honoured to call her own.”

“Ye think so Emma?   Ye are not just saying that?” Ian responded, shyly smiling at her.    She was a true gem and Andrew was lucky that she was so in love with him.   He was happy that she was here she was someone that he could confide in and he enjoyed spending time with her.   She was like a breath of fresh air.

“Of course I do, Ian!  Ye will make a fine husband one day and a fine Da,” she told him grinning, patting his hand.  She turned a bit more serious now, a frown across her forehead, “Ian, have ye been in love before?”

Sighing...Ian remembered the lass that he thought he fell in love with many years ago.   “Aye, I have, once before,” he told her as he bent over to help her pick some herbs.   “She was a bonny lass, a wee lass,” he looked at her with a sad smile, “bonny she was with pale hair.”   He shrugged, looking off into the distance, clearly remembering a time long ago.   Looking back at Emma, “I courted her for a while, her Mama and Da dinna know, for when I wanted to ask for her hand, her Da told her that she was betroth to another.”

Emma’s heart was breaking for him now,”Ian, did ye not approach her Da?  Ye are the Laird’s son, surely her Da canna make a finer match for his lass?” Emma asked him as she stilled his hands from moving so that he may look up at her.