Scottish Destiny

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

For the past several days, Ian sat hidden behind the thicket of trees and watched every morning as Fiona peered out of her cottage door to see what he had left for them.  Today was different though, today he left both of them two new gowns to wear.   He left them food as well, but he had gone into the village to seek out the help of Gillian to sew a couple of new gowns for the both of them.   Nothing fancy he told Gillian for he knew that Jenny wouldn't like that, just some day gowns for the two of them.  He just hoped that Jenny would accept them as she had been accepting his tokens each and every morning.

Ian laughed to himself because she always came out of the cottage looking for him but he didn't want to let her know where he was just yet.   He was silently wooing her and the smile on her face every day told Ian that he knew that he was going to win this battle.

Today though, he would make his presence known.

She wouldn't look at him, Ian noticed.   Her hair fluttered in the breeze, her soft curls back once again as the first day Ian saw her.   Colour in her cheeks, the gauntness of her face gone now, replaced with a rosy complexion.  Even her green eyes, vibrant they were now as the first time they captivated Ian into trance.   He didn't see sorrow or anger in her eyes now, now they were filled with uncertainty, with perhaps even hope?

Ian had shown up at her cottage around midday with a basket full of food and his niece.   He knew it was wrong of him to use Roslyn as a pawn to get Jenny to agree to the picnic lunch, but he would do anything to get Jenny, anything to break the shell that she has surrounded her heart with.   He knew that Fiona would love to play with Roslyn and Roslyn had been asking him to play with Fiona again.

"Ye are quiet," Ian stated watching as Jenny stared off in the direction of the girls.   They were in their chemises, frolicking in the shallow water.   Jenny and Fiona both were wearing one of their new gowns that Ian had given to them, he was very pleased that they were wearing them when he stopped by their cottage.  They both looked lovely.  They ate in silence, except for the two girls who had non-stop chatter between the two of them.   Ian noticed that Jenny ate very little, but he wasn't worried, he just assumed that she was nervous.

"Aye," Jenny whispered out without turning towards Ian.  

"Something wrong?" Ian asked concerned that she seemed so far away.  He shifted a little closer to her now and took one of her hands that she had been holding in a tight fist on her lap.   He opened her palm and was softly rubbing circles to try and ease away some of her tension.

She peered up at him through long lashes and eyes filled with unshed tears.   "Do I make ye uncomfortable?" Ian asked her now, tugging on her hand to make her look up at him in his eyes.   She just shook her head in response and looked back over to where the girls were playing.   The McKenna guards were not too far away and Ian knew they were looking out for both of the girls.  Ian made sure that the guards knew that Fiona would be treated as they treated Roslyn.

"Are ye no happy with the gowns Jenny?" Ian said desperate to get her attention.   He knew that she was because she wouldn't have worn one if she wasn't.   He just needed her to open up to him, to start talking, telling him what she was feeling.

"Nae Ian," Jenny replied quickly turning back to him.  "The gowns are lovely, thank ye for them."   

"What has upset ye so?" Ian still questioned her.   The blood in his veins rain cold now, the thought of Hugh seeking out Jenny made Ian want to kill him.    Ian had gone back to speak with Hugh, if Ian found out that Hugh told anyone about what was going on between him and Jenny, Hugh would be breathing his last breath when Ian found out.