Aeschene was proud of the achievements the lads were making and made it a point to let them know on a daily basis. According the Marisse, Raibeart would blush at the compliments while Colyne would stand taller, his smile beaming as bright as the noonday sun.
One damp and misty afternoon Marisse had gone to the kitchens to get mugs of warm cider while Aeschene sat by the fire in the gathering room. She hadn’t been alone for long when Rory came bounding down the steps.
“’Tis only me, Rory,” he announced as he approached.
Aeschene rubbed her hands together before holding them up to the fire. “How are ye this fine day?”
“Quite well,” he replied. “A letter just arrived for ye.” He placed the thick parchment in her hands.
“Me?” she asked, furrowing her brow.
Rory warmed himself by the fire. “The messenger said ’tis from yer mother.”
Worry and dread filled her stomach. Truly, she hadn’t expected her mother to write to her believing her father would have forbidden it.
“Can ye read, m’lady?” Rory asked.
She giggled softly at his question. “I do ken how to read. However, with me eyes the way they are, ’tis often difficult.”
“Would ye like me to read it to ye?”
Aeschene tucked the parchment into the pouch at her waist and politely declined his offer. “Nay, thank ye. I will ask Richard to.”
He bid her good day and quit the room, leaving Aeschene’s imagination to run rampant.
Aeschene did her best to wait patiently for her husband’s return. While he’d only been gone for the better part of a day, it felt like much longer. Most people would have remained indoors on such a blustery, rainy day as this one. But then, her husband wasn’t most people.
Intentionally, she did not tell Marisse about the letter. She worried her mother was writing to tell her that Tiberius had moved on with his life and had given his heart to someone else. That was not the type of news she wanted her friend to read. Matters of the heart needed to be handled with the utmost delicacy.
’Twas just before the evening meal when Richard finally returned home. Aeschene had been nervously pacing the floor of their bedchamber. When she heard him enter, she greeted him with a smile and a sigh of relief. “Och! I am so happy ye have returned!” she exclaimed.
Before entering the chamber, all he could think of was shedding his wet clothing, warming himself by the fire, and filling his growling stomach. He found his wife’s greeting more than just a bit odd. “What is the matter?” he asked as he sat on the small stool and began removing his boots.
Aeschene fidgeted with the pouch that hung at her waist.
After placing his boots by the fire to dry, he turned to study his wife more closely. “Aeschene?” he asked with a raised brow.
She pulled the letter from the pouch. “I received a letter from my mother today. I was wondering if ye might read it to me?”
Was this, perhaps, another way she was trying to prove herself to him? Here, read this letter from my mum to show ye I have naught to hide. ’Twas a strong possibility.
“Why?” he asked with a raised brow.
Aeschene gave him a look that questioned his intelligence. “While I ken verra well how to read, my mother is infamous for writing in a verra small hand.”
He chuckled slightly. In truth, he wanted nothing more than wash, change his clothing, and hurry downstairs to eat.
“Why did ye nae ask Marisse to read it?”
“I worry there will be news about Tiberius,” she said.
He waited for further insight but it wasn’t coming. “And that would be bad, why?”
“My brother was verra much in love with Marisse. I believe she loved him as well. If there is news that Tiberius has moved on with his life, I want her to learn it from me, not read it in a letter.
Although he was hungry, cold and tired, he found himself unable to deny her request. “Allow me to shuck out of these wet clothes, then I will read it to ye.”
“Thank ye, Richard,” she said with a smile.
As quickly as he could, he washed up in the basin and put on fresh clothes. He lit another candle and sat it on the table before taking the parchment from her hands. He took one look at the letter and realized his wife was right. ’Twas mayhap the smallest handwriting he’d ever seen. Either that, or his vision was worsening with age.
Clearing his throat, he held the letter close to his eyes and began to read.
My dearest daughter,
I am certain Marisse will be reading this letter to ye. Know that I am thankful that ye are there with my daughter, Marisse. It does give me some comfort in knowing she is not alone.
To my daughter: I hope this letter finds ye well. ’Tis the truth I miss ye and worry about ye every waking hour and pray that God is keeping ye safe.
Broswile has just announced she is with child.
“Who is Broswile?” Richard asked as he looked up from the parchment.
“My eldest brother’s wife,” Aeschene said. While she didn’t know Broswile well, thanks to her incarceration in the attics, she was still happy for her and her brother.
Richard scanned the letter for where he’d left off. “She and Darrin are quite happy. Lowrens has offered for Patrice MacGillyn. I do not think ye ken her for she is from a neighboring clan. He seems to be quite happy and looks forward to their union. They will reside here, of course, amongst us.
“Lowrens. He is one of yer brothers, aye?” Richard asked, looking up once again.
Aeschene nodded and urged him to continue.
Going back to the letter, he continued to read aloud.
Naught has been the same since ye left, my precious daughter. There are many days when I feel as though I am alone at sea with no one to talk to or confide in. Yer father does not understand my upset. But I would give anything in this world to look upon ye once again.
Richard felt as though he were interfering with an intimate moment betwixt mother and daughter. Like a spy looking in on something he shouldn’t. He swallowed hard and looked up at his wife.
She sat as still as a statue, holding on to every word. She didn’t look quite as upset as her mother felt in her letter. Yet, there was something just under the surface; something he couldn’t name.
“Is that all?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.
“I dunnae feel I should be reading this,” he began. “It is far too personal.”
A wan smile formed on her lips. “’Tis all right, Richard. There should be no secrets betwixt us. We are, after all, husband and wife.”
Had his own mother written such a letter to him, he wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to be privy to it. Still, his wife would be unable to read the letter, so he did as she asked and continued on.
I fear I must close this letter now. Yer father will return soon and he has forbidden me to write to ye. Please, do not write back as I would not want to cause him any upset.
Confusion knotted his brow. He reread the last two lines again, to make sure he’d read them correctly. “What does she mean he has forbidden her to write to ye? Ye are her daughter, for the sake of Christ!”
Aeschene startled at his harsh rebuke, even though she knew ’wasn’t her he was angry with. Her heart cracked at hearing the last few lines, but she refused to allow Richard to see her distress. “I am sure, that with time, my father’s opinion will soften.”