“Edna, he can barely form thoughts in your presence, much less words.”
“Well,” said Edna indignantly, “that hardly bodes well for getting to know him better, does it?”
Katherine laughed heartily. “And why should the course of true love run any smoother for ye than for the rest of us? A strong man who adores ye can learn to talk to ye with a little encouragement.”
“But—my lady, are ye certain? Turcuil?”
Katherine smiled and said confidently, “Edna, I am more certain of Turcuil’s affection for ye than I am of the sun rising on the morrow. Mind ye, I certainly would understand if ye aren’t interested in the man, he has his faults and it would be a challenge.”
Suddenly indignant, Edna said, “Now what on earth would make ye say that? Turcuil is a fine man whom any woman would be lucky to have.” Edna stopped her tirade when she registered the small sly smile on Lady Katherine’s face. She blushed again, laughed, and said, “Ye are a wicked lass.”
“I’m nothing of the sort,” replied Katherine, even as her face split into a very wicked grin and she continued walking toward the village.
“Well, my lady, since ye are so very certain of his affections, how do ye propose I—uh—encourage him?”
Now Katherine blushed. “Are ye honestly asking me that question? I’m hardly the expert at capturing a man’s heart. Have ye forgotten the king had to force a man to marry me? Nay, I’m just showing you where the road is, ye’ll have to find the way on your own.”
“It seems to me having captured the heart of a hard-headed man who was, as ye say, forced to marry ye, ye might be able to share some wisdom, my lady.”
Katherine smiled sadly. “Edna, I believe the laird has grown fond of me, as I have of him, but he said himself his heart was never part of the bargain. It is different for ye and Turcuil because Turcuil is prepared to offer ye his heart.”
“Fond, my lady? Ye and the laird have grown fond of each other? What was it ye said to me, ‘Anyone with eyes can see?’ Well, anyone with eyes can see there is more than fondness between the two of ye.”
Katherine wished it were true and couldn’t keep the sadness out of her voice. “I think ye are mistaken, Edna.”
They had reached the cooper’s workshop and Edna said, “With all due respect, my lady, I think ye are mistaken. Ye have captured the laird’s heart as securely as he has captured yours.” Katherine looked doubtfully at her and Edna added, “I am surer of that than I am of the sun rising on the morrow.”
Katherine laughed as she realized how happy Edna’s words made her. If Edna could tell Katherine loved Niall, perhaps Niall was growing to love her as well.
~ * ~
That evening, after Katherine’s chat with Edna, the older woman appeared to pay closer attention to Turcuil. When Turcuil entered the great hall for the evening meal, Edna wished him a good evening and asked if he would go with her to fetch a keg of ale from a storeroom. He became even more flustered than ever and blushed crimson, but as he followed her to the storeroom, Katherine noticed the small knowing smile on Edna’s face.
Later, when she and Niall had retired to their bedchamber, Niall said with a sly grin “I think Edna has finally taken notice of Turcuil. I didn’t think that would ever happen.”
Katherine stopped combing her hair. She turned to look at him, saying, “I have to confess, I, too, was convinced it wouldn’t happen, so I gave Edna a little push.”
“Katherine, what did ye do?” Niall asked, the grin on his face belying his severe tone of voice.
“Nothing that shouldn’t have been done ages ago. Although plainly obvious to everyone else, Edna herself was completely oblivious to Turcuil’s affections. I just pointed that out to her.”
“Wife, I am not sure ye should be interfering in the love lives of my men.”
“Well, that isn’t what I did, is it? Not unless you have recently made Edna a guardsman? I simply shed some light on the situation for her. What she chose to do with that newly found knowledge was completely up to her.”
Niall snorted and said, “Turcuil has no chance now.”
Katherine glared at him and said, “How long would ye like to continue this little offended act, Laird? Ye are sadly mistaken if ye think I don’t know ye yourself have been, what was the word you used? Interfering? Yes that was it, ye yourself have been ‘interfering’ in Turcuil’s love life for weeks now.”
At the look of shocked indignation on Niall’s face, Katherine arched an eyebrow and said, “Tell me ye have not assigned Turcuil to Tomas twice as often as any other guardsman.”