Chapter 9 #2
“I haven’t,” Sophia said.
“Nor I,” the youngest lass said.
The other young woman remained suspiciously silent. “Have you seen him?” Tina asked when the woman looked her way.
“Bethia, answer the lass,” Mary scolded and then to Tina, “She’s a wee bit shy.”
“I havenae,” she said then turned back to her work.
“Sorry we couldn’t be more help,” Mary gave her a sad smile then turned back to the stove.
So much for getting any info on Donal. Why couldn’t she simply forget about him? It was obvious he wasn’t the one for her. She finished her tea and bread, thanked Mary and headed back to her room.
Just as she was about to head upstairs, Ashley appeared. “How was your date?” she asked, her voice bubbling with excitement.
“Is that what it was?” Tina asked. She had to laugh at Ashley’s eagerness.
“You know it was. Tell me all about it.” She grabbed Tina’s arm and yanked her into the great hall where they sat across from each other at one of the dining tables.
“Nothing exciting happened. They’re both nice. Marcas doesn’t seem interested in leaving Breaghacraig, so I think that rules him out. Jock is cute, but I don’t know. I didn’t feel any spark.”
“And Tam?”
“Oh, I don’t feel like I really had a chance to talk to him with all the commotion last night.”
“I know! I can’t believe Donal did that. Have you seen him today?”
“No. I was wondering if you had.”
“He’s probably embarrassed.” Then she shook her head, “No. What am I saying? He’s never embarrassed by any of the crazy things he does around here.”
“You really don’t care for him, do you? Why?”
Ashley became thoughtful at that, “I do like him, but I just don’t think he’s right for you.
” She paused, obviously weighing her words.
“Living here is a bit like living in a small town. Everyone knows each other’s business.
Or they think they know, but in actual fact it’s all just stuff that you hear.
So, I’ve heard things about Donal being irresponsible and thoughtless.
Not mean or cruel, just not the kind of guy I would have been friends with back home. ”
“Unfortunately, he feels that. He thinks no one around here likes him. Not you, or Jenna or anyone else for that matter.”
“Really? The men like him, I think.” Ashley’s brow furrowed as she thought.
“I mean, I’ve asked Cailin about him, but the guys never gossip about each other.
It’s not good for morale. They have to depend on each other when they’re in the heat of battle, so they’d never say anything. They are very loyal to each other.”
“I feel bad for him,” Tina said.
“I wouldn’t worry about Donal. He’s a big boy. He can fend for himself.”
“I’m not worried, but he’s got a huge responsibility now that Elena’s here.”
“Responsibility has never been his strong suit, from what I’ve heard, but who knows maybe she’s just what he needs to find it.”
“I hope so.”
“Let’s not talk about him anymore. I think we should set up a date for you and Tam. What do you think?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’m done. Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“Don’t say that. Edna wouldn’t have sent you if she didn’t have something in mind. It’ll happen, you’ll see.”
***
Tina sat in front of the hearth in her room wondering why she couldn’t get Donal off her mind. Ashley was right. He wasn’t the one for her, but none of the other men were either. She stared into the flames and tried to clear her mind of anything to do with meeting her match.
“Tina?” Edna’s voice came from the fire, just as Wallace said it did.
Tina sat bolt upright, not saying a word. The room felt different, like it was filled with static electricity.
“I know yer there, lass. I can see ye.”
“You can?” Tina peered into the fire thinking she’d see Edna’s face, but all she saw were the flames.
“Yes. Now, I know yer having some doubts about our Donal.”
Tina felt a weight lift from her, “So, he is the one you wanted me to meet.”
“He is and he’s perfect for ye.”
“I don’t know about that.” Tina wished she felt as confident as Edna sounded.
“Ye don’t have to know, ye just have to feel. How do ye feel about him?”
Tina put her logic in her back pocket and thought about what Edna said. “I like him.”
“And?”
“And nothing.” Edna remained quiet and as the silence stretched, Tina had to admit to herself that wasn’t true. “He makes me feel butterflies, which I haven’t felt since my high school days. And that was a long time ago.”
When Edna spoke again, her voice was gentle and encouraging. “Give him a chance. Ye believed in me enough to let me send ye back there, now believe that I ken what I’m doing.”
Tina found herself wanting to believe in Edna.
She thought back to her excitement about traveling to the past, about the looks of love she had seen between Hamish and Elle, Ashley and Cailin, and the others Edna had matched.
She wanted that, she really did, so she needed to treat this like her other projects.
She needed to see this through the tough times.
“I’ll try. Ashley and Jenna keep trying to set me up with other men. ”
“I know. They’re not for ye. Tell Ashley not to worry, I’ll find someone else for them,” Edna said. “Ye need someone who’d be willing to come back to yer own time with ye.”
“True.” That was an absolute fact because there was no way she was staying in this time.
“Donal is the one,” Edna’s reassuring voice was telling her exactly what she’d needed to hear.
Well that was one big question answered for her. It wasn’t her only hesitation, though. “I’m worried about his temper. It frightened me.”
“I’m not excusing his outburst, but ye need to remember that he didn’t hurt Marcas. The warriors fight and spar under friendly conditions all the time and that can look violent when ye aren’t used to it. He let his jealousy get the better of him last night and he feels ashamed fer it.”
“You know about that?” Tina couldn’t even begin to wrap her brain around how that was possible.
“I know more than ye think I do. Now, what he did was wrong, but he knows it and he won’t do it again. At least I hope he won’t.”
Tina threw her hands in the air, “That’s not terribly reassuring, Edna.”
“This is all new to him. He’s never been in love before.”
“He’s in love with me?” Tina was shocked to hear this. They’d only known each other a few days, but she’d managed to develop strong feelings for him pretty quickly. One thing she was sure of was that it wasn’t love. Not yet.
“I believe so. If not, it’s only a matter of time.”
“But, I thought he was using me. He told Jock and Marcas he just wanted me to raise his daughter.”
“Ye met him on a verra challenging day, ye must admit. He wasnae thinking straight. Yes, he may have seen ye as an answer to his childcare problem in that moment, but relationships can evolve. No one would react the way he did over losing a nanny. He was afraid of losing something much more important, someone he really cares about.”
She clutched her belly. The butterflies were back along with a strange sensation she hadn’t had about a guy in a long time. Hope.
“Now, promise me ye’ll give him a chance and tell Ashley I said that she needs to stop trying to do my job. She’s nae a matchmaker.”
“I’ll tell her before she sets up another date with Tam.”
“Good. Say hello to everyone for me.”
“I will.”
The charged atmosphere in the room changed and Tina knew she was alone again. Her doubts about Donal were still there, but she trusted Edna and she was willing to do as she had asked. She’d give him another chance. She was more determined than ever to find him now.
***
Avoiding Tina wasn’t the best plan, but Donal was embarrassed by his recent behavior with Marcas.
He hadn’t seen her since the embarrassing incident in the great hall, but he was aware that she’d spent some time yesterday with Marcas and Jock.
It bothered him more than he wished to admit, but he could understand it.
He’d seen the horrified look on her face when he’d gone after Marcas and was sure she now thought of him as the brute he truly was.
He would apologize to her when he saw her, but that would be it.
He would no longer delude himself with the thought that she might be the one for him.
The one woman he never believed existed, before he met her.
His heart had been battered and he didn’t know what was going to become of him.
Finding out about Elena had been a shock, but he wanted to be the da she deserved.
He had never expected to fall for a woman and now that he had messed that up he didn’t know how to search for a mother.
He certainly didn’t deserve a good woman in his life, even though Elena did.