What kind of boy was she? It seemed like a dangerous question, one she couldn't possibly answer without making herself look like a simpleton. The wordless longing that had sprung into being like a flower was at war with the urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of this whole thing, and yet she didn't dare. Elspeth was likely to misunderstand that too, and then she'd really be in trouble.
"I've offended you," she said instead, and if she'd been wearing a hat she'd have removed it as a gesture of respect. "It was not my intention. I wanted only to sit with ye for a moment." Now she truly wished she had a beer, something alcoholic so she'd at least be able to explain this sudden...infatuation to herself.
"As I said, I'm not quite a gentleman, Mrs. Fry. I don't...ladies don't have the time for me."