Page 10 of Highlander’s Captive Bride (Troubles of Highland Lasses #4)

10

O n his way back from Elodie’s chambers, Bellamy dropped by the kitchens and ordered the necessary treats for the picnic and arranged to collect them just before three o’clock that afternoon.

Then, he spent a difficult hour or so trying to allay the council’s fears about the potential repercussions of kidnapping Daisy. Donal Fiske was not a man to give up, and he wanted written assurances that all was well and that no revenge attack from the Laird of McGunn was imminent.

To buy himself some time, Bellamy once again trotted out his speech about letters being in transit and that he was merely awaiting a response from the Laird of McGunn before providing his councilmen with the assurance Donal had doggedly pressed for.

“I must say,” Jamie told him as the pair left the council room and went to the dining hall for something to eat, “I was surprised ye didnae lose yer temper with Donal, the way he kept harping on about it. The man’s like a dog with a bone.”

“Aye, he is that,” Bellamy agreed as they sat down at the head table, waiting for their food to arrive. “I’m surprised meself, to be honest. It must be the thought of taking Elodie out on this picnic this afternoon putting me in a good mood,” he added, for some unknown reason choosing to keep to himself the fact that the healer was going to accompany them.

“’Tis grand the way ye’ve turned things around with the lassie. I’ve checked in on her with Nadia from time to time, and she seems so much brighter despite her sickness,” Jamie told him approvingly. “I suppose in the long run, ye’ve got Daisy to thank for telling ye the truth about that, eh?”

Bellamy did not reply, instead taking a long sip of ale. But a sudden surge of excitement coursed through him, which he knew was not solely for the reason Jamie assumed.

“Aye, I’m enjoying getting to ken Elodie better, for sure,” he said. “I find I like spending time with her.”

“So, ye’re nae still upset that she resembles Bridie so much?” Jamie asked.

“Nay, I just try to keep in mind all the good times me and Bridie had, instead of being sad over losing her,” Bellamy replied. “After all, as ye said yerself, ’tis nae the child’s fault.”

After lunch with Jamie, since time was getting on, Bellamy retreated to his chambers to get ready for the picnic, his excitement growing apace. For some reason he could not name, this involved shaving, combing his hair, changing into a slightly smarter attire, and spending an unusual amount of time looking at his reflection in the mirror.

At ten to three, he dropped into the kitchens and picked up the large, weighty picnic basket he had ordered hours earlier. Then, at three o’clock sharp, he presented himself at Elodie’s chambers to collect her and Daisy.

* * *

Daisy could hardly believe what was happening when she found herself sitting on a blanket opposite the Laird, with Elodie seated in a cane chair between them, by the side of Loch Murdoch, on a lovely, sunny April afternoon.

“What a glorious spot,” Daisy said, looking around and admiring the gently lapping waters, the towering, fragrant pines, and the flocks of various waterfowl that flew over or bobbed en masse on the surface of the silvery loch.

She did not want to spoil things by mentioning the fact that she had not been to the loch’s edge before because she had been a virtual prisoner since her arrival at the castle.

“’Tis one of me favorite places in the whole castle,” Elodie told her with a merry smile. “I like to come and see the ducks and geese, especially when they have babies. The little ducklings are so funny. But I havenae been able to come here for a while now,” she added a little wistfully.

“When ye’re better, with summer coming, ye’ll be able to come more often, I’m sure of it,” Bellamy assured her. “Now, lass, shall we open this basket and see what we have to eat for our picnic?”

“Och, aye, let’s,” the child said with such enthusiasm that Daisy could not help but smile.

Bellamy lifted the basket lid and looked inside. His dark brows shot up as if in wonder. “Why, ’tis a veritable banquet we have in here,” he announced, lifting out plates and silverware and laying them on the blanket.

“Let me help,” Daisy volunteered, wanting to do something to occupy herself, to lessen the awkwardness she felt in his company. She began to get up, but he waved her back down.

“Nay, ladies, ye’re me guests, so I’m here to serve ye food if ye please,” he said, shooting her a warm glance. So, she sat down again, while Elodie let out a giggle.

“I must do something to help,” Daisy insisted. “I’ll set out the plates and such.” She set about laying out three plates and knives, glad for the diversion, however brief.

“Now, what do we have here to drink?” Bellamy muttered, rifling through the basket and drawing out two stone flasks and some beakers. He set them carefully alongside the plates, his fingers just brushing against Daisy’s as she was laying down a plate.

As they touched, a tingling sensation shot up her arm like lightning, and she snatched her hand back.

Startled, she looked up, and their eyes met. The surprise evident in his she was sure must match her own, telling her he had felt something, too. She looked away, her heart fluttering. From then on, she made sure to keep her hands in her lap, so it did not happen again.

“One of these has milk for ye, Elodie, and one I think has…” He paused, opening one of the flasks and sniffing its contents. “Wine. That’s for the grownups. Now, lass, hold these beakers, and I’ll pour.”

Moments later, Daisy was holding a brimming beaker of red wine and sipping it, to prevent it from spilling on her skirts. It was wonderfully fruity and refreshing.

“Slàinte mhath, Daisy,” Elodie said, holding out her beaker of milk to Daisy, who repeated the toast and carefully clinked beakers with the child.

The little girl did the same with her father, who then held his own beaker of wine out to Daisy. To avoid disappointing Elodie, Daisy was forced to make the same toast with him.

“Slàinte mhath, Daisy,” Bellamy said softly, his sparkling gray eyes fixed on hers as she clinked her beaker with his and echoed his words. But she broke her gaze quickly, making sure their fingers did not touch.

Daisy was able to relax somewhat while Bellamy unpacked the provisions for their picnic, each oilpaper-wrapped package drawing gasps of glee from Elodie. However, Daisy could not help noticing that it was a simple, plain fare. There were roasted chicken legs, slices of baked ham, boiled eggs, bread and cheese, oatcakes, and the like, as well as some biscuits and small sponge cakes.

She silently approved of the choices, concluding that someone, either Bellamy himself or perhaps Poppy, had made sure to include foods that Elodie would, hopefully, be able to eat without becoming sick.

As they ate and the afternoon wore on, the warmth of the sun, the food, and the wine helped to make Daisy feel more at ease. Despite her mixed feelings about Bellamy, she had to admit he was an entertaining host, amusing Elodie with funny stories about her ancestors and tales of Highland legends.

After a while, she forgot how she had come to be at Castle Murdoch and began laughing at his stories as well, even joining in and adding her own stories from her childhood at Castle McGunn, eager to hear Elodie’s laughter. And when Bellamy laughed, too, or complimented her on her storytelling, a secret part of her glowed with pleasure.

After two beakers full of wine, she leaned comfortably on a cushion on her elbow, holding his gaze and conversing with him without a second thought, her guard completely down. When Elodie began asking her questions about how she had become a healer, she answered them openly, not caring if Bellamy was listening attentively.

“Even when I was just a wee girl, I was always fascinated by how our healer at the castle made sick people well. I thought it was a kind of magic. I used to go out with her with me wee basket and collect weeds, pretending they were the same herbs she was gathering. Then, I would make ‘medicines’ for me dolls. Those poor dollies were always sick, the poor things!”

“And what did ye do, then?” Bellamy asked with interest. “Did ye have to study to learn more?”

“Aye, but I had a library full of me faither’s books to read, and I used to get him to buy me books on herbs and healing and such like. I’d study them for hours, making notes, even under the covers in bed when I was supposed to be sleeping. I got told off many a time for that,” Daisy said, laughing wistfully at the memory.

“That’s quite a strange pastime for a laird’s daughter,” he murmured, gazing at her curiously.

“Aye. Ye dinnae ken how many times I’ve heard that in me life. Being a girl and a laird’s daughter, well, hardly anybody approved of it, of course. But I kept on just the same. After a while, me family saw I was serious and began to encourage me.”

At that moment, they heard a little snuffling snore, and they both looked at Elodie. The child had dozed off, her little face tranquil. They looked at each other and smiled indulgently.

As they held each other’s gaze, Daisy saw something in his eyes that immediately set off the now-familiar fluttering in her chest. Suddenly, the tension that always seemed to arise whenever they were alone was almost palpable. His look seemed both speculative and heated at the same time, and it made a delicious shiver run down her spine.

“Shall we take a wee stroll by the loch’s edge?” Bellamy asked, his eyes still fixed on hers, a slight curve to his lips.

“That would be nice. I should like to see it properly,” Daisy found herself saying, wondering where the words had come from as she admired the way the sunlight lit up the threads of copper in his long, dark hair as a few stray locks fell across his forehead.

She had never noticed them before, and all of a sudden, her hands itched to untie the leather thong that held his hair atop his head and watch as the dark mass fell around his shoulders, then run her fingers through it.

Bellamy rose to his feet, blocking out the sun as he towered over her and offered her his hand. Without a second thought, now completely at ease in his company, she reached up and took it. As he enfolded her hand in his large, rough palm and gently pulled her up beside him, a tingling sensation shot up her arm, making her tremble with excitement.

He casually tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow, and where their bodies touched, it was as though a fire was burning her, even through their clothes, with the heat coming off him invading her entire body.

As they walked slowly side by side down to the water’s edge and stopped to gaze out over the sparkling loch, Daisy felt herself falling under a spell that she did not wish to escape from.

“What an amazing place to grow up,” she mused. “It’s so beautiful here.”

“Aye, it is. But I’ve always lived here, so I suppose ye could say I take all this for granted sometimes.”

“I think that’s the same for us all, is it nae? When ye’re a bairn, ye spend a lot of time outside playing and such like. But then, ye have to grow up, and other more important things start to occupy yer time. Before ye ken it, ye forget that freedom. ’Tis a shame, I often think.

“But being a healer, I’m lucky because I need me herbs and ingredients for the medicines I make, so I often go out at dawn with me basket to forage for them. That’s the best time o’ day, I find, when naebody’s about to bother ye.”

She turned and looked up at him. He was gazing down at her intently, smiling, with warmth in his eyes. Helplessly, her pulse beginning to race, she smiled back, fascinated by the way the sunlight cast golden sparkles into his deep gray orbs, and the way his long, dark lashes cast shadows on his cheeks when he lowered them.

His eyes are beautiful.

“Shall we walk along the shore a bit further?” he asked, and she nodded. “Ye didnae finish telling me how ye became such a famous healer,” he added as they began a slow stroll along the loch’s edge.

“Oh. Um, well, let me see. So, I studied me books and learned all I could. But, of course, what I needed was practice. So, as I told ye, I used to plague poor old Macie, our healer. As I grew older, I spent more and more time with her, helping her with patients, and getting her to teach me everything she could. She was a dear, old soul, and she never begrudged me a moment of her time. She was so patient,” she told him. “I miss her.”

“But why did ye nae stay at home and serve yer clan as castle healer?” he asked.

Daisy sighed. “Oh, that. Well, ’tis a long story.” She glanced behind them and saw that Elodie was still dozing. “I suppose I can tell ye, now that we’re alone.” She took a deep breath, her mind traveling back to that terrible time. “Ye see, a few years ago, the laird of a neighboring clan by the name of Keegan Farlane plotted to destroy our clan.

“The thing was, naebody had a clue what he was planning. He pretended to be our friend and ally, and me faither trusted him completely. But it turned out that behind everyone’s backs, he was staging attacks on our villages and those of an enemy clan, the O’Reids, that shared a border with us.

“But at the beginning, we didnae ken they were being attacked, too. And naebody kenned who was behind these attacks. Me faither was blaming O’Reid, for everything seemed to point at him being responsible for the attacks, and a clan war seemed inevitable. But then, with all this going on, out of the blue, Laird O’Reid came to our castle and asked for me sister Delilah’s hand.”

“What on earth prompted him to do a foolish thing like that, being yer faither’s enemy and all?” Bellamy asked in obvious amazement. “Did yer faither nae kill him?”

Daisy shook her head. “He would have liked to, but Keegan Farlane vouched for Evan when he proposed marriage with Delilah as the basis of a peace treaty between the two clans, putting a stop to the war.”

“Did yer faither nae refuse?”

“He did, but it was more complicated than that. Ye see, the year before, Faither had arranged for her to wed the Laird of Rottrich. The day of the ceremony came. Everything was ready. The groom, all the family, the guests, and the minister were all waiting for her in the chapel. But she didnae come.

“The hours ticked by, and Faither got angrier by the minute, and so did William, the groom. Everyone went to search for her, but she couldnae be found. It turned out she’d taken a horse and run away, jilting William at the altar.”

Bellamy gave a surprised chuckle. “Did she, by God?! What happened after that?”

“It wasnae funny at the time,” Daisy told him, smiling at the memory. “Well, ye can imagine there was a big argument between Faither and William, who rightly complained he’d been cheated out of a bride. So, they agreed on the only compromise available.”

“And what was that?” Bellamy asked, clearly fascinated by the tale.

“Poor Dakota had to put on the wedding dress meant for Delilah and marry the Laird of Rottrich in her stead, of course. Thankfully, I was too young at the time.”

“Aye, thankfully,” he agreed, flashing her a smile that made her heart skip. “But poor Dakota, eh?”

Daisy shook her head. “Och, no, for it turned out she and William got on really well, and they’re very happy. They have three lovely bairns. William always teases Delilah about it now, saying he had a lucky escape. At any rate, that was how me sister Delilah came to be kenned as the runaway bride.”

Bellamy laughed outright. “Did she, indeed? The lass has spirit, I’ll say that. I’m nae surprised ye’re sisters! It must run in the family. So, tell me, how does all this fit with ye leaving home as a healer?”

“Well, ye can understand that after that fiasco, none of the eligible lairds wanted to marry her, and me faither was furious about the way she’d embarrassed him,” Daisy went on. “To add insult to injury, in Faither’s eyes at least, Laird O’Reid arrived with his proposal right in the middle of a big cèilidh he’d organized. He’d invited every eligible laird within miles, telling Delilah she had to pick one of them as a husband that day, or else.”

“But none of them would have her?” Bellamy prompted.

“Aye, it was a disaster, so he was even more furious with her then. And when Laird O’Reid arrived, asking for her hand and a peace treaty, Faither would have killed him, but Keegan, me braither Dominic, and all of Faither’s advisors prevented it. They wanted peace. Ye can imagine it was a big surprise to us all when, after everything she’d said and done, Delilah insisted on marrying Evan. We thought Faither’s heart would burst with rage!”

“Was Delilah doing it to spite yer faither?”

“Well, she admitted to me later that she was so sick of him trying to force her to marry, for she didnae want to marry at all back then, and before we fell out with the O’Reids, Evan’s faither and ours had been good friends. Delilah and Evan had kind of grown up together before the fallout. Are ye keeping up with all this?”

Bellamy nodded. “Aye. ’Tis fascinating.”

“Anyway, it turned out that Delilah and Evan had made a secret pact for a pretend betrothal.”

Bellamy laughed. “Ach! I see. If they were betrothed, it would get yer faither off her back, and O’Reid would get his peace treaty.”

“Exactly. But at the time, everyone thought the betrothal was real.”

“So, where does this Keegan Farlane fit into all this?”

“Delilah went to stay with Evan at Castle O’Reid as his betrothed. I suppose over time, they got close, and with her help, Evan finally managed to work out what Keegan was up to—that he planned to attack Castle McGunn, kill us all, and take over the clan.”

“The bastard! The man must have been mad,” Bellamy exclaimed.

“He lusted for power, it seemed. Anyway, let me finish telling ye the story. So, when Evan realized Keegan was going to attack me clan, he sent messengers and rode with his men as fast as he could to tell me faither.”

“Did he get there in time?”

“The attack had been going on for some time when he got there, and Keegan’s men had killed many of our people. The castle was on fire—”

Bellamy surprised her by suddenly taking hold of her shoulders and looking down intently at her. “And where were ye during the attack? Were ye still in the castle?” He sounded worried.

She nodded, the memory making her feel suddenly cold. “Aye, they took us by surprise and overran the castle very quickly. I didnae ken where Faither and Dominic were, but I hoped they were alive and fighting.” She stopped then, almost unable to continue.

Bellamy squeezed her shoulders. “Ye dinnae have to go on if ye dinnae want to,” he told her gently.

But something inside her compelled her to continue. She found she wanted him to know.

“Let me tell ye everything,” she said, trying to compose herself.

“All right. If ye’re sure.”

“The castle was burning all around me, and I hid in me chambers for a while, but then, some of Keegan’s men came and dragged me out into the courtyard.” She took a deep, steadying breath. “I saw me faither there, fighting with Keegan. Keegan was taunting him, and eventually, he… he managed to wound Faither in the belly.” She paused again, not realizing she had placed her hand over Bellamy’s as if seeking comfort. “Faither tried to keep on fighting, but I knew at once he was mortally wounded.”

The past was playing out before her eyes as she spoke.

“Ach, I’m so sorry, Daisy, that must have been terrible for ye to see,” Bellamy said, his deep voice gentle.

“Aye, it was. Then it all got confusing. I broke away from Keegan’s men and ran towards Faither, but all of a sudden, me sister Delilah was there, too, right next to me. I couldnae understand how she came to be there, and then the whole place was overrun by more soldiers—O’Reid men. It was Evan, come to help us. Then, Keegan attacked Faither again. He… he ran him through with his blade, Bellamy, right through.”

She stared up at Bellamy then, deep into his eyes, implicitly knowing he would understand the scene she was trying to convey. He put an arm around her shoulders and held her gently. The warmth and comfort it gave her encouraged her to go on.

“Faither collapsed, me and Delilah were screaming, holding him as he lay there, bleeding. I tried to help him, to staunch the blood, but for all me knowledge of healing, I could do naething, naething. I kept looking around for Dominic, but I couldnae see him anywhere, and I started to believe he must have been killed, too.”

A small sob escaped her lips then. Bellamy tightened his hold on her.

“But all of a sudden, he appeared, staggering towards us, his face all burned. Me heart dropped. He was so badly injured, I kenned he couldnae fight, and that Keegan would kill him, too.”

Her heart was pounding now, recalling that dreadful moment.

“But then, a miracle happened. For just as Keegan was coming to finish Faither off, Evan just kind of bolted out of nowhere and crashed into him, knocking him to the ground. They fought, and thank God—” She paused, clenching her fists as she recalled the moment she had known they had been saved. “Evan stabbed him in the heart and finished him off for good. And good riddance to him.”

Bellamy was still holding her comfortingly as she finished the worst part of her story. “I wish ye hadnae had to go through that, Daisy. What a terrible thing for ye to witness, and to lose yer faither in such a manner,” he told her.

“Aye, but I havenae finished yet. I havenae answered yer question,” she replied.

“All right,” he said hesitantly.

“I still have to tell ye what happened afterwards with me and Dominic.”

“Aye, I’m listening, lass.”

“We found out afterwards that Evan had found Dominic unconscious inside the castle, with half his face all burned. Evan was the one who saved his life by carrying him outside into the courtyard. That was when Evan saw Keegan, with Faither wounded on the ground.

“While he was preparing to launch a surprise attack on Keegan, knowing we would be next if he did not stop him, Dominic regained his wits and stumbled over to me and Delilah. He was holding Faither in his arms as he died, just when Evan appeared out of nowhere and killed Keegan.

“After that, I tried everything I knew to heal Dominic’s burns. It became a sort of obsession to me, though I didnae realize it at the time. For the next four years or so, it was what occupied most of me thoughts. I suppose it was me way of trying to forget what had happened with Faither.

“But I didnae realize it was driving Dominic mad, me fussing over him all the time. I forgot he was the Laird, and I was forever telling him what he should and shouldnae do. I was so hurt when he finally told me I had to leave the castle, but he wouldnae tell me why. I thought he hated me, Bellamy.”

“Of course, he didnae hate ye! But I think I can understand why he wanted ye to leave.”

“Aye, he told me so later. But at the time, I really thought he wanted to get rid of me because I brought back bad memories or something,” Daisy murmured, feeling a twinge of the old pain in her heart. “And when I refused, he tried to force me out by bringing in another healer to treat him. Who happened to be—”

“Violet,” Bellamy supplied.

Daisy looked up at him, amazed by his perceptiveness. “That’s right, Violet. I was angry at first, but Violet was so sweet, I couldnae be angry with her for so long. We soon became friends, and we got into trouble with Dominic when she agreed to have me as her apprentice, for she is a great healer herself, and I wanted her to teach me everything she knew. But he still wanted me to go.”

“So, what happened to make ye leave in the end?”

Daisy gave a small laugh, thinking of her sister-in-law. “Violet, again. She taught me lots, but maybe the most important thing I learned from her is that to become really great, a healer needs to keep on learning. And that means going out and meeting other healers and learning from them, too.

“That was when I decided to go and stay with me other sister, Dakota, Lady Rottrich, and get her healer to teach me all she knew as well.” She looked up at him, able to smile now. “And ye ken the rest.”

“That is some tale. Now I understand why Violet means so much to ye and why it’s so important to ye to get home to help her.” Bellamy took her chin gently in his fingers and tilted it up so she looked into his eyes. “Thank ye for sharing all this with me, Daisy, when ye didnae have to tell me anything. I feel bad for kidnapping ye the way I did and keeping ye from Violet for so long,” he admitted with sorrow in his eyes. “But I cannae ask ye to forgive me, for I’d so the same in a heartbeat to save Elodie.”

“Aye, I ken. Still, ’tis a great pity we cannae turn back the clock on that,” Daisy said with regret for the men who had died protecting her, while at the same time feeling somehow lighter for having told him about her past.

She felt a strange urge to comfort him as he had comforted her.

“But ’tis worth remembering that Fergus ordered the attack on yer men first. Maybe if we had been able to talk a bit more, and ye had had the chance to tell me about Elodie, I would have come with ye of me own free will.”

“Aye,” he agreed with a small smile that spoke of gratitude.

“So, now ye ken how I became the great healer everyone says I am, though I’m nae so sure of it meself,” she said finally.

“Ye’ve certainly been devoted to yer art,” Bellamy observed, and Daisy warmed to hear the admiration in his voice.

She laughed lightly. “Ye dinnae think me a witch, then, with all me special healing powers?” she asked jokingly. “’Tis what many folks think, though they’re only too eager for me to cure them when they’re poorly.”

He nodded. “Aye, I suppose that’s the case. Folks are superstitious,” he said, tightening his hold on her arm as they navigated a small rocky outcrop. “But nae, I dinnae think ye’re a witch, though ye have many powers to heal. For one thing, witches are supposed to be ugly, old crones, with warts on their noses, are they nae?”

Daisy laughed at that, feeling lighter of heart than she had since leaving Castle Rottrich.

“Now, if that’s true,” he added matter-of-factly, “ye cannae be a witch, for ye’re far too bonny.”

Daisy’s pulse quickened further, and a warm thrill shot up her spine as his words sank in. She found she could not resist responding.

She stopped, so he had to stop, too. She looked up at him. “Are ye trying to butter me up with yer compliments?” she asked, knowing she was being flirtatious but quite unable to stop herself.

“Why d’ye ask? Do I need to butter ye up?” Bellamy asked back, gazing down at her with a lazy grin on his face.

As his gaze dwelled intensely upon her, Daisy’s eyes wandered admiringly over the curve of his cheekbones and the firmness of his lips. She suddenly felt far hotter than the warm day justified.

“D’ye nae like me compliments?” Bellamy added, his voice soft and enticing. His warm breath fanned against her skin as he moved closer and raised his hand, gently brushing the back of one finger across her cheek.

The tiny touch was electric, knocking the breath out of her and making her whole body sing like the plucked string of a fiddle.

As if he had put a match to oil, the flame inside her which he had lit with his kisses leaped to life again, flaring hotly in her belly. Daisy suddenly wanted so badly to feel his lips on hers again. She leaned towards him, rising on tiptoe, while Bellamy bent his head, clearly with the same idea in mind.

“Da! Daisy!” came the sudden call.

In one swift movement, they instantly straightened and moved apart.

“She’s awake,” Bellamy murmured hoarsely, turning to look behind them.

“Aye,” Daisy breathed, the fire in her belly dying down as she followed suit.

Elodie was waving at them merrily from her chair.

Daisy waved back with as much cheer as she could muster, unable to help the disappointment welling within her. The sudden interruption had brought her back to herself somewhat. It was almost as if she had woken up from a dream herself—an impossible dream.

“Let’s go back,” she murmured.

They returned to Elodie’s side, and the three of them spent another pleasant hour or so polishing off the food and drink. By the time they finished, Daisy felt a little tipsy again.

“Ye’ve done well today, lass,” Bellamy told Elodie as he and Daisy began packing things away into the basket in a leisurely fashion. “Ye’ve eaten well, and ye havenae been sick. How are ye feeling, eh? D’ye think our picnic has done ye some good?”

Elodie nodded enthusiastically and beamed at him and Daisy. “Aye, I do feel better, Da. I havenae felt sick all day,” she told them.

“That’s wonderful, Elodie,” Daisy said, her heart warmed by what seemed, at face value, to be good news.

It occurred to her that the sickness, whatever it was, might be something temporary, that it would eventually burn itself out, so that Elodie would recover by herself. It was unlikely in her experience, but she supposed it was possible.

Bellamy was pleased, too, she could tell by his smile and the relief in his eyes.

“Well, Daisy was right, after all, was she nae? She said the sunshine would do ye good, and look at the roses in yer cheeks now,” he told his daughter in a cheerful tone, shooting a glance at Daisy.

However, Daisy suspected he said that only to encourage the child. She thought it likely he felt the same as her about it because, in truth, Elodie had no roses in her cheeks. She was as parchment pale as ever, despite her evident happiness.

And despite Bellamy’s cheery demeanor, Daisy could see the telltale lines of strain around his eyes when he looked at his daughter. It was clear to her that he, like her, was hoping against hope that Elodie would simply get better by herself.

That only reinforced Daisy’s determination to find out what the problem was and then cure it.

“Well, lassie, it’s been a lovely afternoon, but I’m sorry to say it’s time we go back,” Bellamy said, regret in his voice. “It willnae be long before yer bedtime.”

“Hmm, I suppose so,” Elodie replied. “But we can do it again soon, can we nae, Da? It’s been so lovely. I wish I was well enough to paddle in the loch.”

“Of course, we can,” Bellamy promised, scooping her up in his arms. “Ye’ll be paddling in the loch in nae time,” he added as her little arms wrapped around his neck. She laid her head trustingly on his chest.

Daisy felt a lump in her throat, for she was greatly touched by the sight. With a sigh, she bent to pick up the picnic basket.

“Nay, it’s too heavy for ye,” Bellamy told her kindly. “Leave it, I’ll send someone back for it later.”

“All right,” she replied, grateful, for she knew the basket was heavy and had wondered if she was up to carrying it all the way back to the kitchens.

“Away, then, bonny lass,” Bellamy said, and the trio set off together, meandering up the grassy incline towards the castle, bathed in the late afternoon sunshine.

Elodie entertained them all the way by singing a jolly, little nonsense song that made both adults laugh as she rode along in her father’s arms.