Page 14 of Highlander’s Captive Bride (Troubles of Highland Lasses #4)

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J amie leaped from his seat and faced Bellamy, his mouth open, his eyes wide with shock. “Ye’re nae jesting with me? Because if ye are, ’tis a bad joke,” he said.

Bellamy shook his head again. “I only wish I was jesting. But it’s all true. Someone’s been poisoning the wee lassie all this time. She hasnae been sick at all. And they’ve almost killed her.”

“By the Wee Man!” Jamie exclaimed, sitting down again, his elbows on his knees. He turned his head to Bellamy. “But who, Bel? Why?”

“I cannae answer the first question, although I intend to find out. As to the second, can ye nae work that out for yerself?”

“Someone who has a score to settle with ye and used Elodie to get to ye,” Jamie said.

“Correct.”

Jamie was quiet for several moments. “Well, ’tis still good news that Elodie is going to be well again,” he said eventually. “What are ye goin’ to do about the culprit, then?”

“That’s what I’ve come to speak to ye about. Do ye have any clue who it might be? Have ye noticed anything when ye’ve been about the castle or visiting Elodie?”

Jamie shook his head. “Nay, but then, ye’re nae looking out for such a thing, are ye? It could be anyone.”

“Who hates me the most?”

“The Pearson family and Clan McGowan. That’s all I can think of.”

“But they’re all dead. We ken that because we wiped them all out ourselves for what Lachlan did to Bridie. Nay.” Bellamy sighed, putting his hands on his knees. “It cannae be them. It must be someone else.”

“Well, I cannae think of anyone else who hates ye. Yer reputation’s solid everywhere else, and we’re on good terms with most of the clans,” Jamie said, sounding puzzled.

“What matters is that someone within me castle has been poisoning me daughter. If I can find them, I can find out who’s behind it and deal with them.”

Bellamy then proceeded to tell Jamie what had happened the night before when Elodie had suffered the worst seizure yet, and how the particular characteristics of the convulsions had given away its cause to Daisy. Following that, he outlined the plan he had already set in motion.

“So, I want ye to keep a close eye out for Elodie, Jamie. Watch what’s going on around her chambers, see if anyone’s up to anything fishy. Ye ken what I mean,” Bellamy finished.

“Aye, of course. I wouldnae like to be this poisoner when ye catch them, whoever the bastard is.”

“They’ll beg to die by the time I’m finished with them,” Bellamy promised with a savage twist of his lips. “There’s something else I want to discuss with ye.”

“Oh?”

“Aye. It’s about Daisy. She’s been so good to me and Elodie. She’s done everything I demanded of her, despite the fact that I kidnapped her. And she’s worked tirelessly to find out the cause of the sickness. What I’m saying is, I trust her completely, just as I trust ye. She has even agreed to stay on, to help me smoke out the poisoner, even though I swore to set her free once she had diagnosed Elodie.”

“That’s good of her, for certain,” Jamie remarked. “Seems she has lived up to her reputation as a great healer, so yer efforts were worth it, in the end.”

“She has cared for the wee lassie as if she’s her own, Jamie, I tell ye. And that’s why I’m wondering if I should come clean with her and tell her the truth about Elodie.”

Jamie looked at him with a mixture of interest and surprise. “What? Ye mean to tell her that the lass isnae yer daughter but yer niece? But why would ye do that? Ye say ye trust her, but how well do ye really ken her, Bel? Once she leaves the castle, she could tell anyone that Elodie is Lachlan Pearson’s daughter and a McGowan. That could bring the McGowans’ enemies crawling out of the woodwork as well as yer own. It could put Elodie in danger,” he warned.

“I ken her well enough to be certain that if I told her a secret, I could trust her to keep it,” Bellamy asserted.

“Well, if ye’re sure, and ye think there’s a good reason for her to ken, then go ahead and tell her.”

“I havenae made me decision yet. I just said I’m considering it, what with all she has done for us. I just feel I owe her something more than the usual lies. I mean, for the future.”

Jamie turned his head sharply and stared hard at Bellamy. “The future? What the devil are ye on about, man? What future?”

But all Bellamy could say in reply was, “Well, sometimes, what ye think will happen disnae quite turn out the way ye thought it would. And ye have to change yer plans.”

Jamie gave him a blank look.

Frustrated, Bellamy shook his head. “Ach, never mind. ’Tis nae important. But I’ve made up me mind to do something to show me gratitude to Daisy,” he finished, wishing he could find the words to express what he was feeling.

But the truth was, as he silently admitted, he was not sure exactly what that was.

“Aye, ye should take the lass out somewhere, buy her a present,” Jamie suggested. “But before ye do that, can we please get something to eat? I really am starving.”

“All right. Come on then, let’s go,” Bellamy replied with a sigh. “I ken I’ll get nae sense out of ye until yer belly’s full. And I could do with a bite meself.”

They stood up and headed off back inside, with Jamie’s suggestion about taking Daisy out somewhere and buying her a present ringing in Bellamy’s ears.

He had just finished his breakfast and was about to leave Jamie to his sausages when he saw Daisy come in.

“Right, lad, I’ll catch up with ye later, and dinnae forget what I said—keep an eye out for Elodie,” Bellamy told Jamie, wiping his lips with a napkin and standing up. His eyes were now fixed on Daisy, who had sat down at an empty table a short distance away.

“Aye,” Jamie managed around a mouthful of sausage, waving his fork in farewell. “Good luck.”

Bellamy made a beeline for Daisy, contemplating how much she reminded him of her namesake, with her bonny, fresh face and sweet smile. She had just finished giving her breakfast order to a maid when Bellamy slid onto the bench opposite her and leaned his elbows on the table.

A warm glow suddenly blossomed in his belly. He could not help smiling to see her expression of slight surprise at the sight of him, and the rosy blush that tinted her fair cheeks. His heart pounded in his chest as memories of what had happened between them only a few hours ago came vividly back to him.

Ach, I havenae seen a lass so bonny!

But he noticed that up close, there were hints of tiredness on her face. He felt for her, for it had been quite a night for them both, in more ways than one. Nevertheless, when she shyly returned his smile, her eyes lit up, and his heart pounded again.

“Have ye seen the wee lassie?” he asked in a low voice.

Daisy nodded. “Aye, she’s doing a very convincing job on poor Poppy with her acting,” she told him in an equally subdued tone. “I feel sorry for the woman. And guilty, too, for putting her through all that worry.”

“’Tis nae ideal, but I feel ’tis the best thing to do, considering the circumstances. It willnae be for long, I hope,” he confided. “Now, I want to ask ye something,” he said, looking into her deep, brown eyes and feeling he’d be happy to drown in them.

“Oh?” She tilted her head at him enquiringly.

“Aye. I was wondering, if ye’re nae busy in an hour or two, if ye’d like to come out with me for a walk down to the village, have a look around the shops, maybe have something to eat. By way of a thank ye for all ye’ve done to help me and Elodie.”

Her eyes widened, and the hint of pink in her cheeks turned crimson. It was entrancing.

“Och, I-I… well, yes, I’d love to go,” she replied, clearly taken aback.

“Good. Shall we meet in the great hall at eleven?” he asked, planning that they should arrive in the village around lunchtime.

She nodded. “Aye, eleven o’clock.”

Bellamy was pleased. He struck his palm against the tabletop in a gesture of a deal done and rose to his feet, pushing the bench backwards.

He shot her another smile. “Eleven it is, then. Enjoy yer breakfast.”

* * *

Daisy watched Bellamy’s retreating back with her heart fluttering wildly in her chest. She had been completely taken by surprise when he had appeared opposite her at the table, flashing her a wide, white-toothed smile. He had looked heart-stoppingly handsome, and seeing him so soon after their intimate liaison in the early hours of that morning had made her hot all over again.

His invitation to step out to the village with him had delighted her, and she had accepted willingly. She was impressed by his thoughtfulness and looked forward to spending some time alone with him again. It was a relief to think she did not have to worry too much about Elodie for a little while, for the child was practicing her acting skills on the unfortunate Poppy very successfully and was quite safe, for the time being.

So, Daisy felt free to join Bellamy on a jaunt. But that brought up the matter of what she would wear. She toyed with the notion of changing her gown. It was a fine, warm day. Perhaps something a bit lighter would suit the excursion more than the plain stuff dress she was currently wearing—her usual sickroom garb.

Feeling excited for the day ahead, she ate a leisurely breakfast of buttered oatcakes and sheep milk cheese, washed down with strong tea. Then, she made her way back to her room to find a suitable dress, pinch her cheeks, and brush her hair into a less formal style. She wanted to look nice for Bellamy.

When the clock in the great hall struck eleven, Daisy tucked a cloth bag in her pocket for any shopping she might do and was soon gliding down the staircase to meet him. She was happy to see he was already there, waiting for her, dressed in his kilt of Murdoch tartan and long boots, with a simple sheepskin jerkin over his shirt.

Just the sight of him standing there, smiling at her as she approached, made her heart skip several beats.

“Well, ye look as bonny as a summer day,” Bellamy told her gallantly, offering her his arm as she came up to him. She took it willingly, thrilled to feel the strength of the flexing muscles beneath the material of his shirt.

“Thank ye kindly, Sir,” Daisy said, finding herself in a mood of girlish excitement. “Ye dinnae look so bad yerself.”

“Are ye ready to go, then?”

“Aye, I’m ready.”

“Then let us away.”

He led her out through the keep doors, and they stepped into the bright sunshine of the courtyard. It warmed Daisy immediately, banishing any remaining tiredness she felt from her lack of sleep and filling her with a sense of optimism.

“This way, Madam,” Bellamy said, apparently in a playful mood, steering her away from the main gates, around the side of the keep, and across the green.

Eventually, they came to a small wooden gate. Bellamy let go of her arm long enough to hold the gate open for her to pass through ahead of him, then took it up again once they stood on the other side.

Daisy gasped and smiled in delight when she saw the rolling moors ahead of them, the gorse blazing golden, and snow-capped mountains gleaming in the sunlight on the far horizon. A broad, grassy path unwound lazily across the moor, which she presumed was their route, for she could just spot the curling smoke of chimneys beyond.

However, the loch lay in front of them, its shimmering expanse breathtaking in the bright light. She noticed a small rowboat tied to a tree.

“Hop in,” Bellamy prompted her, leading her to the edge of the water and handing her into the boat. “Careful now. We dinnae want ye spoiling that pretty dress by falling in,” he added as she wobbled before getting her sea legs. “It’ll be better if ye sit down.”

Gingerly, Daisy sat on the wooden seat that straddled the little craft. Bellamy came aboard with one long-legged, practiced stride, making it bob on the water. He sat down opposite her and shipped the oars.

“Off we go,” he said, grinning at her before taking the first stroke with ease, the muscles in his arms and shoulders rippling beneath his shirt.

A warm breeze ruffled his hair, the sight of him looking so carefree setting Daisy’s heart aflutter once more. She was suddenly aware of how light her heart was—lighter than it had been for quite some time.

Bellamy rowed them out onto the waters, while Daisy enjoyed the comical quacking of mallards as they complained about this invasion of their territory. She admired the magnificent grace of the geese and a pair of swans that flew over and skimmed spectacularly as they came to rest on the glittering surface of the loch.

“So beautiful,” she breathed, mired in wonder, gazing around her.

“I’m glad ye’re enjoying it. I thought going this way would be a wee bit more picturesque for ye than taking the causeway, which is the usual route to the village,” Bellamy told her, pulling strongly on the oars. “But we’re nae in any hurry, so we can take our time, and I can show ye some of the sights of me home.”

“Ye sound very proud when ye speak of it,” she observed, taking her eyes off the glorious scenery long enough to smile at him.

“And why not? There’s plenty to be proud of,” he asserted, and she had to agree.

With Bellamy’s long, powerful strokes, they arrived at the opposite loch shore in around a quarter of an hour. Bellamy handed her out of the boat onto a little gravelly beach, without even a drop of water getting on the hem of her dress. She waited for him, breathing in the fresh air as he tied up the boat.

“The village is just over the hill there,” he told her when he joined her, taking her arm in his again.

“What is it called?” Daisy wanted to know.

Bellamy laughed. “Why, Murdoch, of course.”

“Of course,” she said, joining in his laughter.

They strolled slowly up the grassy incline, through the heather and gorse, until they came to the top of the hill. There, Bellamy paused to allow Daisy to take in the view, the quaint village of Murdoch spread out before them.

“And all of this is yers?” she asked as they walked on side by side.

“Aye, all this and much more, too. One day, maybe I’ll give ye a tour.”

“I’d like to see it,” she said as they came to the outskirts of the village, meaning every word.

But then she remembered with a pang of sadness that she would never see the full extent of his domain, for she would soon be leaving him and Castle Murdoch behind.

If only things were different!