Page 54 of Highlander's Captive Bride
“I’ll explain that in a minute. The important thing I want ye to ken is that she’s me sister’s child. Me sister Bridie.”
“I see. But where is Bridie now?” As soon as she had asked the question and saw the stricken look on Bellamy’s face, Daisy knew the answer. “She’s nae longer in this world, is she?” She put her hand on his comfortingly.
“Nay. She died shortly after giving birth to Elodie,” Bellamy said, his eyes dark with sorrow.
“I’m so sorry, Bellamy. I can see she meant an awful lot to ye.”
“Aye, she did. Nae a day goes by that I dinnae miss her.”
“But what happened? Who is Elodie’s faither, then, if not ye?”
“I’m getting to that,” he told her in a voice like gravel, almost frightening her with his suddenly savage expression. “Our faither had not long passed, and I’d only been Laird for a few months. One day, Bridie was away from the castle, traveling to visit a friend of hers. But she never arrived. Her friend raised the alarm, and it soon became clear that Bridie and her escort had vanished.”
“What did ye do?”
“Searched high and low, of course, but there was no trace of her. Until one of me men found the remains of her escort hidden in the woods. There was evidence there that pointed to our greatest enemy being responsible.”
“Who was that? Another clan?”
Bellamy nodded. “Aye, Clan McGowan.”
The name sounded strangely familiar to Daisy, but she could not quite bring to mind why it should. Bellamy soon reminded her.
“Her escort had been attacked and killed, and since her body wasnae found with the others, I had to conclude that Bridie had been abducted… by Laird McGowan, Nadia’s faither, and her elder braither, Lachlan Pearson.”
Daisy gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth in shock. “Nadia’s braither?!”
Pearson. Of course, that was Nadia’s last name!
“Aye, the filthy swine,” Bellamy growled. “Ye see, Daisy, Clan McGowan and Clan Murdoch had always been bitter enemies. Pearson saw his chance to strike at me in the worst way possible, and he took it. At first, I had nae idea where Bridie was or even if she was still alive. But it didnae take long for me sources to confirm that she was being held captive by Laird McGowan at his castle.”
“What did ye do?” Daisy asked, horrified by what he was telling her.
“Well, I was planning an attack to rescue her when, one day, out of the blue, Bridie just turned up at the castle gates on a horse, alone, with naething more than the clothes on her back. Her state was terrible. She was so thin and dirty—a shadow of her former beautiful self.”
Daisy watched, holding his hand more tightly, as his face contorted in agony at the memory.
“I didnae think too much about why McGowan had sent her back. I was just glad to get her back alive, for he was a cruel brute.”
“Aye, thank the Lord she was safe!” Daisy exclaimed.
“But ye see, Daisy,” Bellamy went on, “that wasnae the end of it. Bridie never really recovered from the ordeal. She hardly spoke or ate. She locked herself away in her chambers, with just her lady’s maid for company. She wasnae the same girl. That was bad enough, but it soon turned out that the worst was yet to come.”
“What d’ye mean?” Daisy asked, listening intently.
Bellamy’s lips twisted, and his eyes blazed with quiet fury as he said, “As the days went by, her belly started to swell—”
“Nay!” Daisy cried, guessing what was coming.
Bellamy nodded. “Aye. She was with child. That was why she had locked herself away—because of the shame. She tried to hide her state as long as she could. However hard I tried to persuade her, she refused to tell me who was responsible. Of course, I had me suspicions, but I had nae proof.”
“Ach, the poor lass. How terrible.” Daisy’s heart went out to poor Bridie and Bellamy.
“Anyway, there was naething to be done about it,” he went on bitterly. “The baby was coming, like it or not. Her lady’s maid was very loyal, and we managed to keep the bairn a secret. When the time came for Bridie’s lying-in, she gave birth in secret. ’T’was a hard labor, Daisy. Elodie took many hours to come into this world, and Bridie was exhausted by the end of it. But, however the bairn was begotten, Bridie loved her at once. She seemed almost back to her old self with Elodie in her arms. But at the same time, she was sorrowful because she knew she wouldnae be able to keep her.”
“The maitherly instinct must have been strong in her. For such things arenae the bairn’s fault. They deserve love, however they come to be,” Daisy said, admiring Bridie for loving the baby despite her terrible ordeal.
“Aye. Because she loved the baby, I came to love her, too, I suppose, the poor, wee thing,” Bellamy continued.
