Page 56 of Highlander's Captive Bride
Suddenly, she felt terribly afraid. She had the sensation that she had reached the edge of some sort of precipice. The problem was not that she might slip and fall into it, but that she actually wanted to throw herself over the edge.
As if a bolt of lightning had streaked down from the sky and struck her, the truth suddenly hit her.
I am falling in love with Bellamy Kane!
The realization made her panic. Yes, she had agreed to stay until the poisoner was caught, but she knew she was going to have to break her word or risk heartbreak.
If I stay a moment longer and have to face him to say goodbye, it’ll kill me. I’ll nae be able to leave him. Nor Elodie. But Violet needs me. Me family needs me, and they have to come first.
She tore her eyes from Bellamy’s and stood up so that he was forced to release her hands. “We should get back. I think we should go and see how Elodie is. We’ve been gone long enough.”
Bellamy stared at her for a moment longer, then he stood up, too. “Aye. Let’s go back.”
Daisy’s thoughts raced in her mind as they walked, this time in silence, and without touching. Bellamy seemed to sense her mood, or perhaps he, too, was lost in his thoughts, for he did not say a word as they followed the path through the trees and eventually emerged on the west side of the loch.
A short way ahead, Daisy could see the road they had come down on the day he had brought her to the castle as his captive after the brutal kidnapping. She thought back to that time, to the murder of Fergus and her escort, to her futile attempt to escape Bellamy en route to Castle Murdoch, not knowing what fate awaited her inside its walls.
She reminded herself how he had kept her from going home to help dear Violet, how he had kept her locked up and forced her to treat Elodie. Somehow, it all seemed so distant now.
They reached the causeway, where other people were going back and forth, chattering and laughing with each other, walking or on horseback, or riding on carts laden with supplies. Daisy was relieved they were no longer alone, that they had come back into the world rather than being in their own bubble, for the pressure inside it was rapidly becoming too much to bear.
They entered the castle gates and the busy courtyard, then went into the keep and mounted the stairs side by side. As they approached Elodie’s chambers once more, Daisy felt as if her heart was being torn in two, that she was at war with herself.
One part of her heart was telling her that the man next to her had pulled her out of her life to serve him without regard to her wants, that her duty to her family was paramount, and that she should follow through with her plan to leave the following night.
But the other part yearned for him in a way that was almost physical, so it was taking a supreme strength of will not to just take his arm, smile, and laugh with him. Then later, she would give herself completely to him and the wondrous pleasures he had shown her.
Leaving him will break me heart. But, however much it hurts, me duty is to me family. I must leave this place!
When they went into Elodie’s chambers, all appeared just as it had been before. She smiled from the bed when she saw them both come in.
Poppy looked up from her chair, her flying fingers pausing over her knitting. “Did ye have a nice time?” she asked good-naturedly.
“Aye, we had a grand time, shopping at the market in Murdoch,” Daisy told her, trying to regain some illusion of normality. She bent over to the bed and kissed Elodie’s cheek. “How are ye feeling, me pet?” she asked the little girl, hiding a wink from Poppy.
“Och, not very well, Daisy,” Elodie replied, her smile a grimace. “I have a very sore tummy again.”
“Aye, she hasnae been very good at all today, I’m sorry to say,” Poppy put in. “And she’s hardly eaten a morsel.”
“Poppy, why do ye nae go and have a rest yerself for a wee while? Daisy and I will keep an eye on the lassie for a while. Go on, off ye go and get yerself some dinner or something,” Bellamy instructed.
“Well, if ye’re sure it’s all right, M’laird,” Poppy said hesitatingly.
“I just said so, did I nae?” Bellamy pointed out, not unkindly. “But on the way, will ye tell the kitchens to send up some hearty food? I’m starving.”
“Of course, M’laird. Nae trouble at all. I’ll get them to do that straight away, I promise ye.”
Poppy soon went off, leaving the three of them alone.
17
Daisy went and sat in Poppy’s chair. Bellamy sat in his usual spot on the bed, against the pillows, with Elodie cradled in his arm.
“The food’s for ye, wee lass, by the way,” Bellamy said. “What with acting so sick, I guessed ye’d be famished for something proper to eat.”
“I am, Da. I had to pretend to be sick at lunchtime and told Poppy I couldnae eat anything but some dry oatcakes. Ugh!” Elodie made a comical face that made both Daisy and Bellamy laugh. “And I’m so bored, too. But now that ye’re here, we can play some games.”
“Good lass, of course, we will. But first, Daisy and I have some things for ye.”
