Page 68 of Highlander's Captive Bride
She took the little girl to watch the maypole dancing, and they laughed when one of the tiny girls accidentally went the wrong way and got tangled up. But it was all good-natured, and she was soon put back on track, looking pleased with herself as she danced around the pole with the other maids.
Then, there came the Beltane feast, which was even bigger than the one the night before, with roasted ox, deer, pig, and sheep all on offer, along with all sorts of vegetables, not to mention enormous puddings made of pastry or suet, all plump with fresh and dried fruits and running with sweet sauces. And, of course, strong drinks flowered freely.
Daisy sat with Bellamy, Elodie, and Jamie. However, she could not help noticing that Nadia was absent. She had not seen the girl at the party the night before either and wondered where on earth she could be. She ought to have been there after all the hard work she had put in with the committee and making the decorations, surely?
But Daisy soon forgot about Nadia as the feast progressed, with vast platters of food being passed around and consumed with enjoyment. Unfortunately, she found she could hardly eat anything, for she was far too tense. All she could do was make a pretense of it and move some morsels of food around her plate. Neither did she dare to drink too much ale or wine, for fear of becoming too intoxicated for it to be safe to venture out onto the roads.
Bellamy stood up and gave a rousing speech, making many toasts to the old gods in thanks for their bounty, which everyone heartily echoed. Around that time, it was discovered that Elodie had fallen asleep, so Jamie escorted her and Poppy up to her chambers so she could be put to bed.
Everything was beautiful and joyous. But even as she joined in the toasts, Daisy knew the time was coming when she must take the opportunity to leave Castle Murdoch.
She waited until the sun sank below the horizon and darkness fell. The stars and the new moon gave out only a feeble light. The only other illumination was the orange glow from the many bonfires. It was the perfect cover for her to steal away without being seen.
When the party seemed to be in full swing, she decided to make her move.
It was easy to walk backwards from the throng and make her way unnoticed into the keep. Everything was ready—the bag containing everything she needed for her journey was safely hidden by the east gate—but there were a couple of important things she had decided she must do before leaving.
21
The castle seemed deserted, for she encountered not a soul on her way up to Bellamy’s chambers. Once inside, she shut the door and went to his writing desk. She took a sheet of parchment from a shelf and dipped a quill in the inkpot.
My dearest Bellamy,
I am so sorry to leave you like this. Please forgive me and try to understand that I must go home, now that Elodie is better. My family needs me, and they have waited too long. Please take care of yourself and Elodie.
Goodbye,
Daisy.
She blotted the ink with sand and then left the note on his pillow—the pillow where they had rested their heads together only hours before.
Choking with emotion she could hardly control, she left the room. Trying to get a hold of herself, she went up a flight of stairs and made for Elodie’s room, intending to kiss the sleeping child goodbye before she left.
She came to the familiar doorway and paused, taking a deep breath before she gently pushed open the door and went inside. She froze on the threshold at the scene before her.
It was unbelievably shocking. If it had not been for the low moans coming from Poppy, who was lying senseless on the floor, surrounded by an expanding pool of crimson blood, Daisy might have thought it was some magical trick being performed.
Standing over the bed, where Elodie was sleeping peacefully, was a figure from a nightmare, a demon, clad in a long black cloak, with a hood covering its features beneath. Daisy was gripped with terror to see it standing over the sleeping child, in its hand a blood-stained dirk, the blade glittering wetly in the lamplight.
Without a moment of hesitation, Daisy launched herself at the figure, crashing into it and knocking it to the floor with a loud thud. The nightmarish creature cried out in pain, dropping the dirk, which skittered under the bed.
The murderous attacker breathed heavily, fighting to free themselves, but Daisy would not let go, determined to do everything within her power to capture them and find out their identity.
They fought for what seemed like an eternity to Daisy, for her assailant proved to be strong. They kicked her, punched her in the ribs, and grabbed her hair, pulling it hard. But she refused to let go despite the searing pain.
Summoning every bit of her strength, she bit their arm, hard, and was rewarded when they let go of her hair with a hiss of pain.
In that split second, she was able to grab the edge of the hood and wrench it backwards from the fiend’s head.
What she saw made her feel sick to her stomach.
* * *
Bellamy was feeling pleasantly tipsy and found himself in surprisingly high spirits. It was turning out to be one of the best Beltane celebrations the clan had ever seen. With Elodie well and happy, his mind was at least temporarily free from worry on that score, even if the poisoner was yet to be uncovered.
He had allowed himself the luxury of relaxing just a little bit, and a large part of that had been spending time with Daisy at the party. And now that he had performed his duties as the Laird and could really concentrate on celebrating, the woman he wanted to celebrate with appeared to have vanished.
Not long before, he had been giving his speech, and she had been sitting nearby, smiling at him and raising her glass for each of the toasts he had called. She had looked so dazzlingly beautiful in the light of the bonfires, it had taken his breath away. He could not wait to be free to dance with her again, to talk to her and feel her body against his.
