Page 69 of Highlander's Captive Bride
But by the time he had done his duty, shaken all the hands, and received all the congratulations for his speech, he immediately looked for her, only to see that her place at the bench was empty.
Assuming she had gone to answer the call of nature and would shortly reappear, he left the eating place and began wandering the field, searching for that familiar, neat figure in the light of the bonfires.
But she was nowhere to be seen.
After a quarter of an hour with no sight of her, having asked Jamie if he had seen her, he became concerned and decided to go back into the castle and try to find her.
He hurried inside and ran up to her room, tapping on the door.
“Daisy, ’tis me. Let me in,” he called, rattling the latch. The door creaked open, and he looked inside. It was empty.
She’s likely with Elodie.
He shut the door and headed to Elodie’s chambers, entering quietly because the child had not long been put to bed and was probably already asleep. He did not wish to disturb her.
However, the scene he came upon was wholly unexpected and shocking.
Poppy was lying on the floor, unconscious, surrounded by a pool of blood. Daisy was on the floor, wrestling with someone in a black cloak, struggling to hold them down, while Elodie lay asleep in her bed.
“Daisy!” Bellamy shouted, quickly running to help Daisy.
“Bellamy, help me!” she cried out, fighting hard to keep her assailant from escaping.
He skidded to a halt on his knees at her side, grabbing the struggling figure in the black cloak and easily overcoming them, pinning them to the floor.
“What the devil d’ye—” His voice died in his throat as he looked down and saw Nadia staring up at him. His ward was crying, and her eyes were wide with fear.
Bellamy knew instantly what had happened. His face dark with wrath, he dragged Nadia to a standing position and held her there by the scruff of her neck. She shook like a sickly puppy, tears streaming down her face.
“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, his blood boiling with fury. The girl just trembled and sobbed in obvious terror. “Tell me, now, girl!”
“I-I was—” Nadia stuttered.
“She had a dirk, Bellamy. She was going to murder Elodie!” Daisy snapped, free at last to tend to Poppy, who was still unconscious. “The knife is under the bed, so don’t let her get it.”
“Is this true?” Bellamy growled, shaking the girl.
Nadia burst into fresh sobs and nodded her head.
“But why, Nadia? Why?” he demanded, some of the anger in his voice turning into hurt incomprehension as he stared into the frightened eyes of the orphaned girl he had taken into his home and raised so many years ago. He had trusted her completely.
“I-I didnae want to do it,” Nadia choked out through trembling lips.
“Then why? I trusted ye. I thought ye loved Elodie as I do.”
“I do! I do love her. But…” she trailed off as if she could not bear to finish the sentence, her voice laced with regret.
“But what?! Say it!” Bellamy shook her again.
“I had to. ’Tis all me braither’s plan. ’Tis what he told me to do,” Nadia admitted brokenly.
Bellamy dropped her to the floor, where she collapsed into a sobbing heap.
“Yer braither?” he repeated in a stunned voice. A few moments ticked by before he asked, “Are ye speaking of Lachlan?”
“Aye,” Nadia cried from the floor.
Bellamy stared down at her, open-mouthed with shock. “But he’s dead.”
