Page 76 of Highlander's Captive Bride
It chilled Daisy’s blood to think how Nadia had pretended to care for Elodie so convincingly that the little girl and everyone else, including Daisy, had trusted her completely. And to find she had been coldheartedly poisoning her little friend the whole time was horrifying.
It did not matter that Lachlan had ordered her to do it. She should have refused, at least, even if she did not tell the Laird that Lachlan was alive and plotting against him. Such twisted evil was beyond Daisy’s comprehension.
Daisy dreaded to think what Nadia would have done if she had not decided to leave that night and gone back to the castle from the Beltane celebrations to kiss Elodie goodbye.
And now, Bellamy, the man she loved with all her heart, was in mortal danger from this vile Lachlan Pearson. The fear was almost overwhelming, kept at bay only by her duty to her patients.
And no one seemed to know Bellamy’s whereabouts.
When the stream of injured soldiers dwindled to a trickle, she turned to Drew and Daphne. “Can ye cope here for a while? I have to go and check on something,” she asked, her worry at such a pitch, she felt she had to go and try to find him.
“Of course,” Daphne told her with a nod, just finishing dressing the wound of a soldier injured in the arm by an arrow.
“Aye, everything is under control here, dinnae worry,” Drew chimed in.
“Thank ye both,” Daisy said and then hurried out of the room.
Once in the hallway, she picked up her skirts and ran, down the hallway and stairs and to the doors of the keep. She pushed between the guards at the door and went out into the packed courtyard, looking frantically for Bellamy among the subdued crowd of villagers.
Her heart clenching in her chest, she scanned the groups of frightened people, searching for his imposing figure, but she could not see him anywhere. Growing increasingly desperate, she ran towards the guardhouse and was surprised to see the main gates were open.
She stopped, seeing blood-spattered, weary-looking Murdoch warriors walking slowly back inside in knots. She felt a shred of hope, for she realized the worst of the battle must be over and the fighters had successfully vanquished their attackers. Her eyes raked over them, hoping to see Bellamy among them.
Her hope dying, she was about to turn away to continue her search elsewhere when she saw him. His tall, broad figure was unmistakable as he walked slowly through the gates with his claymore dragging behind him. He was framed by the hellish glow of the bonfires out in the fields, looking very much like the monster she had first met all those weeks ago when he had kidnapped her.
She did not care about any of that anymore. Her heart bursting with gratitude for his safety and love for him, she ran to him.
“Bellamy!” she shouted above the surrounding din as she raced towards him.
Bellamy stopped and looked in her direction. Then, he sheathed his sword and opened his arms. Delirious with joy, Daisy launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly to her, sobbing his name over and over.
They stayed like that for several long moments, just holding each other, before Bellamy turned her face up to his and looked deeply into her eyes. Daisy smiled into his, which glinted like silver in the garish light, turning her knees to water.
Everything around them disappeared when Bellamy’s lips came down on hers hungrily, as if he would devour her, and Daisy returned his passion wholeheartedly, putting all the love she held for him into her kiss.
When their lips finally broke apart, she asked him what had happened.
“Pearson is dead. I made sure of it this time, for I killed him meself. He willnae be troubling anyone anymore.”
It was then that Daisy noticed the deep gash that had sliced right through his vambrace and left a deep, bloody wound in his forearm. She grasped his wrist and examined the wound, alarmed.
“Ye must come with me to the healing room and let me see to that right away,” she told him, tugging at his arm.
“’Tis but a scratch,” Bellamy told her, pulling his wrist free and holding her against him again, stroking her hair and gazing into her eyes. He leaned down and whispered huskily against her hair, “Thank ye, Daisy, with all me heart, for staying and helping me people.”
But all Daisy could do in reply was cry and hold him tight.
* * *
In the first few days following the battle, Daisy had her work cut out, along with Daphne and Drew, in caring for the multitude of patients. Incredibly, they had lost only two men, though that was bad enough. Thankfully, the rest would recover from their wounds and fight another day, with very few exceptions.
The healer Maria had arrived on the day after the attack. She was a plump, lively girl in her mid-twenties with dark, curly hair and brown eyes. She proved to be very competent and hardworking, and she seemed happy to take over some of the caring duties from Daisy and the others, to give them some rest after their marathon.
“Ye must be worn out,” she told Daisy solicitously on the evening following her appearance. She had already sent an exhausted Daphne off for a rest. “Go and put yer feet up for a few hours while I take over here. Everyone is settled, so there isnae much to do. Drew and I can cope for a while.”
“Och, thank ye kindly, Maria,” Daisy replied, having warmed rapidly to the friendly young woman.
“But I’ll want something in return,” Maria added when Daisy opened the door to leave the healing room.
