Page 33 of The Highlander's Captured Bride
“Originally she was from Turren, she left for Perth and got married,” her father clarified. “She married, had a bairn, and then when her husband died, disappeared, until she reappeared with Finley at the tavern.”
“That is a peculiarity,” the laird’s brother mused. “And now we cannae find her. News must have spread about Finley’s death. If she was innocent, I’d ken she would have come forward to declare her innocence. Which makes me believe that she kent she was leading Finley to his death.”
“I agree, somewhat,” her father said, then launched into the same discussion she had with Ethan the other day.
“Are ye telling me there might be more than two people involved in this?” Mister MacFerson was appalled.
Uninterested in hearing the same argument again, she excused herself and slipped into the kitchen. After asking the first servant for some bread and cheese, she took the kidskin bag and hurried to the stables. She knew even before entering that Ethan was there. She stepped inside and peered around, then heard quiet voices and rustling straw at a stall.
She drew near and saw Ethan sitting cross-legged and watching a tiny chestnut foal get the hang of its wobbly legs. Its mother was laying on her side, breathing hard through her flared nostrils. The sight of the foal’s knobby knees made her smile.
“Colt or filly?”
“Filly,” Ethan smiled. “The birthing was hard, but we got through it.”
The newborn filly resumed trying to keep her balance but went toward Ethan’s waiting hand. The young horse sniffed his palm and then wandered off again. Violet’s observation shifted between the tiny filly figuring how to use her legs and the caring look on Ethan’s face, and she felt affection for both.
After making a wobbly circle around, she came back to Ethan, rocked back and forth on her hooves before collapsing onto Ethan’s lap. She stretched her neck out while Ethan rubbed her belly. “Dinnae worry lass, ye’ll get a hold of it soon.”
“Did ye birth her?” she asked, looking for any signs of blood or afterbirth on Ethan’s hands.
“Aye,” he said. “This little one was turned the wrong way, and I had to reach in and turn her, but I had help. The stable boys cleaned up the straw, and I washed up quickly. That was before dawn.”
“I’m glad I brought this then.” She offered the sack of bread and cheese. “Ye must be hungry.”
The filly was asleep on his lap while he reached and opened the sack. Plucking out the bread and cheese, he smiled, all the while minding the sleeping horse on his lap. “Thank ye. Iamhungry, but I found it hard to tear meself away from her. Ye’d ken aiding in birthing would make one sick to yer stomach, but I’ve seen so many, I’m unaffected.”
Her mind drifted to the conversation at the high table moments ago. “Did ye ken yer faither is sending soldiers to all villages to find the O’Bachnon woman?”
Around a mouthful, Ethan nodded, “Aye, he told me yesterday.”
“Dae ye ken they’ll find her?” she asked, while ideas—wild and risky— ran through her mind.
“They should if they’re worth their salt,” Ethan replied then gave her a knowing eye. “And nay, we cannae go and join them.”
Curses.
“I wasnae—” his narrow-eyed look made her stop, swallow her lie and laugh, “All right, ye found me out, but ye cannae blame for trying.”
“Well, we cannae,” he sighed. “I ken ye want to follow up on what ye discovered, but this is nay the time for it. Yer faither might catch on and ban ye from leaving the castle, much less go on to more searching quests.”
“But I...” she sighed, and folding her skirts under her, sat near Ethan, daring to run her fingertips over the horse’s twitching ears before speaking. “I feel like I should be doing something, but I’m nae.”
“Ye’ve done enough for now,” Ethan consoled. “Without ye, we wouldnae have found this woman, and now yer faither is handling it. Just pray that he finds her and all things play out.”
“What are we going to dae today?” She sighed, “I feel listless.”
“I can take ye to the village,” he offered. “There is a shop that sells the best sweets ye can ever find. I’m sure we can find something more to occupy our minds for a while.”
A scuffle from behind had them looking up, and Ethan gently shifted the filly from his lap to stand. “Who’s here?”
“Ah, nephew,” Mister MacFerson said. “Glad ye’re here. Help me saddle me horse.”
Debating on what to do, as it might look funny to see her there with Ethan alone, Violet eventually stood and went around to join them. She saw the older man’s eyebrows arch up in surprise, but he never spoke on it. “Miss O’Cain, I wondered where ye had run off to.”
“I came to find Master MacFerson, as he had promised to take me to the village to a shop and sample the sweets there.”
“Ah,” he nodded while Ethan came around with a saddle that he rested on the back of a large brown stallion. “He is trained to be a gentleman.”
