Page 81 of Highlander's Captive Bride
“Around Christmastide, Violet thinks. And there are twins in her family, so we could get two for one,” Dominic replied, beaming.
“Och, ye look so pleased when ye say that. Ye must both be so excited,” Daisy said. “I’m excited meself on yer behalf. I can hardly wait to give Violet me congratulations.”
“We should drink to the wee bairn, and the expectant parents,” Bellamy said, refilling his and Dominic’s tankards and then topping up Daisy’s goblet with wine.
“Aye, let’s!” Daisy agreed, her eyes sparkling and making his heart skip a beat, for she looked so happy and so bonny at that moment. “Have ye chosen any names yet?”
Dominic shrugged. “Well, we thought Hudson for a lad, after Faither, of course, and Ruby if ’tis a lassie. That’s for Violet’s maither.”
“Och, both grand names. Shall we drink to Hudson and Ruby?” Daisy suggested, looking to Bellamy to propose the toast.
“To the safe arrival of wee Hudson or wee Ruby, to their good health and happiness, and that of their Ma and Da,” Bellamy declared, raising his tankard high.
The siblings joined in, repeating the toast merrily, and then they all drank deeply to the health of the coming child.
As the dinner went on and Bellamy listened while brother and sister caught up on other family news, the warm feeling that had lodged inside him only seemed to grow. Growing up, with their mother passing away so young and their father kindly but usually busy with clan affairs, it had mostly been just him and his little sister left to their own devices.
He and Bridie had been very close, and he could see it was the same with Daisy and Dominic and all the Winfreys. He had already warmed to Dominic, and now, he could hardly wait to meet Dakota and Delilah, too. He was especially intrigued to meet Delilah, the famed runaway bride, and the hero Evan, who had saved Dominic’s life, and no doubt Daisy and Delilah’s, too, in the process. He sent up his silent thanks to the man he had yet to meet.
He found himself wanting to be part of this family of theirs, to be part of the same close family bond, to have the luxury of knowing there was always someone who had his back. Now, he realized that before Daisy had entered his life, he had been alone for too long.
Except for Elodie, of course. He so wanted her to have the same close bond, that feeling of belonging to something greater than oneself, which the Winfrey siblings were blessed with.
Elodie had cried with joy to find out that Daisy was not leaving, after all, and she had been on her best behavior when meeting the Laird of McGunn. Daisy had forewarned her about her brother’s scars.
“I’m telling ye because ye may think he looks a bit scary, but he isnae at all,” she had told the little girl.
Bellamy had been so proud of Elodie when he had presented her to Dominic. She had given him her brightest smile and a curtsey worthy of any grand lady. And then, before he could stop her, she had asked, “Daisy told me about yer scars. How did ye get them?”
Bellamy had felt himself cringe with embarrassment, expecting a disapproving silence from Dominic, and he had been ready to make fulsome apologies for his child’s rudeness. Even Daisy had looked worried when they had exchanged glances.
But Dominic had defied all expectations by dropping to his haunches so he could meet Elodie’s eyes, and then he had taken her hand.
“Well, ’tis a long story, and maybe I’ll tell it all to ye one day, but I dinnae think we have the time just now, hinny. But I was knocked unconscious, and there was a fire. I didnae ken anything until I woke up looking like this,” he had explained calmly, gesturing to his scars.
“Do they hurt ye?” Elodie had asked, looking at them curiously while Bellamy still waited on tenterhooks.
“They used to, for a long time after the fire, aye. But I think it hurt me more in me heart if ye ken what I mean.”
“Ye worried what people would think,” Elodie had said with her usual perceptiveness.
“Aye, that’s right. I became very grumpy with everyone, even Daisy here, and thought I was a monster that people would run away from.”
“Ye dinnae look like a monster,” the little girl had told him gravely. “I have pictures of monsters in me books, and ye dinnae look like any of them. And ye have nice eyes, just like Daisy’s.”
“Well, ’tis very kind of ye to say so, Lady Elodie, especially coming from such a pretty lass as yerself. I used to think all the lassies would run away from me, so ye must be a special sort of lassie, like me wife, Violet. Lucky for me, she didnae think I looked like a monster either.”
“I should like to meet her. She sounds nice,” Elodie had said, smiling happily. “Can I touch yer scars?”
“Elodie!” Bellamy had finally burst out. But Dominic had looked up at him and smiled as he shook his head.
“’Tis naething, Bellamy. She’s right to ask questions. If we dinnae ask questions, we dinnae get answers, do we, Lady Elodie?”
Elodie had nodded in reply.
“Ye go ahead and feel me scars if ye want to,” Dominic had added.
So, Elodie had lifted her hand and gently touched his scars with her fingertips.
