Page 48 of Highlander's Captive Bride
“She has cared for the wee lassie as if she’s her own, Jamie, I tell ye. And that’s why I’m wondering if I should come clean with her and tell her the truth about Elodie.”
Jamie looked at him with a mixture of interest and surprise. “What? Ye mean to tell her that the lass isnae yer daughter but yer niece? But why would ye do that? Ye say ye trust her, but how well do ye really ken her, Bel? Once she leaves the castle, she could tell anyone that Elodie is Lachlan Pearson’s daughter and a McGowan. That could bring the McGowans’ enemies crawling out of the woodwork as well as yer own. It could put Elodie in danger,” he warned.
“I ken her well enough to be certain that if I told her a secret, I could trust her to keep it,” Bellamy asserted.
“Well, if ye’re sure, and ye think there’s a good reason for her to ken, then go ahead and tell her.”
“I havenae made me decision yet. I just said I’m considering it, what with all she has done for us. I just feel I owe her something more than the usual lies. I mean, for the future.”
Jamie turned his head sharply and stared hard at Bellamy. “The future? What the devil are ye on about, man? What future?”
But all Bellamy could say in reply was, “Well, sometimes, what ye think will happen disnae quite turn out the way ye thought it would. And ye have to change yer plans.”
Jamie gave him a blank look.
Frustrated, Bellamy shook his head. “Ach, never mind. ’Tis nae important. But I’ve made up me mind to do something to show me gratitude to Daisy,” he finished, wishing he could find the words to express what he was feeling.
But the truth was, as he silently admitted, he was not sure exactly what that was.
“Aye, ye should take the lass out somewhere, buy her a present,” Jamie suggested. “But before ye do that, can we please get something to eat? I really am starving.”
“All right. Come on then, let’s go,” Bellamy replied with a sigh. “I ken I’ll get nae sense out of ye until yer belly’s full. And I could do with a bite meself.”
They stood up and headed off back inside, with Jamie’s suggestion about taking Daisy out somewhere and buying her a present ringing in Bellamy’s ears.
He had just finished his breakfast and was about to leave Jamie to his sausages when he saw Daisy come in.
“Right, lad, I’ll catch up with ye later, and dinnae forget what I said—keep an eye out for Elodie,” Bellamy told Jamie, wiping his lips with a napkin and standing up. His eyes were now fixed on Daisy, who had sat down at an empty table a short distance away.
“Aye,” Jamie managed around a mouthful of sausage, waving his fork in farewell. “Good luck.”
Bellamy made a beeline for Daisy, contemplating how much she reminded him of her namesake, with her bonny, fresh face and sweet smile. She had just finished giving her breakfast order to a maid when Bellamy slid onto the bench opposite her and leaned his elbows on the table.
A warm glow suddenly blossomed in his belly. He could not help smiling to see her expression of slight surprise at the sight of him, and the rosy blush that tinted her fair cheeks. His heart pounded in his chest as memories of what had happened between them only a few hours ago came vividly back to him.
Ach, I havenae seen a lass so bonny!
But he noticed that up close, there were hints of tiredness on her face. He felt for her, for it had been quite a night for them both, in more ways than one. Nevertheless, when she shyly returned his smile, her eyes lit up, and his heart pounded again.
“Have ye seen the wee lassie?” he asked in a low voice.
Daisy nodded. “Aye, she’s doing a very convincing job on poor Poppy with her acting,” she told him in an equally subdued tone. “I feel sorry for the woman. And guilty, too, for putting her through all that worry.”
“’Tis nae ideal, but I feel ’tis the best thing to do, considering the circumstances. It willnae be for long, I hope,” he confided. “Now, I want to ask ye something,” he said, looking into her deep, brown eyes and feeling he’d be happy to drown in them.
“Oh?” She tilted her head at him enquiringly.
“Aye. I was wondering, if ye’re nae busy in an hour or two, if ye’d like to come out with me for a walk down to the village, have a look around the shops, maybe have something to eat. By way of a thank ye for all ye’ve done to help me and Elodie.”
Her eyes widened, and the hint of pink in her cheeks turned crimson. It was entrancing.
“Och, I-I… well, yes, I’d love to go,” she replied, clearly taken aback.
“Good. Shall we meet in the great hall at eleven?” he asked, planning that they should arrive in the village around lunchtime.
She nodded. “Aye, eleven o’clock.”
Bellamy was pleased. He struck his palm against the tabletop in a gesture of a deal done and rose to his feet, pushing the bench backwards.
