Page 52 of The Veiled Wish of a Highland Bride

“Did I ken… what?”

Mia was getting impatient. For now, Dallas was still distracted by the many warriors he was fighting, but she was terrified that he would turn around and come for them. “Did ye ken that I was her daughter?”

Bram avoided her eyes.

Mia could not believe it. It had to be a lie. He always knew?

“Why then did ye marry me?” she cried. “Why would ye marry the daughter of the woman ye loved?”

“Oh, come on, lass! It was nae like I had a choice in the matter. It was for the sake of my clan. And dinnae ye act all innocent! Yer father married ye to me for almost the exact same reason.”

Mia’s heart felt like it would beat out of her chest with how it was racing. “So, that was why ye hated me so much? That was why ye refused to touch me or look at me? That was why ye flinched anytime I tried to hold ye?”

“Aye,” Bram replied quietly. “Ye were the child of the love of my life, but also the daughter of the man who was married to her and treated her so poorly. I could nae stand ye, and it was much worse because ye look so much like yer mother did at yer age.”

Mia was stunned, furious. How could she have been made to pay for crimes she had not committed?

“When I found out ye married Bram, I thought it was best to stay away. For yer own safety. I could nae imagine causing ye pain by coming to disrupt yer marriage,” Maeve chipped in.

“But I was in so much pain already. Do ye ken what it was like growing up without a mother? Or what I had to go through living alone with that man?” Mia spat back.

“I never told Bram I was with his child because I never thought I would lose it. And although that has naething to do with ye, Mia, I was in pain. I was mourning. I could nae stand another minute with Conrad, or I would have killed myself. I truly am very sorry, my bairn.”

“We need to go rightnow,” Clyde interjected. “What better time to leave than when our assailant is distracted? The Murray warriors will handle him and bring him to the dungeons. I gave them specific instructions already.”

Clyde lifted Archie up, holding him with Mia as they began tiptoeing away. The rest of the fighters all barely spared them a glance.

A sharp grunt was released from the slew of wounded men right behind them, when they had just gotten a little distance away. Dallas had momentarily caught sight of them and was fighting his way through the men to catch up with them. Lennox had remained on the battlefield to hold the fort.

“Ye are not going anywhere!” Dallas tried to yell as he lunged towards Mia with his sword.

Mia froze in her tracks, her rage towards Dallas for what he had done to Archibald tempting her to finish him off herself. Just as she was about to lunge at him with all her strength, Maeve jumped in front of her, brandishing her sword as she fought him off. Archibald was still too weak to move, but he was clawing at the ground in an effort to get up from where Clyde had laid him down again.

Maeve’s anger was palpable with the way her expression remained determined as though she wanted to hurt Dallas even if it were the last thing she'd do.

“Nae one,” she yelled, “should interfere in this battle. I want to get rid of the bastard who hurt and threatened to rape my daughter myself! Ye all stay away!” she shouted out when she heard the men moving toward her.

They seemed reluctant to oblige. Mia, still recovering from the shock of what she had heard about her mother's secret life, also said nothing. They all merely stood there and watched.

Dallas was clearly getting the upper hand over Maeve as he hit her again and again. As she staggered backwards about to fall from the pain, Dallas raised the tip of the sword high above her head. Suddenly, Bram jumped in between them and lunged at him, pushing Maeve out of the way.

When Maeve finally got her footing, she held onto Mia for purchase. Maeve's scream pierced the air as she saw Bram freeze and his eyes widen.

Dallas had struck him through the chest.

He sputtered blood and the world stopped spinning.

Maeve, with all her rage, lunged right at Dallas as he basked in the euphoria of having killed the Great Laird Murray—too distracted by his victory to notice her.

As she thrust her sword into his back, his eyes widened in shock. With his very last strength, Dallas turned around to see his assailant, stunned at his downfall just as Bram had been seconds ago.

Maeve screamed in rage as she plunged the sword deeper and deeper until Dallas collapsed.

Then she crumpled to the ground beside Bram and sobbed uncontrollably.

* * *

Archibald could not believe what had just happened. He looked around as the men of both parties stood quietly, unsure of what to do.

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