Epilogue
Three months later
Daniel held back Beth’s hair as she brought the contents of her stomach up into the chamber pot. She hadn’t had the time to make it to the garderobe, which happened most mornings.
She found it hard to believe that with her reluctance about a bunch of bairns, they had managed to start one of their own after only a couple of weeks of marriage.
He handed her a piece of linen and a glass of water. She smiled her thanks and wiped her mouth, then swished the water around and spit it into the chamber pot.
Daniel helped her up. “I’m sorry ye have to go through this, sweetheart.”
She gave him a soft smile and they headed to the great hall to break their fast, although all she’d been able to get down in the mornings was a cup of tea.
Emma walked by their table. She stopped in front of them. “How is the new mam this morning?”
Beth shrugged. “My stomach is no’ doing so well.”
Emma smiled. “Aye, as I told ye, this will pass. Just give it a couple of more weeks. And make sure ye get enough rest.”
The young woman hurried away from them.
“I wonder why such a young and pretty lass is no’ married,” Beth said as she watched Emma leave.
“She is too busy taking care of everyone else to think about herself,” Daniel said.
Joshua appeared at the door to the keep and walked up to the laird. “My laird, I have a message here for Gregory, do ye ken where he is?”
“Nay, but I ken he will join us to break his fast. Ye can leave it here at the table.”
When the lad nodded and walked away, Daniel looked at Beth. “’Twas verra nice of ye to not have me ban the lad from the clan, which I thought was an easy punishment for his part in yer kidnapping.”
“I ken ye weren’t happy about my decision, but I would have died in that dark cold place if Joshua dinna bring me food and make me eat it when I grew weak.” She smiled at him. “I’ve wondered how long Lady Chisholm would have left me there were it no’ for Joshua.” She shivered.
Gregory joined them at the table. Daniel nodded to the piece of parchment on the table. “There is a message there for ye.”
He took a seat and opened the message and read the words. His eyes grew wide and he shook his head, reading the document over again. “I canno’ believe it.”
“What is it?” Daniel asked.
Gregory ran his fingers through his hair. “I ken ye heard me speak of Robert Sinclair? We trained together at Dornoch Castle years ago.”
Daniel nodded. “Aye. I remember ye speaking of him and I also remember him stopping by one time for a visit.”
Gregory shook his head again as if clearing his brain. “He was killed in a minor skirmish on one of the Sinclair borders.”
Beth’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my. How terrible.”
“Aye,” Gregory said. He turned to Daniel, “I will need to go to Castle Girnigoe.”
Daniel frowned. “’Twill be much too late for the funeral. ’Tis a four or five day trip up there.”
Gregory sighed and stared into space for a minute. “I ken that, but there is another problem.”
“Aye?”
“We made a vow to each other that if one of us died, the other would marry his widow, if he was no’ already married.”
He stared at the paper again. “I need to go fetch my wife.”
THE END