Bedded by the Laird (Highland Warriors) Read Online Free PDF Page A

now, so different in appearance from before – that once skinny
body had rounded out now in soft feminine curves. When she turned to him, those
once innocent eyes were a touch more guarded now but her smile was bright as
she greeted him.
    In the days, weeks
and months that followed, Bridie carried on as if the last year had never
happened – just chatted as she always had, although the tales she regaled
were often now about wee Gracie, but each and every morning, somehow she made a
fierce laird smile.
    Bridie was back.

Chapter Four
    McClelland, September 1297
    Thirteen Full Moons Later
     
    ‘Come to me,
Gracie…’ Bridie knelt on the kitchen floor and held out her arm. ‘Come to your
Ma.’
    Gracie had turned
one and Bridie was worried that she wasn’t yet walking.
    ‘She’ll walk when she’s
ready,’ Mrs Moffat said. ‘She should be asleep, come
on now Bridie, take her to her crib, she needs--’ but she halted talking then,
a smile splitting her wrinkled face as Gracie took her first faltering steps to
her Ma.
    ‘Come on, Gracie,’
Bridie was ecstatic, watching as Gracie’s wee fat legs toddled towards her,
buckling at the knees and then, just short of Bridie, she started to tip
forwards but Bridie caught her and scooped her up, kissing her red face and
curls over and over and making little Gracie squeal and giggle in delight.
    ‘Did you see…. ’ Bridie turned, but her voice trailed of, because Mrs Moffat had stopped smiling. ‘Put her to bed Bridie,’ Mrs Moffat said, ‘and then you’re to come back down here. I
need to speak with you.’
    ‘I’ll just feed her.’
    Bridie took Gracie
over to the sleeping area, held her to her breast and cuddled Gracie in. Once
asleep she placed Gracie in her crib and wrapped her warm under the blanket and
popped her thumb in her mouth and as she gazed on her daughter, Bridie thought
her heart might burst.
    Not once did she
think badly of that time when she gazed on Gracie.
    It had happened.
    Without Gracie,
she would still be sitting mute staring at the loch.
    Or
floating face down upon it.
    So dark had been
that place and it was Gracie who had brought her back and now, she knew, Mrs Moffat wanted to talk about sending her away.
    Bridie had
resisted even thinking about it, ignored it really, but she couldn’t any more.
     ‘I’ll not
lose you Gracie.’ Bridie vowed. ‘I’ll not. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep
you with me.’
    She wrapped a
shawl around her and headed back down to the kitchen, Mrs Moffat was busy kneading bread for the morning and did not look at her as she
spoke.
    ‘I spoke with the
priest yesterday.’
    Bridie just sat.
    ‘The Campbell’s
are ready for Gracie.’
    ‘No.’ Bridie said
but one word.
    ‘You’ve had your
thirteen full moons.’
    ‘I’m still feeding
her at night.’
     ‘It’s time
for Gracie to go to her new family, They’re good people,’ Mrs Moffat said and Bridie closed her eyes, for Lara Campbell was a sister to the
priest and everything they wanted was taken as already theirs.
    ‘I’m Gracie’s
mother,’ Bridie reared. ‘I’ll not let them take her.’
    ‘You’ll do as
you’re told,’ Mrs Moffat warned, and the bread would
be well risen tomorrow for her hands were extra busy as they worked the dough
and she looked over to where Bridie sat defiant. Och ,
she would not hand that bairn over without a fight Mrs Moffat knew. She was like a wee vixen defending her
cubs and she’d spoken to the priest about the trouble Bridie might cause.
    ‘The priest says
that it’s shameful of you to be raising her out of wedlock…’ Bridie just
shrugged, she’d take the shame rather than part with Gracie. ‘And he says it
shames the laird too, to be housing an illegit .’ She
saw Bridie blink.
    ‘I’m not letting
her go.’ Bridie said.
    ‘Well, if you
insist on keeping her, then you’re to wed,’ Mrs Moffat said. ‘There’s no other way around it.’
    ‘No one will have
me,’ Bridie said. ‘You