The Highlander's Bride by Grace B. Francis

Author:Grace B. Francis [Francis, Grace B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Published: 2013-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Margaret swaddled the baby on her lap. The full-of-life baby girl burped loudly with a happy smile on her face while Margaret patted her on the back and cooed into her ear, thinking this little girl the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.

Margaret had only been a woman for two days and still was giddy from all she had shared with Bran at night on their sleeping mat. She wondered if the other women could see the glow in her. Her face was flushed, and her smile came easier than usual.

The baby was Freda’s one-year-old, and Margaret had been invited over to Aunt Edwina’s shack to play with her and receive some sewing lessons from both Auntie and Freda. Margaret loved to play with the baby but felt she was failing miserably to catch on to the intricacies of how to piece together a garment. Aunt Edwina was the most patient teacher in the world, and given enough time, Margaret hoped she might be able to get her fingers to move correctly with the needle and thread.

“Oh my goodness, I think she needs changing,” Margaret said and laughed as Freda came over to remove the baby off her lap.

“I’ll take her off your hands, Ailsa,” Freda said as she picked up her little bundle of joy. “I’m going to take her out in the yard to change her and then go see what Angus and father are up to out in the fields. Do you want to come with me, Ailsa?”

“No thank you, Freda. I would like to stay here and chat with Auntie for a while longer.”

Margaret had actually walked across the meadow to the other side of the glen that forenoon with the intention of baring her soul to Aunt Edwina. When she’d arrived and found Freda in the shack, she had to content herself with playing with the baby and receiving the sewing lessons. Now she might get her opportunity.

“If I find the men, I shall try and fetch them back with me for the midday meal.”

“Thank you, dear,” Aunt Edwina told her daughter as she went through the curtain closing in the hut she and Uncle Neville lived in. After Freda was gone, Aunt Edwina glanced across the small room at Margaret with a sharp eye. The older lady was too perceptive to miss the importance of what Margaret had come to tell her, but little did she know the story that was about to unfold. “Can I help you with that, honey?” she asked, indicating the thread on Margaret’s lap.

“No thank you, Auntie. I’m fine,” Margaret said.

Margaret was blushing. She didn’t know if she had the courage to be honest anymore. But this woman and these people had been so good to her, and she didn’t believe she could live with the lie any longer. She set aside the thread and her needle and looked over forlornly at the older woman.

“What’s on your mind, my child?”

Margaret was trembling when she spoke. “Oh, Auntie Edwina, it is awful.

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