Page 43 of Highland Spy

“Slink, come on,” said Caleb, stretching his neck. The pine marten was on the table playing with something. “Slink, ye are no’ listenin’ to me.” Caleb entered the room and scooped up his pet. “What have ye got now?”

To Bridget’s horror, Caleb held up the ring.

“It seems Slink has found yer faither’s weddin’ ring,” he said, turning it over and inspecting it. “Or mayhap it’s yer mathair’s.” He looked at the ring closer. “Were ye named after yer mathair, lass?”

“My mathair? Nay. Her name was Greer. Why do ye ask?”

“Because this ring has yer name engraved inside, that’s why. I dinna understand.”

Bridget’s heart almost stopped. She should have told Caleb about it yesterday, and she hadn’t. Now, it only made her look bad in his eyes. She didn’t want to keep secrets from him anymore, so she just came right out and told him.

“That ring has my name engraved inside because . . . it’s mine.”

“What?” He looked at her oddly. “But it looks like a weddin’ ring.”

“It is. Caleb, I wanted to tell ye yesterday, but I couldna find the nerve to do it. I was married for a few years when I was only six and ten years of age. But the marriage didna last long.”

“Ye were married?” he asked softly, putting the ring back in the box. He sounded very disappointed and she didn’t know if it was because she was less desirable now, wasn’t a virgin, or just because she’d kept the information from him.

“Aye, to an aulder man named Valan Douglas. I didna like him and he was mean to me and often hurt me.”

His head snapped up. “Nay. I’m sorry, Bridget. I’m sure ye didna deserve it.”

“Valan said I was . . . worthless,” she said, looking down and wringing her hands together.

“Nay, ye’re no’,” he said softly. “Why would any man ever say that?”

“Because I – I couldna bear him a child.” All her past emotions flooded her at once. It bothered her immensely that she would never be able to give any man a son. “I am barren, Caleb, and because of that Valan had the marriage annulled.”

“Why would ye keep this from me, lass? What was the purpose?” He didn’t look pleased.

“I didna tell ye because I didna want ye to leave me, too.”

“Did ye really think that I would?” He picked up his pine marten and walked over to her. “My feelin’s for ye, Bridget, are the same – no matter if ye can bear children or no’.”

“Nay. Ye dinna mean that,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “Every man’s legacy is to have sons. Or at least daughters. I canna give ye either.”

“I didna realize we were already plannin’ on spendin’ the rest of our lives together.”

“Nay,” she said, feeling a stab through her heart. “Of course, no’. I’m sorry.”

“I think we’d better get to the competition since it’ll be startin’ any minute and yer faither will need that ink bottle.”

“Aye. I agree. Let’s go,” she said, leaving with Caleb, feeling like something between them had changed and that it was all her fault.

* * *

“Caleb, where have ye been?” asked Logan as they approached the field where the caber toss competition was already in progress. The king watched from a platform that was built for his comfort. “Storm is lookin’ for us. He wants us to help him lift the caber in place when it’s his turn to throw.”

Henry MacDonald gave the caber a good toss. With his size and muscles the caber flipped end over end, going a good distance before it landed in an almost perfectly straight line. The crowd cheered and the king nodded and clapped at the nearly perfect throw. Logan let out a low whistle.

“Is Storm next?” asked Caleb.

“Nay, he’s last in the caber toss since he’s the reignin’ champion,” explained Logan. “But after MacDonald’s nearly perfect throw, Storm is goin’ to have to have the best toss of his life to beat it.”

“I’m no’ worried. No one has ever beaten Storm in the caber toss yet,” remarked Caleb.

“Except his son, Hawke, on his weddin’ day,” Logan reminded him with a chuckle as they started toward the field with Jack leading the way.