Page 40 of Highlander’s Dangerous Love

Gemma had to take a moment to process this. She leaned against a large rock, letting go of Colin’s hands. It was as if all the wind had been knocked out of her.

“What?” she asked, still shocked.

“The long an’ short of it is…the laird couldnae give his wife a bairn. So…he asked my father tae…take on that duty.”

Well now, this was wild. Gemma’s jaw dropped open.

“He what?! So…yer father…and the Lady…they….”

Colin nodded.

“Aye. And that’s how Bryce came tae be. They agreed they’d pass off Bryce as the laird’s son. But…the affair dinnae end there.”

“Nay?” She gasped.

“Nay. Apparently…my father and Lady MacNeill have enjoyed each other’s company for quite some time. When Bryce was injured at the hunt, he had tae go back tae the castle. ‘Tis how he found out. He saw them in the act.”

Gemma’s face reddened at the thought. She could not even begin to imagine how she’d feel if she saw her mother in such an intimate act with another man who was not her husband. For a moment, she felt some sympathy for Bryce — but only for a moment. He’d still sent Colin away, after all.

“So…ye were forced tae leave,” she surmised. “Bryce forced ye!”

Colin nodded. “Aye, he did.”

“Ye dinnae have tae leave! I see why ye did so for yer father, but…ye are innocent!” She exclaimed, trying as hard as she could not to raise her voice.

“I suspect Bryce wanted me gone so he could marry ye himself.”

Gemma felt bile rise in her throat. She had known Bryce to be entitled, but never quite to this extent. It sickened her to her core.

“That is illegal! He cannae send ye away just for that!”

“Aye, but at the time, if I raised the issue, he would have made my father’s sins public. I couldnae bear that then. ‘Twas best we left taegether.”

She felt as if her world had been turned upside-down. If she did not trust the word of Captain Frazier, and if Bryce had conducted himself better, she might not have believed Colin. But it was also hard to deny their similar looks, as well as the laird’s lack of other children.

“Colin…why tell me this now? Why did ye wait?”

“Because I dinnae ken until recently. I suspect ‘twas somethin’ my father would have brought tae the grave, but…I think he realized that…I still love ye.”

“Wait,” she said, wrinkling her nose, “so ye are not married?”

He shook his head.

“I didnae ken what else tae say that day on the cliff. I didnae want tae spill the sins of my father, so I had tae think of somethin’ ye’d believe.”

She breathed a sigh of relief at that.

“When I saw ye at the forge…I half expected tae see some other lass come out the shop an’ call ye tae supper.”

“I wouldnae do that tae ye. Or to myself. I’d miss ye too much.”

“I appreciate that,” she said in relief.

“Gemma, answer me one thing,” Colin said softly.

“Anything,” she said, and he shuffled closer, placing his hands on her waist and setting his forehead against hers.

“Do ye love Bryce? Because if ye do, I’ll leave. I’ll let ye be, an’ I’ll never come ba⁠—”