“Perhaps if you go to her,” suggested Connor.
“Shut up.”
“Just poke your head in and check on her. I assure you this is all perfectly normal.”
“Shut up!”
Connor had five healthy children to his name, and sat placidly in the corridor while Duncan paced. “The louder she gets, the closer she is,” Connor said. “I’m sure it would comfort her to see you.”
With a furious noise, Duncan turned and went to the stairs. Another bitten off scream propelled him faster.
“Where are you going?” asked Connor.
“Away! Downstairs!”
He couldn’t bear the screaming any longer. It turned his stomach. It seemed like yesterday that Lenore had screamed, Devil, get away from me! He didn’t want to be in earshot when Cait began to scream the same recriminations. He should be with her, but there was no way he could set foot in that room. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn’t bear for her to scream at him. He couldn’t bear to see her suffer for what he’d done to her.
He was nearly to the hall when Edana’s voice halted him.
“Duncan! You are needed at once!”
“Why?” He spun in a panic. “What is it? Why?”
“Your wife is calling for you. Don’t you hear?”
He turned his head to the stairs, listening.
Duncan! Duncan, come to me!
“I can’t go. You must understand, Edana— I can’t bear it—”
“I do not care to hear what you can’t bear,” she snapped impatiently. “What of Caitlyn? How is she to bear it when the husband she needs, the husband she calls for is too selfish to come to her side?”
“Edana—”
“Come now. The baby will be born within the hour. Come to your wife’s side and help her cope. The pain is terrible. She’s tired. She’s frightened. She needs your strength now.”
With a stifled curse, Duncan headed back to the stairwell. From the look on Edana’s face he thought she would drag him herself if he didn’t, and find success.
“Duncan! Duncan!” Cait cried his name between screams. “Duncan, where are you? Come to me!”
Devil, get away from me!
No, this wasn’t at all the same.
He ran suddenly, ran to her as fast as his legs would carry him. He burst into the room to find Henna supporting her as she plodded unsteadily across the room.
“Why isn’t she in bed?”
“Duncan! Help me!” Cait cried.
“Why aren’t you in bed?”
“Just help me! The baby’s coming—” Again she groaned, bearing down at Henna’s urgent cries. Edana knelt to check beneath the blanket Cait clutched around her shoulders.
“Hold her, Duncan,” Edana said. “Support her so she can push the baby out. In a moment, Cait, when you feel the urge, you need to push, and you shall have a babe.”
“I can’t. I’m tired,” she sobbed.
“You can!” Duncan ordered. “You will.” He braced her with his arms and held her when the next scream came. At Edana’s urging, Cait ground her teeth and bore down.
“Carefully, carefully,” said Edana, guiding the baby out. “There now,” she said. “Duncan, help her to the bed. Let her lie down and rest while I tend to your beautiful new baby girl.”
“My new baby girl?” Duncan echoed in amazement. “Cait, we have a daughter.”
Cait looked back at him, proud and exhausted.
They had all survived.
* * * * *
Duncan watched in fascination as the women tended the baby. She was so weak, so tiny, although they insisted she was hardy as a soldier. They laughed fondly as she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Listen to that temper,” Henna said. “I remember a certain earl who wailed the exact same way when he was born.”
Duncan smiled and pulled his sleeping wife closer into the shelter of his arms. “She may have my temper, but she is Caitlyn’s daughter through and through, is she not?”
Edana stroked the baby’s black shock of hair. “She has Cait’s hair, but her eyes favor yours, I think. She is a fine baby, healthy as the day is long. Your wife did well,” she said with a hint of mother’s pride. “Even you managed to survive the birth somehow.”
Duncan barely registered her teasing comment. He was preoccupied by Cait sleeping in his arms, warm and tired and well and beautiful. She had survived. She had borne his child easily. Well, not easily. It didn’t seem that way to him, although Henna and Edana went on and on about how smoothly the birth had gone.
The next one will be even easier, Henna had promised. The first is the hardest.
The next one? It was far too soon to think about it, but Duncan was glad to hear it would never be so difficult again.
Henna swaddled the baby girl and she finally quieted. She brought her to the bed, lying her gently down between Duncan and Cait.
“What will ya call the wee lass?” asked Henna.
Duncan looked at the tiny miracle between them. “I don’t know. I think I had better wait until Cait awakens. I don’t know much of girlish names. And I’m sure she’ll want a say.”
The baby squirmed and turned her head insistently, then just as quickly fell back to sleep.
“She can’t decide if she wants to sleep or eat first,” said Edana.
Duncan laughed. “Just like Caitlyn, sleep wins.”
The low rumble of Duncan’s laughter awakened Cait, and she looked around in confusion. “Where is the babe?”
“Right beside ya, lass,” chuckled Henna. “She’s as tired as you are.”
Cait looked down at her with a mother’s wonder. Duncan watched the emotion flit across her face—surprise, adoration, and deep joy.
“Oh, Duncan,” Cait breathed, looking up at him.
“She’s perfect, isn’t she?” he whispered.
“Oh yes. Worth the wait.”
&n
bsp; Cait was too busy admiring her new daughter to notice the blush rising in Duncan’s cheeks at that reminder of his foolish fears and delays.
“She looks just like you, doesn’t she?” He smiled. “All that black hair. And her eyes are blue.”
“What are we going to call her, Duncan?”
“I rather thought I’d leave that up to you. You’ll need a bonny name for such a bonny lass as she.”
“I’ll have to consider on it a while,” she said, yawning.
“And how are you, Cait? Do you feel all right?”
“I feel...perfect,” she answered drowsily.
“Perfectly exhausted,” teased Duncan. “Go back to sleep. I’ll watch our daughter. You should rest.”
“Okay, I’ll try. But I’m really almost too excited to sleep.”
Duncan laughed as her eyes began to shut again before she even finished her words.
“Duncan, thank you,” she managed to murmur through the haze of sleepiness.
“Thank you? You’re thanking me?”
“For coming to me when I called you. I needed you, Duncan, and you came. I need you with me, always. Forever.”
He stroked her face tenderly. “Not nearly as much as I need you.”
Chapter Eighteen
The baby was fed and changed and swaddled tightly, lain to nap in her tiny cradle.
“Sweet thing,” crooned Henna as she rocked her to and fro. Cait smiled. The old woman could hardly abide to be away from baby Bonny for a moment, even now that nearly two weeks had passed.
“She sleeps, Henna. Go now and have some time to yourself.”
“Oh, I don’t mind watching her for ya. You go ahead. I’ll come for you when she needs to be fed again.”
“But you have watched her all day.”
“Run along now,” Henna insisted. “Go and visit with your husband. He’ll be wanting to spend time with his wife.”
Cait blushed.
“No, not that kind of time,” Henna chuckled. “You don’t let that man touch you that way for at least another month.”
“Another month?” asked Cait with dismay.