* * *
Emelie and Dominic passed the night in Laurel and Brodie’s chamber. Emelie held a cool compress to Laurel’s forehead while Dominic sat silently by the fire. They convinced Brodie to sleep in spurts, arguing that he needed to be awake during the day, too. When Brodie was awake and insisted that he care for his wife, Emelie nestled against Dominic’s chest as he held her. She dozed as she sat on his lap, but she knew he didn’t sleep at all. He said someone had to stand watch over her, Brodie, and Laurel. Emelie wanted to argue, but Dominic was resolute.
Morning passed into afternoon, then into evening. Laurel woke for much of the daylight hours, but she was too fatigued to do anything more than watch the surrounding people. The weather had grown worse, and there were periodic reports of flooding in the village. Laurel refused Brodie’s demands that someone fetch Nora. She didn’t want to be responsible for Nora being injured if her horse spooked in the thunder or if the older woman caught the ague.
By day three of Laurel’s illness and the foul weather, reports were steadily arriving of flooding in many of the outlying villages, and two deaths from people being washed away by swollen rivers. Brodie was torn between not wanting to leave Laurel’s side and knowing he had a duty to ride out and help their clan. Emelie watched the intimidating warrior humbled by his fear for his wife’s wellbeing. It didn’t thrill Dominic to leave Emelie, but he insisted he would go on patrol and visit those who were suffering.
“Em, I don’t want to leave you here alone, but I can’t let Brodie go out there while Laurel is ill. Neither of us would ever forgive ourselves,” Dominic said as they stood together in their chamber. He tossed three leines and three plaids into a saddlebag along with as many pairs of stockings as he had. Someone had brought his belongings from his old chamber, sparing him the onerous task. He hadn’t asked questions when he returned to the chamber one afternoon and found his chests against the wall; he simply thanked Laurel.
“Wheesht,” Emelie said with a lopsided grin. “Dinna fash. I’ll be fine here. You’re right. You are the one who needs to go, and Brodie needs to stay. No one else is ailing, so mayhap whatever is wrong with Laurel is a fluke, or mayhap her body is merely adjusting once again to having a bairn. If her babe comes out aught like Brodie, he’ll be a colossus too. She may be taller than me, but she isn’t that big. Poor woman is likely to give birth to a bairn the size of a three-moon-old.”
“But I don’t think you are going to rest if I’m not here to insist. You’re trying to do everything Laurel does during the day, then serve as her nursemaid at night. I fear you will exhaust yourself, and then you will fall ill.”
“I’ll take care of myself, of us.” Emelie placed Dominic’s hand over her belly. They’d whispered while Laurel and Brodie slept, and they’d finally begun talking about the babe with anticipation. They told one another stories about what they wanted to emulate and avoid from their own parents’ experiences. It convinced Emelie that Dominic would be a wonderful father, and her excitement grew the more time they spent together.
With Laurel’s illness, there had been no time to consider their missed opportunities for intimacy. A different, but just as necessary, type of intimacy bloomed between them. “I’m afraid for you, Dom. I’m scared for you being outside in this. I know you will have to sleep on the ground. I’m scared something will happen, and you will be one of the people washed away.”
Dominic pulled Emelie into his embrace, and he felt her tremble. Looking at her, he saw her concern. But it wasn’t until her body pressed against his that he understood her fear. He leaned back and cupped her jaw. “I am coming home to you, Em. To you and our bairn. Naught will keep me from that. I want it too much.”
“I pray Mother Nature listens to you and doesn’t have other plans.”
“Wheesht,” Dominic mumbled before kissing her. They walked to the main doors of the keep. Laurel had taught Emelie how to wear a plaid as an arisaid, so Dominic pulled the extra fabric up over Emelie’s head and shoulders. She grasped the edges and clenched it beneath her chin. “Send word if you need me. The council knows which route we’re taking.”
“I will. Just please be careful, Dom.”
“I will, sparrow. I’ll be home and underfoot before you know it.”
“I will hold you to that promise, wolf.” With an all-too-brief kiss goodbye, Emelie watched Dominic and half a dozen guardsmen ride out into the storm. She looked at the early afternoon sky. An onlooker could confuse it for the night. The clouds blocked out all but the sun’s most persistent rays. Driving rain pelted the ground, creating puddles that reached mid-calf. Protected by the overhang above the door, Emelie watched until she could no longer see Dominic or the other men. Resigned to waiting, Emelie made her way inside and looked for Aggie. She would ensure everything was ready for the evening meal.
* * *
Brodie spent his mornings alone with Laurel but, with much regret, he dragged himself to his solar in the afternoons. He couldn’t neglect all clan business, especially with his tánaiste away. Emelie kept Laurel company in the afternoons. She spent the first two nights after Dominic left in the laird and lady’s chamber. But as Laurel improved, Emelie offered the couple their privacy. She found Brodie’s hovering endearing, even if Laurel didn’t. She supposed she would feel as Laurel did if Dominic pestered her like Brodie did Laurel. But it also made her miss Dominic more.
Emelie realized that while his protectiveness had inadvertently put a wedge between them in the beginning, once they’d had it out, she appreciated him even more. The small things he did while she tended to Laurel proved he didn’t see Emelie as a duty. He genuinely cared. He’d held her when she slept and requested Berta send up foods he knew Emelie liked and that would keep her from growing hungry during the wee hours of the night. He’d ordered a bath for her in their chamber every night, reluctantly leaving her just before she stripped off her chemise. He only did so because he promised to take Emelie’s place beside Laurel and Brodie while she bathed.
Emelie was eager for Dominic to return so that she might return the favor. She couldn’t fathom how cold and miserable he must be since the rain refused to cease. She was determined to have a bath ordered the moment the men on the wall walk spotted Dominic’s return. She would carry a tray laden with food to their chamber herself. In preparation, she asked Aggie for all the blankets she could spare. The woman had looked at her oddly but nodded. Aggie watched as Emelie spread them over the bed, one layer after another, then peeled them back. They laid at the foot of the bed, ready to pull them over the bed’s occupant. Aggie smiled and nodded when Emelie caught the aging housekeeper watching her.
“Ye’re good for the lad.”
Emelie had no opportunity to respond or ask what Aggie meant. The woman scuttled off to some other task. Emelie did what she could around the keep, but she didn’t dare work on the ledgers. She hadn’t learned Laurel’s system yet, and she didn’t want to create a mess. But she helped mold more candles and took an inventory of the larder and suggested what they should bring up to the kitchens. She helped bake the morning bread and surprised many at how quickly she peeled vegetables.
Emelie laughed and explained that her mother made her top and tail green beans and peel vegetables as a punishment, and Emelie frequently found herself in trouble as a child. Of the three sisters, she was always the most precocious. When her belly bumped against the table as she reached across it for another bowl, it was a silent reminder of what trouble she’d gotten herself into this time. The change in her body was subtle and not yet noticeable with her clothes on, but she was certain she could see a small rounding to the bottom of her abdomen. She wondered if Dominic would notice.
“I swear to you, Laurel. I saw a pair of ducks, a pair of pigs, and a pair of goats walking together toward the river. One even asked me if I’d seen Noah,” Emelie teased as she sat beside Laurel on the edge of the bed. It had been four days since Dominic rode out and a full sennight since Laurel nearly collapsed. She developed no symptoms other than extreme exhaustion. No one could explain the reason for her sudden illness other than to say it was one of the trials of carrying a babe.
“And has an ark sailed into the bay?” Laurel teased.
“It’s due any day now,” Emelie answered with false solemnity, but she burst into laughter, unable to keep a straight face.
“Speaking of things being due…” Laurel gave Emelie a pointed look.
“Aggie already figured it out, and so did Ethel, but Aggie swore her to secrecy. I don’t think we can keep it to ourselves much longer. I need my gowns loosened more each day, and I can’t get half of mine over my bust.”
“I have naught to do but sew while I’m stuck in bed. Aggie can help me by pinning the gowns I can no longer wear either. Then I’ll alter them for you. And before you argue, I need something to do. I can admit I’m not back to full fettle yet, but I also don’t need to sleep as much. Sewing will keep me occupied and keep Brodie alive. The mon is wonderful, but I didn’t nickname him ‘bear’ for naught. He can be as ornery as a bear with a burr in its paw.”
“Or a thistle.” Emelie winked. She’d heard the couple’s pet names for one another. It made her smile because it always made her think of how Dominic called her sparrow and how much she enjoyed calling him wolf.
“Aye, well…” Laurel shrugged.
