But this time, the culprit was not the terror of her unknown memories.
Instead of fear . . . loss swamped her.
Eilidh pressed a hand to her chest, anything to stem the flood of grief.
She wanted to run away, fast and far. But there was no outrunning this pain.
It was nearly a relief when Violet banished Ewan from the room.
Eilidh followed him out the door.
They returned to the drawing room.
Kieran arrived only moments later, a burst of sea air billowing into the room behind him. His chest heaved as if he had run the whole way from the castle. His hair was certainly windblown, askew and adorably rumpled.
But it was his instant concern for Ewan that tugged at Eilidh the most.
“How fares your lass?” he asked.
“Fine, I suppose.” Ewan paced before the fire. “I’ve been banished.”
“Ah, it’s likely for the best—”
“No!” Ewan shook his head, looking longingly at the door. “It’s not for the best. I cannae believe Violet has tae go through this without myself beside her. It’s unbearable.” He raked a hand through his hair. “We began this together. I want to finish it together.”
“Yes,” Kieran sat down, looking up at Ewan. “It is unbearable tae watch the one ye love most suffer.”
Eilidh made the enormous mistake of looking at Kieran just then.
His gaze shifted to hers.
She could see it there . . .
The double meaning in his words.
The grief mirroring her own.
She looked away, but the pulse in her throat continued to pound and the raw ache in her chest did not abate.
Violet’s labor seemednever-ending.
Kieran had no idea how Ewan was dealing with the strain of it.
He and Eilidh kept Ewan company in the drawing room—playing cards and listening to Eilidh readIvanhoe.Ewan and Kieran spent nearly two hours swapping stories about their time aboardThe Minerva.
Ewan paced occasionally, clearly agitated.
His words kept to one theme and one theme only.
“It is absurd that the father isnae allowed to attend the birth,” he said. “It feels wrong. This is my child, too. This is something the person I love more than anything must suffer through. Why should Violet do this alone? Why not allow me to take part in the birth of our child?”
Every hour or so, one of Violet’s sisters would arrive with an update.
“Violet is in good spirits,” or “The pain grows worse, but she is managing.”
Afternoon melted into evening. Kieran and Eilidh had dinner and then supper, but Ewan ate little.
“I cannae remember a time when ye didnae have the appetite of an ox,” Kieran noted.
