Laren didn’t miss the fierce blush upon the woman’s face. Perhaps it was unnecessary meddling, but she said, “Lady Harkirk will need a place to live, now that the fortress is gone. Will you provide her with an escort?”
“Anywhere she wishes to go.”
Alex approached with Adaira’s hand in his. Laren lifted her daughter into her arms, kissing her soft cheek. “Shall I escort you home as well, Lady?”
Laren’s answer was a smile.
Overthenextfewmonths, it became impossible for Laren to blow any more glass, for her pregnancy had made it too difficult to balance the pipes. With Ramsay and Monroe’s help, she’d finished the windows. Alex had delivered the completed panels to the abbot a sennight ago.
She was thankful beyond words to be done with the work, for she could no longer stand for any length of time. It seemed that her stomach had swollen to enormous proportions, and she’d had to work in bare feet, for her shoes would no longer fit. She hardly slept any more and her back ached all the time.
Though Alex tried to help her, there was nothing he could do. Nairna was the only one who fully sympathised with her, for her own pregnancy was progressing as well. And although they were only a few months apart, Laren’s girth far surpassed Nairna’s.
“Are you certain it will be at least two more moons before this bairn is born?” Nairna asked, as they walked along the shores of the loch. The summer wind blew across the water and Laren was grateful for the breeze.
“I’ve no doubt this child will be born in autumn, not the summer.” Laren sent her a faltering smile, adding, “Somehow, I’ll manage.”
In the distance, the sunlight illuminated the castle keep, that was nearly completed in stone. Since they’d defeated Lord Harkirk, the MacKinlochs had gained more support from the neighboring clans. The MacLachors had merged their clan with the MacKinlochs, and the added men had made it easier to rebuild.
Laren had started working inside the castle keep to be with Alex more often. He’d built a stone table for her, and she spent her hours cutting the glass and piecing it together with lead lines while Ramsay and Monroe had taken over the glassmaking. She smiled to herself, remembering how her husband would often find an excuse to come inside, just to steal a kiss or to visit her.
The cream-colored gown she wore was strained across her belly, and she walked along the shores of the loch with Nairna this morn, letting the cool water soothe her swollen ankles. A sudden pain rippled across her spine, radiating in a tight contraction.
Laren stopped walking, pressing a hand to her back. It hurt, but she didn’t want to alarm Nairna. It wasn’t at all unusual to feel pain during the last few months. When Nairna paled, she reassured her, “It’s just harder to walk. The child is positioned so low, I have to stop along the way. If you want to go on ahead, I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not in a hurry.” Nairna waited beside her, and Laren took a deep breath. Each step was excruciating, but she kept reminding herself that soon she would be back at home. She could lie down, put her feet up and rest.
Spots swam before her eyes, and she gripped Nairna’s hand a little harder than she’d meant to.
“You’re in pain, aren’t you?” Nairna said. “Don’t lie to me about this. You need help.”
Laren took another step and felt a light pop. Then a warm wetness ran down her legs. No. Not this. It was far too soon for this child to be born.Please, God, no.
“Laren?” Nairna whispered in a small voice. “We need to get Alex. Your gown—“
“My birth waters broke, that’s all.” She steadied herself, not wanting to frighten Nairna. But she knew that once the waters were gone, there was no stopping the child from coming.
Nairna took her hand. “It’s not the birth waters that worry me, Laren. It’s the . . . the blood.”
Chapter Eighteen
“You’renotsupposedtobe here when she’s giving birth,” Grizel ordered.
“She’s my wife.” Alex tried to push his way past his mother, but she blocked the chamber door.
“This child will be born too soon,” his mother said quietly. “The chances of it being able to breathe on its own aren’t good. Laren knows it.” She touched his shoulder, her face weary. “I am sorry that it had to happen to both of you again.”
The anguish of losing another child wasn’t something Alex wanted to face at all, but he would never leave Laren’s side if it happened.
He pushed his mother aside and opened the door. Laren was lying naked upon the bed, holding her stomach with both hands. She was trembling with pain, her eyes closed tightly. A coverlet lay discarded beside her.
From the worry on the women’s faces, he knew it wasn’t going well. Nairna was holding a rosary, silently praying, while Vanora wiped Laren’s forehead with a damp cloth.
“I’m here,a ghràidh.“ He moved to sit beside his wife, and Laren’s eyes opened.
“I want to talk with Alex alone,” she said to the other women. With a weak smile, she added, “It will be hours yet. I’ll call out if I need you.”
Vanora and Nairna obeyed, closing the door behind them. Grizel didn’t look pleased about being dismissed, but she left after a sharp look from Alex.
