“Sit still,” Mairi warned again.
Ewan sat so rigidly Ariella feared he might topple backward.
Ariella shifted carefully and guided the baby into his arms, supporting her head and shoulders. Ewan’s expression turned serious, mouth slightly open in concentration.
“Oh,” he breathed. “She’s warm.”
Isla’s eyes widened. She took a step closer, then stopped.
“Isla,” Mairi said gently, “do ye want to hold her?”
Isla looked like she might faint. “I think?”
Moira snorted. “Aye, she does.”
Isla glared at her. “Nay. I’ll drop her.”
“Ye willnae,” Ariella said softly. “Ye’ve carried hot pots since ye were small. Ye have steadier hands than ye think.”
Isla’s gaze flicked to the baby and softened, but fear still held her back. “She’s… so small.”
Mairi’s voice turned warm, coaxing. “Come here. I’ll show ye.”
Callum paused with a cup in hand, watching.
Maxwell, still standing near the hearth, shifted slightly. His arms were folded, but his posture looked less like defense now and more like quiet observation.
Ariella noticed him watching Isla with something faintly approving, as if he understood fear better than anyone in the room.
“Come,” Mairi urged. “Hold yer hands out.”
Isla stepped forward slowly, as if approaching a wild animal.
Mairi guided Ewan’s arms, then Isla’s hands, and the baby was transferred with careful precision.
Isla’s breath caught. “Oh.”
The baby squirmed slightly, then settled again, small face pressed into Isla’s sleeve.
Isla’s eyes filled instantly. “She’s… she’s trusting me.”
Moira’s expression softened, just for a heartbeat, before she cleared her throat and ruined it. “Daenae cry on her.”
Isla shot her a look through tears. “I am nae.”
Ariella’s chest ached pleasantly at the sight. Life, simple and honest, inside these small stone walls.
She glanced toward Maxwell.
He had moved closer without realizing it, nearer to the table now. His jaw was still tight, but he looked less like a laird measuring threats and more like a man standing in a room where he did not know where to put his hands.
Callum set down cups and stepped toward Mairi, fussing with her shawl. “Are ye warm enough? Do ye need more water? Should ye lie back down?”
Mairi rolled her eyes. “If ye ask me one more question, I’ll name the baby Moira just to punish ye.”
Moira barked a laugh. “Do it. I dare ye.”
Callum’s mouth twitched. “Ye wouldnae.”
