He laughed. “I dinnae think that will be a problem. And ye will have some girls. I am fair sure of it.”
“A girl with six big uncles, a cousin, and assorted other men and boys keeping a watch over her. Not sure I would want to do that to any girl.”
Iain laughed. “It would be a hard road for the wee lass.” He kissed her cheek. “But I do think I want a wee lass with your fair hair and bonnie eyes.”
“How about we just enjoy being the two of us for a while?”
“A very good idea, Mrs. MacEnroy.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Two years later
“He said he would be here. We had such a nice visit when he came for the wedding and he asked if I planned to have children because he wanted to be sure to be there for my firstborn,” Emily said, looking out through the open gates from where she stood in the doorway. “He wanted to see the birth of our son and I wrote him as soon as I knew I was carrying your child. I cannot think of what has happened to him. He always does what he says he will.”
Iain walked up behind her, put his arms around her, and placed his hands on her belly. “It will be a wee lass.”
He grinned when she sighed. They had been having the same disagreement for nine long months, starting it before he had even realized she was carrying his child. Mrs. O’Neal was kept busy judging every change in Emily and still had not decided what she was having. Emily felt it was sure to be a boy because he had six brothers. He simply felt it was time for a change and, he admitted, he enjoyed poking at her conviction that it was a boy.
“And then there are the troubles he may have to go through.” She twisted her hands as she fretted. “I had not realized how wide it had spread or how vicious it had become when I wrote him.” She turned in his arms and looked up at him, her well-rounded belly pushing her from him. “There is so much that could happen to him as he travels here.”
“I dinnae think traveling across England is all that safe, either, love.”
“No, but they are not a country torn apart all trying to kill each other. Not for a few hundred years anyway.”
“A lot of people travel about the country still and do so safely. I agree, it is a bad time but that doesnae mean he will suffer for it.”
She rubbed her belly and thought on warning him that she was fairly certain she was in labor. Inwardly she then shook her head. The minute she said anything he would get all commanding, ordering everyone about and making her go lie down. She could have hours yet before she gave birth and she did not want to spend them all confined to her bed.
The ache had been there when she had woken up in the morning. Emily had asked every woman she knew who had borne a child what their birthing pains had been like and how they had begun, how they felt as they strengthened and how they knew it was getting near time to have the baby. They had all been honest with her even though they had been reluctant at first, afraid of terrifying her. She had convinced them that she was fully aware that birthing a child was a painful business and all she wanted to know was how painful and how to recognize when she was actually in labor.
Right now all she was truly worried about was where her grandfather was. There had not been the time to warn him about the troubles. She had written to him as soon as she had realized the scope of the rift that had split the country but mail was neither swift nor sure. Emily doubted her letter would have gotten to him in time to stop him.
Iain’s hand covered hers and she realized she had been rubbing her stomach the whole time she had been thinking. She glanced up at him and he was frowning down at her belly. Curious as to what he might be seeing she looked down. The man’s hand was still resting there and she knew her belly was harder than it had been, the baby still. Emily was not sure he could feel that ache that had woken her up this morning but she began to wonder.
“Emily?” he said quietly.
She returned her gaze to the gates and wondered what she could say only to tense as a big, fancy carriage came rolling through. A carriage she knew very well. Her grandfather had had his own people build it for him and it had a lot of comforts from the fold-down table to the seats that were easily changed to beds. The people who got to see the inside all wanted to buy it or have him make one for them.
“He is here,” she cried out softly, pleased to see that her grandfather had arrived and eager to see he was hale.
His Grace climbed out of the carriage the moment it stopped and she sighed with relief. The man was accustomed to his title working to keep him relatively protected but that title was not worth much here. His mode of travel, however, could all too easily make him a tempting target for thieves in this country of which they had far too many and all armed.
“Good Lord, girl,” her grandfather said laughingly as he stepped up to give her a hug and kiss her on the cheek, “are you sure you carry but the one?”
“Yes. Only one. I tried to get a letter to you to tell you not to come. The troubles . . .”
“I know about them. It is going to be a long bloody fight. Always is when a country is fighting itself.” He shook Iain’s hand. “Trying to keep out of the way here?”
“As much as possible, aye.”
“Smart man.”
“Come in and we will get you something to eat and drink, Grandfather.”
“That would be very welcome.” He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked inside. “Where is my heir?”
“Being fetched from the yard. If you knew about it all, why did you travel here? You should have waited until it passed.”
