It was clean enough. She just needed to lie down on something that was not moving.
Rose did not appear right away with supper, nor to help her change into her nightgown but Penelope did not really care. She’d spilled the contents of her stomach so many times over the last seventy-two hours that the last thing she wanted was food. She just wanted to sleep and sleep and sleep.
Penelope did not know how long she’d dozed off when she heard voices whispering inside of the room. “She’s not seen a doctor for it, and I’m concerned for both her and the babe,” Rose was saying.
“And you say she has been carrying now for how long? Just over three months?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Who was Rose talking to? Penelope moaned and opened her eyes.
Rose bent down beside her quickly. “Pen, I’ve brought a midwife here to examine you. I can’t deliver you to your husband in this condition, now can I?” Just as Penelope thought to chastise her maid, she realized that Rose was leading the midwife to believe Penelope was married.
“Now, Mrs. Chesterton, your maid says you haven’t been feeling well. If you are amenable, I’d like to examine you to make certain all is going well for both you and your baby. Can you roll over onto your back for me?”
Penelope was so miserable she did exactly as the woman’s calming voice asked. “It’s all right, Pen, Mrs. Robey is a well-respected midwife. The innkeeper’s wife said she assisted all of her daughters with their births and didn’t lose a single one of them.”
The woman pulled the covers down to Penelope’s knees and then placed her hands upon her belly. Neither Rose nor the midwife spoke for several minutes as the exam took place. Penelope opened her eyes, however, and watched Mrs. Robey’s expression as her hands palpitated and pressed almost uncomfortably into Penelope’s abdomen. She frowned a few times before sitting back and pulling the blanket upward again.
“You are certain you did not come to be with child any earlier?”
Penelope nodded emphatically and then grimaced at the pain the movement brought her.
“I think there is more than one baby. In my experience, a lady carrying more than one infant begins showing sooner and also often suffers from the maladies of breeding more so than most women carrying only one child.”
“What?” Rose said.
“What?” Penelope tried sitting up. “That cannot be! Two?”
The woman nodded grimly. “Or more. But your womb is larger than it would be if you carried only one child and what with the symptoms your maid has described to me…” She then shrugged. “I must advise you against any more travel. Your condition would be considered dangerous by many.”
“But I have to get there. I don’t have a choice.” Penelope and Rose’s eyes met for a moment, both in shock at what the midwife was saying.
Rose then turned back to Mrs. Robey. “My mistress is very far from home. She has no choice but to complete her journey. Is there nothing you can give to her so that she is more comfortable? Is there anything we can do to ensure her travel can be accomplished safely?”
The midwife pinched her lips but then nodded. “I have a few herbal teas I can send with you for the upset stomach. Peppermint, mostly. And your driver needs to proceed slowly. It is the bumping and the jarring that are worrisome. Too much of that sort of thing can cause the babies to come too early.”
Babies.Bay BEES, Bay BEEEES. More than one.
No wonder she already looked like a cow!
“This cannot be happening.” Penelope rolled back over onto her side and moaned again.
The midwife merely chuckled and patted her arm gently. “I want you to rest up a bit first before traveling any further. Stay here for two to three days.”
She turned to Rose. “She needs to drink plenty of fluids and try to keep some food down. The wee little things need nourishment!” Rising to her feet, she looked around for her bag and then added, “I’ll return in two days to see how she is doing. If all is well, no birthing pains, then you ought to be able to get back on the road. But, mind you, you may need to take the journey in stages. If your mistress grows weak again, you will have to take another rest.”
“Of course,” Rose said obediently. Why did she never speak so submissively when addressing her, Penelope wondered?
More than one?
What have I done?
Chapter 16
When Hugh was done speaking with the vicar, he walked the man out to the foyer and mentally braced himself to view his mother’s body. The funeral would be held tomorrow. It was practically June, and the weather was already warm. The body could not be kept aboveground for even a day longer.
When he stepped into the room, a combined aroma of perfumes and death nearly overwhelmed him. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and raised it to his nose and mouth.
