“I’ll go and summon Fred,” Damien said. Clearly startled, Maggie turned her head at the sound of the earl’s deep voice.
“Lord Saunders?” Maggie croaked in puzzlement.
“Is going to get your husband,” Isabella stated in a soothing tone. Isabella walked Damien to the door. “I don’t think she was even aware of your presence during the birth.”
“ ’Tis no wonder, with all that she suffered,” Damien replied with sympathy. He shuddered slightly with the memory. “She has safely delivered her child and the afterbirth. If no fever develops, I believe she will be fine.”
“Thank the Lord for that,” Isabella replied, rapidly whispering a small prayer of thanks.
Fred appeared suddenly on the landing, his eyes alight with hope. “I thought I heard the babe cry,” he began wistfully.
“So you did, Fred,” Damien exclaimed cheerfully. “Congratulations. You have a daughter.”
“A daughter,” Fred repeated, clearly awestruck. “And Maggie. How is Maggie, Miss Browning?”
“Exhausted,” Isabella replied with a smile. “But I know she wants to see you. Go inside.”
Needing no further encouragement, Fred bolted inside the bedchamber, anxious to see his family. Isabella’s throat tightened. How wonderful to be so loved and share such a special moment of joy with the man you adored.
“You’re not going to fall to pieces on me now, are you, Isabella?” Damien chided gently. “Not after it is all over.”
Embarrassed, Isabella averted her face from his contemplative gaze. She knew it was foolish to become embarrassed at this point, but she felt an odd closeness toward Damien. They had shared such an unusual, overwhelming experience. In a very real and strange sense, it was almost as if they had been the ones responsible for bringing this precious new life into the world, not Maggie and Fred.
“It was such an emotional ordeal,” Isabella whispered in wonder. “So miraculous. So terrifying. I shudder to think how I would have managed without your help, Damien. I knew nothing of the birth cord or the afterbirth. If not for your assistance, the child might not have been safely delivered.”
“It certainly was a humbling experience,” Damien admitted.
They descended to the second landing in silence. Fran waited below, her face strained with worry.
“Maggie has a beautiful daughter,” Isabella told her quietly. Breaking into a wide grin, the maid left quickly to alert the rest of the household.
“Now that Maggie is safely delivered of her child, Damien, it is time for us to have our discussion.” Isabella turned to-him, her expression frankly curious. “You have promised me an explanation of what you were doing in my room this evening.”
The earl faced Isabella squarely. “Maggie was in labor and needed your help,” he said with an innocent expression. “I knocked on your bedchamber door, and when you did not answer, I entered your room. I’m sorry if I startled you.”
Isabella pursed her lips. “When I awoke you were ... kissing me.”
“Did you find it repulsive?”
“Of course not, but—”
“Father! Father! Have you heard the news? Fran just told us Maggie has a new baby.”
Ian interrupted their conversation with a loud shout of excitement.
“It’s a girl,” Catherine added with breathless delight. The two children raced up the stairs to meet the earl and Isabella. “We haven’t seen the baby yet, but we heard her crying. It sounded just like a kitten, didn’t it, Ian?”
Ian nodded enthusiastically. “Fran said she would let us see Maggie and the new baby after they rested. Will you come with us, Father?”
“What in the world are you two doing up?” the earl asked in astonishment, ignoring his son’s question.
“It’s already past nine o’clock,” Ian explained patiently. “We’ve been up for ages. Mrs. Amberly is still in her bed, snoring ever so loudly, so Jenkins gave us our breakfast. We had cake.”
“Cake? For breakfast?” Isabella coughed slightly to mask her giggle. “It sounds as though you have had a most exciting morning.”
“Indeed,” the earl muttered. He glanced over at Isabella and smiled warmly. “I definitely need a strong cup of coffee. Children, I think you should accompany me down to the kitchen. I’m sure I can locate something more substantial than cake for us to eat.”
“An excellent suggestion, sir,” Isabella piped up, including herself in the invitation. “I find that I am suddenly famished.”
