Lilliana recognized her at once. Mistress Ailsa, the woman Fergus had mentioned more than once, the one the village trusted most.
Ailsa’s gaze snapped to Lilliana the moment she entered. It was not welcoming.
“What is she doing here?” a woman near the wall muttered. Her tone was hostile, sharp, meant to cut.
Lilliana recognized her from her stance. Strong shoulders. Hard eyes. A woman used to making decisions in her own home.
That must be the distrustful one.
Ailsa lifted a hand, not dismissive but firm. “We have enough people underfoot,” she said, brogue thick. “If ye are here to stare, go home.”
“I am not here to stare,” Lilliana replied, forcing calm into her voice. “Tell me what you see, and tell me what you need.”
Ailsa studied her for a long moment. Then, as if deciding whether Lilliana was worth the time, she jerked her chin towards the bed. “Breech,” she said simply. “Feet first.”
Lilliana’s blood ran cold.
Mairi lay on a pallet, hair plastered to her forehead, face pale, lips trembling. Her husband hovered near the door like a man who did not know where to put his hands. A young girl, perhaps her sister, held a cloth to Mairi’s brow and sobbed quietly.
Lilliana moved closer. “Mairi,” she said gently. “It is Lady McGill. Look at me.”
Mairi’s eyes flickered open, glassy and exhausted. “I cannae,” she whispered. “I cannae do it.”
“You can,” Lilliana said firmly. “You will.”
Ailsa’s mouth tightened, but she did not contradict her.
The distrustful woman near the wall barked a sharp laugh. “Aye, say that to her. English words are easy.”
Lilliana kept her gaze on Mairi. “Mistress Ailsa, what do you want me to do?”
Ailsa hesitated. Then she nodded towards the pot. “Boiled cloths. More hot water. And if ye have any laudanum, keep it out of this room. She needs sense, nae sleep.”
“I have no laudanum,” Lilliana said quickly. “But I have raspberry leaf and a little peppermint.”
Ailsa’s eyes narrowed on her. “Raspberry leaf is for strengthening. Peppermint is for nausea. Ye ken what ye are holding.”
“I do,” Lilliana said.
That earned her the smallest shift in Ailsa’s posture. Not approval, but acknowledgment.
Lilliana set to work at once, hands moving with purpose. She boiled clean cloths, laid out cord, and placed warmed towels near the bed. She spoke little, saving her words for when they mattered.
The distrustful woman watched her the entire time.
Finally, as another contraction seized Mairi, Ailsa braced her hands and said, “Now, push when I tell ye.”
Mairi screamed, and Lilliana’s heart clenched painfully. She had read descriptions, but the raw reality of it made her knees tremble.
Ailsa’s jaw tightened. “There,” she murmured. “I see the feet.”
Lilliana stepped closer. “Can I support her?”
Ailsa nodded once. “Hold her shoulders. Keep her steady.”
Lilliana slid behind Mairi and wrapped an arm under her shoulders, anchoring her. Mairi clutched her sleeve with desperate strength.
“I cannae,” she sobbed.
