Mazey hesitated. Once she asked for help, it could not be unasked. “Ah’m sorry to interrupt ye. Ah don’t know what else to do.”
Lara’s face wore a look of concern. “Balloch’s out on a scouting trip. Come in and visit.” She stepped aside and let Mazey inside her quarters.
The room felt warm and comfortable. Her bairn was on the bed in the room's corner, sound asleep. Her beautiful brown curls looked angelic. The fire danced in the hearth merrily and the furniture was worn, but cozy. Mazey felt out of place in their little home.
“Lara, ah need yer help. Yer advice,” she began. Lara motioned for her to sit at one chair near the fire. She joined Lara and put her arms around her knees, pulling them in close to her.
“What is it?”
Mazey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ah’m with child.”
Lara smiled, but then frowned. “Ye don’t seem happy about it.”
“Ah have something ah have told no one.” She trembled. She steeled her nerves. “Ah was with child once before. Hume hit me so hard, I lost the baby. Ah bled for two weeks before she passed.” Her voice cracked and her chest felt tight. It was hard to breathe. She sobbed into her hands and Lara jumped up and rubbed her back.
“Ah never knew.” She took Mazey’s hand in hers. “And now ye’re scared it’ll happen again?”
Mazey sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Aye, and now ah can feel the baby move, and ah know ah have to get away from him. He gets so angry all the time. Ah know ah’m supposed to stay with him, but ah want this bairn to live.”
Lara put her arms around Mazey in a tight hug. “We can do this. We need to talk to Balloch’s faither.”
Mazey grasped Lara’s arm. “Nay, ah don’t think that’s a good idea. What if he tells my husband? That would make him so angry.” She shuddered at the thought of what would happen to her if her husband found out she told anyone.
Lara patted Mazey’s arm and made soothing sounds. “Mazey, he won’t tell yer husband if ah ask him not to. The worst that will happen is he won’t want to help. Ah know Baile. He’ll be discreet.”
Mazey hesitated, but Lara looked so confident, her nerves calmed. “Aye, ah’ll speak to him. But please, make sure he doesn’t tell my husband.”
Lara nodded and led Mazey out the door, while her little one continued to sleep.
Baile wasn’tdifficult to find. After years of spending time with Malmuira she knew that he was usually working on something important, whether that be paperwork, writing letters or contemplating something important. This all occurred in the study that held many childhood memories. She hated to interrupt, but Lara insisted.
“Don’t worry, Mazey. He won’t mind one bit if we interrupt for something important. And he isn’t likely to retire to bed soon. He has been working on trade agreement proposals and many more topics that’ll probably keep him up all night.”
Lara knocked on the door while Mazey waited next to her, twisting her dress in her hands. “Enter,” she heard Baile holler through the door.
Both women stepped inside and shut the door behind them. The study smelled the same way Mazey remembered from years back. It was a smell she associated with Baile himself. It was a soothing mix of tobacco and books. Baile sat at his desk, scratching away at some parchment. He looked up briefly, and when he spotted Mazey, put the quill down and turned to face them.
“How may ah help ye?” He removed the pipe from his mouth and set it on the desk.
Lara sat down on a chair near Baile. Mazey sat, but looked down at her hands. If he looked too closely at her, he would see her intense fear. She quivered, not from cold, but overwhelming dread. This is a mistake.
Lara cleared her throat. “Mazey came to speak this evening about a matter of extreme delicacy. She wants to talk to ye, but is afraid of the repercussions should someone make the matter known. Ah assured her ye would be discreet and keep the matter within these walls.”
Baile didn’t speak, which sparked curiosity. She risked a glance. He caught her eyes with his and stared back at her unscrupulously. “Ah’m a busy man and don’t have time for idle gossip. If ye bring this matter, it ought to be important. I will keep it discreet, but consider if it worth my time. Ah have a lot on my plate as of late.”
Mazey’s gaze snapped back to her hands. She felt a tear fall and drip down onto her hand. “Ah’m not sure, my Laird.”
Lara put her arm on Mazey’s shoulder and squeezed. “Mazey, it is worth his time, or ah wouldn’t have brought ye here. Tell him, please.”
Mazey took a deep breath and shuddered. She could already feel the sharp bit of Hume’s belt on her back. “Ah just…” she trailed off, not sure how to start.
Baile waited patiently for her to continue. His bright eyes narrowed on her and his brow furrowed in concentration. She saw this look before aimed at Malmuira. Usually when he attempted patience.
She summoned the last of her ragged courage and spoke in a voice that conveyed a confidence she didn’t feel. “Ah’m with child. Ah’m afraid ah’ll lose this one.” She paused, unsure if she should continue.
“All right, what does this have to do with me?” She could tell this strained his patience.
Mazey looked to Lara, who shook her head. She would not speak for Mazey. “Last time ah was with child, ah lost the child after ah fell.” She didn’t know what to say after that. Should she be honest and tell them what happened? Memories hit her head on. She felt a pressure in her face, a whooshing sound in her ears and the room faded out. Suddenly she was back in her house and Hume was there.
