Tira would be safe there with Gavin’s wife and family—och, the man had twins himself, a six-year-old boy and girl—andErrol surmised there were warriors enough to guard the castle when Gavin sailed onward to Dumbarton.
Would he insist Errol accompany him? He glanced over his shoulder at the formidable Highlander, wondering if Gavin might allow him to stay behind with Tira—if only for a week or so, aye, surely enough time for Errol to show her how much he loved her and wanted her to become his wife.
That much longed-for outcome set him to praying, hard, for all to go well with her during the birth.
Aye, that Brody would know how to help her, a more muffled scream carrying to Errol from the cargo well.
Was Tira biting upon a strip of leather as the pains grew worse? Or burying her face against a pillow?
Errol prayed, too, that the wind would continue to fill the billowing sail, no clouds marring the bright blue sky in sharp contrast to the foul weather during their journey north that had caused huge, white-foamed waves to break angrily over the prow.
Anything to ease the birth for Tira, whose screams had grown more guttural as if she pushed upon something with all her might—aye, the strongest bairn if there were two of them, Errol was certain of it.
Surely it would soon be over. How could any woman withstand such agony for long? He had never felt so powerless in his life, his hands clenched into fists and his heartbeat roaring in his ears—until suddenly, the lusty squall of a babe came from the cargo well and the entire crew erupted in a cheer.
Errol could not help himself, but rushed to the canvas covering still pulled so tight, only for Brody to throw it back and announce with a shout, “The lass has a son, aye, healthy and strong!”
Another cheer went up, but then a piercing scream rent the air and Brody ducked back inside, though this time he forgot to pull the canvas closed.
Errol peering down into the lamplit space to see Brody bent over between Tira’s upraised knees as she began to grunt and strain again, her breathing coming faster.
“Sutherland, dinna dare tae go down there!” came Gavin’s roar from the stern, and it was all Errol could do to obey him as another babe’s weaker cry made unexpected moisture blind his eyes.
“The lass has a wee daughter, too—now close that blasted canvas, man!”
Errol obliged Brody without hesitation as Gavin strode to the cargo well, leaving another crewman at the helm.
To Errol’s surprise, Gavin slapped him so hard upon that back that he was knocked forward, but caught himself from falling by grabbing some rigging.
“Twins, Sutherland—a lad and a lass, the same as my own! They’re a handful when newly born, aye, twice of everything, crying, eating, and soiling, but Cora has serving maids aplenty tae help Tira manage her new family.Yourfamily if she will have you, and I pray she will once she grows strong and whole again. Are you up tae the task?”
His family, Errol echoed in his mind, nodding and summoning a grin as if he had sired the bairns himself.
Yet he quickly sobered at the thought of Thorgren—och, would Tira ever be able to forget her suffering? Would she ever be able to overcome her shame?
When he was finally able to speak to her, he would vow upon his life to raise her bairns as his own once they married—och, but what if she no longer loved him? Mayhap that was more the reason she refused to see him. Mayhap she blamed him for not finding her sooner?—
“Whatever your dark thoughts, Sutherland, thrust them away,” came Gavin’s stern voice, Errol meeting his gaze. “You should be rejoicing that the lass still lives and her childbirth is over. Look, here’s Brody now.”
The helmsman’s footfalls were plodding as he breached the last step, a doubtful glance over his shoulder filling Errol with dread.
“Your lady is resting, but the bairns have nothing tae suckle, just as I feared. The lad is stronger and will probably survive until we reach Argyll, but the wee lass…”
“Then we will row as hard as we can under full sail tae get there more swiftly!” Gavin shouted to his crewmen who began to heave at their oars with all their might. “Relieve that man, Sutherland, and I will take the place of this one.”
Errol rushed to the nearest bench where a weary-looking crewman relinquished his oar to rest for a while as all of them had done through the night.
Aye, anything to save the newborn that he already felt was his daughter, Errol refusing to believe that Tira’s heart had grown cold to him.
Please may it not be so!
CHAPTER 6
CASTLE MACLACHLAN, ARGYLLSHIRE
Cora MacLachlan heaved a sigh at the firm rap on the bedchamber door—the same time as every morning since Tira and her wee bairns had arrived a week ago and set the entire castle into commotion.
Cora awakened from sleep by the startling news that her husband, Gavin, whom she had thought in Dumbarton with King Robert, had returned home to Argyll instead with a flaxen-haired lass weak from childbirth, two starving newborns, and a strapping Highland warrior named Errol Sutherland.
