Page 154 of Tales of Highland Loyalty

He shot her a stern look, and Nora felt a giggle rise in her throat. As soon as he turned to her, she smoothed it over. Then William cast the net into the loch, watching as it went.

"That's what I did," protested Nora, shivering.

She was cold and wet; worse still, her skirts were soaked inexplicably. Just as she was attempting to dry off, a freak wind took the glen, the net wobbled, and the rug beneath them rippled wildly, knocking over the bait. Alarmed, William leaped up.

"Och!" he huffed, instantly knocking over another jar while picking up the first.

Nora smirked. "I thought this was meant to be relaxing," she said innocently.

William pulled a face. "It is!" he insisted, as Nora choked with laughter.

"Who for? The fish? Because we havenae caught any for sure."

William gave Nora a look as she struggled to stop laughing. Her rotund belly ached with giggling. If she was not careful, her water would break. Feeling a twinge down below, Nora rubbed her bump. An awful thought grabbed her: What if mah waters have already broken? Instantly, she thought of the sopping wet skirts and panicked. No way was she going to have the bairn here. Attempting to get a grip, she sighed.

The last two years had passed in an eye blink. Staring at the constantly changing sky, Nora smiled. She barely remembered her life before William. Or perhaps, she did not want to.

The memory of it left her cold. All those wasted years, consumed by hate, were gone. And she had William to thank.

Her father was banished, sent to live out his life in a distant clan allied with the Duncans. Nora would never see him again. She was not sorry, but all the same, an odd kind of pain raced through her. She had never known closeness until coming here. Now she had a ready-made family and sisters, as well as, of course, William.

And that was not all. Stroking her belly, Nora allowed herself to dream. The Duncans had followed through on their pact. The deal joining the clans went through, and now William and Nora were rulers of the new, larger clan.

But with the role had come responsibility. Nora had not known how much work being the lady of a larger clan could be. They had been busy, busier than she had ever expected. So busy that it was only now she had had time to do the one thing she really wanted.

Stopping to readjust her position, Nora smoothed her belly. A large ripple passed across it, kicking her hard.

"Och," she murmured, rubbing it softly.

William looked around at her. Dropping the net, he came close.

"Hoos oor laddie?" he asked, instantly forgetting all about the salmon.

Nora winced, then turned her head. "She's fine," she said, with a pointed nod of the head. "She is just scunnered," Nora added, smirking. "E'en from in there, fishing is dull."

Now William had his palm tentatively on Nora's belly. They were still for a while, with only the Highland wind for company. Nora gazed up. It was so peaceful.

Then a kick came from her belly, throbbing hard. His hand covering hers, William looked up.

"Och, ye alright, hen?" he asked, concerned.

Nora winced a moment, then her face smoothed.

"Aye," she said, casually slapping him with her wrist. She grinned. "Except we're both completely scunnered wi' fishing, William. 'Tis boring."

Nora made a face, which made William huff.

"Och, 'tis nae. Ye just havenae...och!"

William leaped up as a large salmon leaped in the loch before them. Nora rolled her eyes as William excitedly reached for his spear. Seeing this, Nora rolled her eyes some more. Of course, he missed, almost slipping into the water as he attempted to spear it. Steadying himself on her, Nora tried not to laugh.

"William, wouldnae it be quicker to wait for the poor wee thing to die o' auld age?" she asked, as William glowered.

He sat down. "Ye'll nae blether when ye get yer fish supper," he blasted her.

Nora just smirked. Then, pain. A deep stab took her, biting into the side of her like an animal. Perturbed, William watched her in fear.

Seeing his face, Nora scoffed, "Dinnae fash, 'tis nothing," she said, but inside she knew it was something. He had been kicking since the crack of dawn, but this was different. Panicking, Nora realized they were many miles from Duncan Castle and effectively cut off.