“Oh, he's a beauty, Joan,” Saidh murmured, peering down at the baby in her arms. Glancing up, she grinned at her friend and added, “Ye’ve done a fine job here. Cam must be most pleased.”
“Aye. We both are,” Joan said, beaming, and then her smile turned wry as she added, “Although he was less pleased when I commented that mayhap we should give little Bearnard here a sister.”
“What?” Saidh asked on a disbelieving laugh. She knew Joan and Cam had been terrified of her getting with child to begin with, fearing she could die in childbirth. In truth, they’d done everything they could think of to avoid having the precious child she was holding. But now, Joan gave her a crooked smile and shrugged.
“It was not so bad. I survived it without even a hint of trouble so why not?”
Saidh shook her head with amusement and then glanced to the open shutters as a trumpet sounded from the wall.
“It sounds like we have company,” Joan murmured.
“Mayhap ’tis Edith,” Murine suggested, following when Saidh moved to the window.
“Aye,” Saidh murmured as she peered out. She’d been rather surprised that the other girl hadn’t been here with her and Murine for the birth. Saidh knew she’d planned to be when last they’d all visited. The four of them had become very close friends since meeting more than a year ago, which was just strange considering the circumstances under which they’d met. Saidh, Edith and Murine had been among more than a dozen women that Campbell Sinclair’s mother had invited to the family castle to tempt her son into marrying again. She’d been hoping for a grandchild, but after the death of his first wife in childbirth, Campbell hadn’t been the least interested in remarrying. His mother had decided that wouldn’t do, and had invited every unbetrothed female she could find to Castle Sinclair in the hopes that one would tempt him to re-enter the matrimonial state. She hadn’t warned him of her intentions though, planning for it to be a surprise. She, however, was the one who was surprised when Campbell arrived home with Joan in tow and announced they were married.
Some of the other girls had immediately hated Joan for stealing the man they’d hoped to win. But Saidh, Edith and Murine had ended up being the best of friends with her.
“Nay. It can no’ be Edith,” Joan announced, drawing Saidh’s attention back to the conversation at hand.
“Why not? Did Cam no’ invite her?” Saidh asked as she squinted her eyes to better see the traveling party some distance yet away from the castle. They were just specks in the distance at the moment.
“Does he no’ like Edith?” Murine asked, offering a finger for the baby Saidh still held to grab on to.
“Oh, aye, he likes all three of you,” Joan assured them both. “And he did invite her. But she was delayed and arrived late last night after we all retired.”
“Edith is here?” Saidh and Murine said as one, turning to glance at her with surprise.
Joan smiled widely. “Aye. Cam told me when the little one there woke me up with his fussing for a feeding in the middle of the night.”
“Well, where is she then?” Saidh asked with a frown.
“And what delayed her?” Murine asked.
“She is presently still abed. As I said, she arrived late,” Joan said. “I am sure she will wake up soon, but as for what delayed her—” She paused to glance at the door as a knock sounded. “Come in.”
The door opened at once, and Edith rushed in. Excitement coloring her cheeks and a happy smile on her pale face, she hurried to the bed to hug Joan. “Good morn! Sorry, I fear I slept late. But when I went down to break me fast, Cam said ye were awake so I came to see ye and the babe.” She straightened and raised an eyebrow expectantly. “So, where is this grand babe Cam was bragging about last night?”
Her gaze swung to the two women by the window when Joan pointed their way. Edith’s eyes widened, her smile growing with happiness as she rushed toward them now. “Oh! Saidh! Murine. I am so pleased to see ye both.”
She hugged Murine first, but paused when she turned to Saidh and saw the bundle she held in her arms. In the end, she gave her a half hug from the side as she peered down at the baby.
“Oh,” Edith breathed, reaching out to take one tiny hand in hers. “He is perfect.”
“Do you want to hold him?” Saidh offered.
“Oh. Aye,” Edith said eagerly and quickly scooped him from Saidh’s arms. She settled him in the crook of her arm and smiled down at the babe, then glanced to Joan and said, “I’m so sorry I missed the birth. I wanted to be here for ye, and I would ha’e been were it no’ for Laird MacDonnell.”
Saidh raised an eyebrow in question. “What did he do to delay yer journey here?”
Edith grimaced. “He died.”
“Oh.” Murine looked uncertain as she tried to sort out how the man’s death had delayed the other woman’s arrival.
“Allen, Laird MacDonnell, is a cousin through our mothers,” Edith said on a sigh. “But I think it was only the second or third time I’d seen him in me life and in the normal course o’ events I would no’ even have heard that he’d died were we not there at MacDonnell when it happened.”
Noting the surprised expressions on the women around her, Edith moved to sit on the edge of the bed with Bearnard still in her arms as she explained, “We stopped there to rest on the way here. We only planned to stay the night and leave in the morning to continue our journey, but we woke to the news that he was dead and . . .” She shrugged helplessly. “We could no’ simply say ‘sorry to hear that’ and then mount up and continue on.”
“Nay, of course not,” Joan patted her arm reassuringly, letting her know she understood. “How did he die, Edith? Was he an old man?”
“Oh, nay,” Edith assured her solemnly. “Allen was only four years older than I.”