several pats and she coughed again, this time more strongly. More pats and finally she cried, weakly. She began to wave her arms about and pulled her legs up. Tears of joy ran down Fia’s cheeks, and she heard Mairi tell Elena both bairns lived.
Fia kept patting the baby’s back, cooing at the bairn as the wee lass’s cries grew stronger and her color grew pinker. Carefully, Fia swaddled her, making sure she continued to breathe deeply, and settled her next to an exhausted, but beaming, Elena.
Chapter Eleven
A young woman Kieron did not know flew out of the chamber, pulling the door closed behind her so quickly nothing could be seen of the room inside. She stopped long enough to tell Symon that Elena was well, and he would soon be allowed in to see her, then she was gone down the corridor, leaving both men to stare at the chamber door. An angry bairn squalled, the second they had heard, accompanied by a rise in the volume of the women’s voices this time.
Kieron wasn’t sure what to do or to say. Symon had been furious with Annis, and had glared at Kieron, but had only banished the woman to her chamber, promising her punishment would be revealed soon. He’d turned his back on Kieron at that point and taken up his pacing again.
Symon sighed and took the decision out of Kieron’s hands. “What are your intentions toward Fia?” he asked suddenly.
Kieron took a breath to steady himself.
“Do you love her, lad?” Oddly, he didn’t seem angry.
“I do. I have loved her since first I met her years ago.”
Symon looked surprised. “I did not ken you knew each other before she went away with you. I ask again, what are your intentions?”
“I will not ask her to abandon her responsibilities here,” he swallowed before he added, “and I cannot abandon mine at Kilglashan.”
“That is no answer. I am asking what do you want of her?”
At that question all that he and Fia had shared the night of the ceilidh flashed through his head and his body, but he did not let that stop him from looking the man in the eye so Symon could judge the truth of what Kieron was about to say.
“I love her. I cannot bear the thought of leaving her here and never seeing her again. I want her to be my wife and I would wed her this very day if there was a way to do so.”
Symon pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “And my wee lassie, does she feel the same?”
“She does.”
Symon sighed and glanced at the still closed chamber door, the muffled sounds of women still evident, along with the fussy squalls of two new MacLachlans. “I felt…I feel, the same way about my Elena. I dinna ken what I would do if she…if I…” He looked back at Kieron. “I have never seen Fia look so sure of herself as she did when she hurried down this hall toward me. I have never once seen her turn to another man for comfort or reassurance, as she did so easily with you. I have never seen her…as the woman she has come to be.” He nodded as if he had come to a decision. “I want nothing more for Fia than for her to be happy, you ken that?”
“It is all I want for her, too, Symon.”
The chief turned his attention back to the door without another word. Kieron tried not to let his mind travel to a future that was still uncertain, though it seemed perhaps now he had reason to hope.
Suddenly the door was flung open and his Fia stood there, a smile on her tired face.
“Symon, your new son and daughter would like to meet you,” she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her wrist as she stepped back to let Symon into the room.
Kieron stayed in the corridor, wanting to drag Fia into his arms, but holding back, not wanting to interfere in this moment with her family. So he was surprised when she stepped through the doorway, pulled the door closed behind her, and melted into his arms.
Never before had he been so sure that he was exactly where he was supposed to be. He hugged her fiercely, and she responded by gripping him harder
Fia kept patting the baby’s back, cooing at the bairn as the wee lass’s cries grew stronger and her color grew pinker. Carefully, Fia swaddled her, making sure she continued to breathe deeply, and settled her next to an exhausted, but beaming, Elena.
Chapter Eleven
A young woman Kieron did not know flew out of the chamber, pulling the door closed behind her so quickly nothing could be seen of the room inside. She stopped long enough to tell Symon that Elena was well, and he would soon be allowed in to see her, then she was gone down the corridor, leaving both men to stare at the chamber door. An angry bairn squalled, the second they had heard, accompanied by a rise in the volume of the women’s voices this time.
Kieron wasn’t sure what to do or to say. Symon had been furious with Annis, and had glared at Kieron, but had only banished the woman to her chamber, promising her punishment would be revealed soon. He’d turned his back on Kieron at that point and taken up his pacing again.
Symon sighed and took the decision out of Kieron’s hands. “What are your intentions toward Fia?” he asked suddenly.
Kieron took a breath to steady himself.
“Do you love her, lad?” Oddly, he didn’t seem angry.
“I do. I have loved her since first I met her years ago.”
Symon looked surprised. “I did not ken you knew each other before she went away with you. I ask again, what are your intentions?”
“I will not ask her to abandon her responsibilities here,” he swallowed before he added, “and I cannot abandon mine at Kilglashan.”
“That is no answer. I am asking what do you want of her?”
At that question all that he and Fia had shared the night of the ceilidh flashed through his head and his body, but he did not let that stop him from looking the man in the eye so Symon could judge the truth of what Kieron was about to say.
“I love her. I cannot bear the thought of leaving her here and never seeing her again. I want her to be my wife and I would wed her this very day if there was a way to do so.”
Symon pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “And my wee lassie, does she feel the same?”
“She does.”
Symon sighed and glanced at the still closed chamber door, the muffled sounds of women still evident, along with the fussy squalls of two new MacLachlans. “I felt…I feel, the same way about my Elena. I dinna ken what I would do if she…if I…” He looked back at Kieron. “I have never seen Fia look so sure of herself as she did when she hurried down this hall toward me. I have never once seen her turn to another man for comfort or reassurance, as she did so easily with you. I have never seen her…as the woman she has come to be.” He nodded as if he had come to a decision. “I want nothing more for Fia than for her to be happy, you ken that?”
“It is all I want for her, too, Symon.”
The chief turned his attention back to the door without another word. Kieron tried not to let his mind travel to a future that was still uncertain, though it seemed perhaps now he had reason to hope.
Suddenly the door was flung open and his Fia stood there, a smile on her tired face.
“Symon, your new son and daughter would like to meet you,” she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her wrist as she stepped back to let Symon into the room.
Kieron stayed in the corridor, wanting to drag Fia into his arms, but holding back, not wanting to interfere in this moment with her family. So he was surprised when she stepped through the doorway, pulled the door closed behind her, and melted into his arms.
Never before had he been so sure that he was exactly where he was supposed to be. He hugged her fiercely, and she responded by gripping him harder
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