Then she stood and said, “Aye, you must be right. Let us go back. I am better now.” They trudged their way up the hill hand in hand. Perhaps she would speak with Alice to see if there was something else she could do to help her get with child. She loved the wee ones in the clan much. Watching them grow was so fulfilling. Was it too much to want to have her own bairn with Alex? She would love to have a wee laddie who looked just like his father.
Then she remembered the vision she had seen of her mother on her wedding night. Her mother had said that she could not wait to see Maddie’s bairns with Alex. Did that mean they would eventually have one—or maybe even more than one? She hoped so.
Maddie vowed to keep saying her prayers.
RESCUED BY A HIGHLANDER
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
A few months later…
Maddie could barely get herself out of bed. It was late. She didn’t know why she felt so tired lately. She pulled on a clean gown and made her way down the stairs to the hall. She found Alice eating at a table, so she trudged over and sat down.
“Good morn to you, Alice.”
Alice turned to Maddie. “Oh, my dear, you do not look well. In fact, you look a little green. Are you all right this morning? Mayhap you should stay in bed.”
Fiona came out and set a bowl of porridge in front of Maddie. “Sorry, my lady, but this porridge has been sitting awhile. Mayhap you would prefer a piece of fruit or an egg?”
Maddie took one look at the porridge and ran for the door, her hand covering her mouth. As soon as she opened the door, she vomited, just missing her husband’s boots.
“Maddie,” he exclaimed. “What is wrong with you, lass? You slept away yesterday and half of today, and now you are retching. Get yourself back to bed.” Alice walked up to them with a smile on her face, and when Alex saw her expression, he started fuming. “Excuse me, Alice, but I do not think my wife’s illness is amusing!”
Alice laughed. “I do not think it amusing, Laird, but joyous. My guess is that your wife is with child. Maddie, how long has it been since your courses?”
When Maddie stopped heaving, she stared at Alice first, then Alex. “Oh, my goodness, do you think ‘tis possible, Alice? It has been at least a …” Maddie’s face lit up as she counted with her fingers.
“Congratulations, Madeline. I think you and your husband will have a bairn in about eight months!”
Maddie threw her arms around her husband. She was so happy, she cried out, “Oh, I love you, Alex Grant!”
Alex was speechless.
RESCUED BY A HIGHLANDER
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
About eight months later…
Madeline waddled over to the hearth. Alex was working in the lists somewhere with his men. It was almost time for the evening meal, but she was worn out. She aimed for their favorite chair, the extra large one that Alex had ordered to accommodate both of them. After all these months, he still preferred to sit with Madeline on his lap. Of course, he preferred to sit with his hands wrapped around her belly, so Madeline thought it was probably just because he liked to feel their bairn kicking.
She sighed deep as she positioned herself in the chair. Alex was always thoughtful, considerate, compassionate—and passionate, although that part of their lives was becoming more and more difficult. A smile crept across her face as she thought of how inventive her husband had become as a lover. He had promised her all along there were other ways to make love, and he had proven to her that he was right. She closed her eyes to rest for a minute.
Much later, Maddie awoke to the noise of the men entering the great hall. A pair of strong arms lifted her and she gazed at her big husband with a smile as he settled her on his lap.
“You are tired today, sweeting?” he asked as he kissed her full on the mouth.
“Just a bit, husband. You know we won’t be able to fit on your lap much longer. It is time for your son to come out.”
“When our wee lass is ready to come out, she will. Although I understand why you are anxious to hold our bairn in your arms,” he said, mindlessly caressing her belly.
Maddie sat up and attempted to lean her head down toward her belly, “Get out, laddie! It is time to come out now. Listen to your mama and get out. Or your papa will paddle you!”
Alex chuckled as he caressed her shoulder, but Jennie darted and said, “You will not paddle the laddie, Alex. I will protect him like you protect me.”
“You mean you will protect the lassie, Jennie. You know it is a lass in my wife’s belly,” he teased her.
Maddie leaned back against her husband and closed her eyes. She was so comfortable that she slipped into sleep in a matter of minutes.
***
“She sleeps much lately, Alex, she must be near her time,” Brenna said as she entered the room.
Jennie whispered, “Alex, some of my friends told me it hurts to have a bairn. Is it going to hurt Maddie?”
“It may hurt a wee bit, but my Madeline is a strong lass. She can handle it, little squirrel. She will not make a sound.” Alex thought about all the pain Madeline had tolerated in her life. He had no doubt that she could handle this. He knew she would never scream. Good thing, as he would not be able to handle it if his gentle wife did scream.
“Alex, stop calling me ‘little squirrel.’ I am a big lass now.”
Just then, Madeline sat up straight, clutching her belly. “Oh my!” was all she said.
“What’s wrong?” asked Jennie.
“Och, it must be nothing,” Maddie answered. “It has stopped now.” She leaned back against her husband and closed her eyes again.
Several minutes later, Madeline bolted up again with a confused expression on her face. She clutched her belly again but said nothing.
Brenna stared at her, concern evident on her face. She knew her sister-in-law had a very high pain tolerance. “Maddie, are those birthing pains you are having?”
Maddie peered at Brenna. “I do not think so, Brenna, but I am not sure.”
Alex jumped out of the chair, still cradling his wife in his arms. “You are having the bairn, Maddie?”
“Set me down, Alex! I am not going to have the bairn right here. It takes a while to have a bairn.”
A warm rush of water ran down her leg as soon as he set her down. She stood back and looked at the clear fluid on the floor. “Mayhap I am ready to have the bairn,” she said quietly as she peeked up at all the faces staring at her. Brenna had warned them this would be a sign.
Alex promptly scooped her up and charged up the stairs to their chamber. Brenna followed after sending Jennie to fetch Alice and Fiona. As soon as Alex reached their chamber, he turned around and stared at Brenna with a perplexed expression on his face.
“What do I do now?”
Brenna smiled a little and said, “Set her down here, Alex. We still have to prepare the bed.” He did not—he did not wish to be away from her for even a moment.
Fiona and another maid flew into the chamber with hot water and extra linens. Then they hurried down the stairs to get more supplies just as Alice was hurrying them up.
When Madeline clutched her belly again in pain, Alice said, “Alex, take yourself back down to the great hall. A birthing room is no place for a man. We will take care of your wife.”
Alex finally set Maddie down and kissed her forehead. He stared at her for a minute, wanting to tell her he loved her, but there were too many people around. He knew now that he had loved Maddie almost from the first moment he had seen her. Only it had taken him a while to figure out what he was feeling. But now he knew how strong his love was for her. She was the center of his life. He could not bear to think about losing her.
“Go, Alex!” Brenna interrupted his thoughts. “Who knows how much time we have? Usually, the first bairn takes a long time, but no one knows for sure.”
Alex glanced wistfully at his wife, but he turned around and headed down the stairs. When he reached the great hall, Robbie and Brodie soon joined him there.<
br />
“What is the cause of the long face, brother?” asked Brodie.
Alex turned and plopped into his favorite chair. “Maddie’s time is here. She is in our chamber having the bairn.”
“Time for a celebration, Brodie! Get this man ale,” Robbie cried out to a nearby maid.
His brothers then sauntered over to him and slapped him on the back, “Time to be a papa, big brother,” Brodie said with a chuckle.
Alex glared at his brothers, then jumped out of the chair and started pacing. “I know my Maddie will be safe; she is a strong lass.”
“Absolutely,” Robbie said.
“She is the strongest lass I have ever known. She will be fine.” Alex turned and paced in the other direction.
“I agree completely, brother,” Brodie called out as he downed his ale. Both were in such obvious good spirits, but it did little to dampen his worry. To make matters worse, more people had gathered into the hall.
“Why are all these people here?” Alex scowled at his brothers.
“Word spreads quickly, brother. Everyone has been waiting for your wife to have her bairn. Everyone wants to see if it is a laddie or a lassie.”
“Get them out. I do not know all of them. By the saints, how can I hear what is going on in the chamber?” Alex was distraught. “Robbie, go listen outside the door and see if Maddie is safe,” he ordered.
“Nay, I think we best stay down here, Alex. Nothing could drag me away from your side right now,” Robbie replied.
“Quiet!” Alex yelled out. Dead silence descended. He tried desperately to hear some sounds from his chamber, but all was peaceful. He ran his fingers through his hair, realizing it would be a long night.
***
Alice and Brenna quickly prepared the bed and helped Madeline into a clean night rail. Though pain rocked her, she bore it quietly.
“‘Tis all right, Maddie,” Alice said. “Everything is happening as it should be. You will make a great mother for your bairn. It will not be long now.”
While Alice continued to coach Madeline, Brenna readied herself for the birth. The cradle was already in place, along with clothes to swaddle the babe in, she had her healing kit in case she needed it. Maddie knew her sister-in-law was a little nervous—she had not yet seen many births—but Alice was experienced enough to help them through it all. Maddie’s pains continued without incident, but then they heard the door to the chamber quietly open and close, followed by the sound of a bolt sliding into place.
Madeline’s face turned stark white when she recognized their unannounced visitor, and Alice and Brenna twirled in unison.
“Kenneth!” Madeline yelped as she clutched her belly against yet another pain. “We thought you were dead. Why are you here?”
“Leave immediately, Kenneth,” Brenna said, her demeanor calm and cold. “You do no’ belong here and my brother will kill you when he finds you.”
Kenneth reached over and grabbed Brenna by the hair. Yanking her head back, he held a dagger at her throat.
“You will be quiet unless I tell you to speak, or I will kill each of you slowly. Agreed?” he asked. When Brenna nodded her head slowly, Kenneth released her.
Maddie grasped her belly again as another pain shot through her. They were getting worse. She could not think what to do.
Staring at her with disdain, Kenneth said, “You are a disgusting whore, Madeline. Look at you, fat as a pig. I loathe you,” he snarled at her. “But I have waited a long time for this moment.”
He paced the chamber as he peered at her. His hair was a mess, his clothes were filthy, and his stench was overpowering. What could he possibly want with her now? Maddie willed herself to remain calm for her babe.
He muttered as he paced. “Finally, I will get my revenge on you and yours. I will pay you back for all the pain you and your revolting husband have caused me.”
“Kenneth, what have I ever done to you? Why do you want revenge against me?” Madeline asked. She could not believe this was happening now. How had he gotten into the keep? Where was Alex? She had to do something to protect her bairn, but it was a little difficult focusing through her constant pain.
“What have you done to me?” he stopped in front of her to scream at her. “You ruined my life! You and that vile husband of yours ruined everything. You took the only thing I ever cared about away from me.”
All three women turned and stared at Kenneth. What was he talking about? Alice shook her head in denial. Maddie was certain he had finally lost his wits.
“Niles! Your husband killed him. He was my best friend. And now, thanks to you, I have lost all my men and my best friend, too. We had so many plans. We were going to conquer the Highlands together. But you ruined all our plans. Now I have nothing. You and the Grant will pay.”
Kenneth started pacing again. “Hurry up and push that bairn out so we can be done with this.”
Alice peered at Kenneth. “What will you do, my lord?”
“What will I do? Why, of course, I will kill them! I will kill Maddie and her bairn. I will watch them bleed all over the sheets, and then I will call her husband so he can watch them bleed. I want him to watch the life drain out of their eyes just like I had to do with Niles. I want the Grant to know what it feels like to watch someone you care about die in front of your eyes and be powerless to stop it. Then revenge will finally be mine.” There was a mad edge to his laughter.
He paced and paced for the next hour. Occasionally, he mumbled about his life. Brenna tried to calm him, even suggested he go for ale, but he refused to listen to anyone, his rambling getting worse.
“Maddie, you are so vile. I don’t know why your stupid father liked you so much. He should have liked me better. I am the one who was going to take over his lands. He should have trusted me most. Why did he no’ love me more? I deserved it. You don’t deserve anything. You were just a stupid lass. But everyone always loved ‘dear Maddie’ better than me. Och, and that is the best part of it all, Maddie! I am not really related to you. My mother made it all up. She lied to your father just to get me some land. But he was so drunk, he could not even remember what happened.” Kenneth shook his head and snorted over it all.
As he laughed and laughed over that revelation, Alice peeked at Maddie and whispered, “I knew it. He is too nasty to be related to you.”
Kenneth whipped around to face Alice. “Silence, you stupid cow! Sweet Elizabeth is no longer here to save you from the beatings you deserve, or did you forget that?”
He started pacing again and dragged his fingers through his hair.
Maddie stared at Alice, shocked to have learned that she had suffered so for no reason, that Kenneth had no rights to her father’s land. On the other hand, she was relieved to know he was not her family.
“This is taking forever. I cannot wait much longer. But I have waited this long, have I no’? What is a little more time? I have all the time in the world! I need to savor these moments. Take your time, wench!” Kenneth raked his hands through his grizzled hair, tugging on the ends in frustration. “Do you no’ see how funny it all is? I am the bastard, but I am the smart one. You are the noble born, but you are so stupid! See how I have finally outsmarted you and the Grant, Maddie? I just had to be patient. Your husband can’t see anything right now, he is so worried about you. It was easy to sneak past the men in disguise.”
He marched back and forth as he continued to mumble to himself. He was truly mad after all these months alone and in hiding. Maddie tried to think of some way out. Her brain felt like mush.
“You know I had to do it, Maddie. I just could not wait any longer to take control of the clan. My mistake was no’ waiting for you. I should have dragged you into that building. But I became so excited, I could not wait. I had to set that fire when I saw both your parents enter that place. The opportunity arrived. I had to take it.”
Maddie gasped and stared at Kenneth with wide eyes.
“I could not risk their leaving. My mother told me to hurry
up. I kept telling her to ‘shut up,’ but she would not listen. Nag, nag, nag! That is all she ever did. That is why I had to get rid of her, too. And no one ever suspected me of anything. I got away with three murders!” Kenneth chortled and patted his chest in delight.
“See how smart I am? Three murders! Never got caught. I will get away from here, too. I will escape just like the last time. No one can outsmart me. I am the best.”
Brenna whispered, “Kenneth, please allow Alice to let the laird know his wife is doing fine.”
“Nay, no one is leaving.”
“But I could get ale for you. Are you not hungry? Would you like something to eat?” Alice asked.
“Nay!” he shouted. “Be quiet, all of you. I need to think.”
Maddie’s pains grew more intense and closer together. Alice and Brenna mopped her brow, worried expressions on both their faces. She wracked her brain, trying to come up with a way to get Kenneth out of the room or summon someone to help, but to no avail. Kenneth denied every request they made. He continued pacing. Every once in a while, Kenneth stopped and stared at Maddie with a smile on his face. At one point, he leaned against the wall and snickered, staring at Maddie’s belly.
Finally, Madeline could take no more. She had to protect her bairn somehow. She would not lose this laddie—the bairn and Alex were her whole life. Madeline felt another pain coming, and she instantly knew what she had to do. She roared a blood-curdling scream that could be heard over half the valley.
“Scream all you want, Madeline. Nobody pays any attention to a woman screaming in childbirth.” He chuckled.
***
Alex, Robbie, and Brodie all jumped when they heard Madeline’s scream. Alex and Brodie instantly rushed toward the stairs.
Robbie appeared bewildered. “Where are you going? She is having a bairn. All women scream in childbirth.”
Brodie looked over his shoulder at Robbie. “No’ Madeline, you fool, she never screams.”
Alex reached the door first and pushed on it. It was bolted from within.
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