Gifts of Desire (49 page)

             
Two days.  She had been locked in a room for two days without seeing anyone but the guard that left her food and water but would not speak a word to her.  She paced the floor, her desperation growing by the minute.  Where was
Ceann
?  God, what if he had already been killed!  No, she would feel it in her blood if he were gone, wouldn’t she?  For all she knew, Ross could have already taken Tulloch.  The not knowing was eating her up inside.  Then the first pain hit, clenching low in her abdomen. 
“No!
  No!”
  He won’t have my child…

             
Everything was in place.  The plan had taken two precious days to lay out, but he would not risk
Ella
’s life in a hasty attack.  He had placed spies at
Rossmoor
months ago, and so he knew that she was still safe, locked in a tower room.  Ross must be mad to have taken her, but then he couldn’t have known
Ceann
would go to the ends of the earth to get her back.  Ross was a dead man, and he would be the one to take him down. 

             
Finally, just at dusk, the signal came. 
Ceann
stormed toward the gate, where the guards already lay dead, long before they could sound the alarm.  He shouted his battle cry as he ran, surrounded by some of the best-trained warriors in all of Scotland.  Ross had anticipated their attack, but not their strength or their fury.
 
Ceann
entered the hall and skidded to a halt.  The clash of swords and daggers echoed all around him, along with the screams of fallen men.  The warm rich tang of fresh blood reached his nostrils, fueling his frenzy.  Ross was there, standing near the head table, his sword drawn, hatred written on his face like a mask. 

             
“
Ceann
, you little whelp of a hoar!  Have you come for your woman?  Perhaps she doesn’t want you anymore, now that she’s been in a real man’s bed!”

             
Blind fury overcame him, swallowing him whole, and
Ceann
drove his sword right through his uncle’s heart, before the other man even knew what was coming.  He drew close and looked into his eyes, wide with shock, and twisted the sword, “You are no man Ross, you are the very devil.”  He withdrew the sword, and watched, panting in reaction, as his uncle fell lifeless to the floor.  He took
only
a moment to
wipe his sword clean of the taint before he ran for the stairs.
  The guard in the hall saw him and reached to pull out his sword, but not before
Ceann
had run him through.  “Damn”, he whispered, as he wiped it clean
once
again on the guard’s clothing.  Then he turned to the door, kicking it open as if it were made of bark and not solid oak.  When he saw
Ella
, a jolt of fear hit him hard in the gut.  She was kneeling on the floor, arms wrapped around her middle, agony etched on her face. 

             
“God,
Ella
!  What is it?  Did he hurt you?”  He rushed to her, lifting her easily in his arms even as she cried out in pain.

             
“
Cean
n
, thank God!  I didn’t know…
thank God!”  She gasped for a breath as her body clenched yet again.  “Maggie.  I need Maggie!”

             
Without another word, he ran with her in his arms until he reached his horse, hidden in
the wood behind the manor house, trusting that his men had already cleared the way for them.

             
He rode hell-bent for Tulloch, holding
Ella
tight to his chest.  She cried out in pain
again
, clutching his arms and trembling against him.  He saw the blood which
was soaking
her gown.  Why was there so much blood?
  Panic filled his chest anew and the miles seemed endless. 
If I lose her now, I will surely die.

             
At long last he could see the tower, then the walls, and
then
he was flying
through the gate and
into the bailey.  He roared for Maggie even as he slid from the horse,
Ella
in his arms.  She had gone quiet now, limp.  He continued to bellow for Maggie
as he ran
, until he passed her
at
the
bottom of the
stairs as she rushed down, her face a mask of
concern and
fear. 
“You found her!  Thank God, you found her!” 
She turned and followed him up, not able to keep pace with his lon
g strides.  Ethan fell in behind
her. 

             
“What is it, Maggie?  Is she alright?”  His voice was tight with worry.

             
She didn’t answer because they had reached the chamber door where
Cean
n
had laid
Ella
down on the bed, and was frantically stroking her hair and calling her name.  Maggie turned to Ethan, her face set in a business-like expression.

             
“
Keep
him away from her so I can work.”  Then she turned to the doorway, where a small crowd had
already
gathered.  “Fiona!  Fetch hot water, linens, all the usual supplies.”

             
The
woman
ran to do her bidding, and Maggie shut the door, leaving the others in the hall
way
to wait and wonder.

             
Ethan was struggling to pull
Cea
nn
away from the bed, talking to him in a placating tone, words of reassurance that Maggie knew what she was doing. 
Cean
n
did not hear him.  He moved away for Maggie
when she came to the bedside
, but his eyes were still wild with fear.  “Help her!  Do something!”

             
Ella
opened her eyes at h
is shouting.  “
Cean
n
?  What happened
?”

             
Maggie smoothed her forehead with a damp cloth.  “It’s alright dear, you only fainted.  You’re home, in your own bed. 
Let’s have a look at
you now, sweetling.”

             
Ella
nodded, but then suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and sat up, bending forward and crying out in pain. 
Ceann
lunged forward, breaking free from Ethan’s grasp.

             
“What’s wrong with her?  Do something!” he demanded.  He took
Ella
’s hand
in his
and knelt by the bed.

             
Maggie shoved him aside with her elbow.  “Ella dear, how long have the pains been coming?”

             
“Since… since this morning, early… I… Oh God!”  She doubled over again
on a sob of agony.

             
Fiona slipped back into the room and joined Maggie at the bedside with the things she had asked for.  Maggie smiled now.  “Ah, just in time, this child won’t wait any longer.”

             
A grin spread across Ethan’s face
.  “The babe is coming?”  He slapped
Ceann
on the back.  “
Di
d
you hear that? 
You’re about to be a father!”

             
Ceann
only growled and shoved at Ethan, who gave him a rueful look.  “He doesn’t hear a word I say.”

             
Ella
collapsed back onto the pillows now, panting and gasping.  Only seconds later she cried out again.

             
“That’s it dear”, Maggie was saying.  “Not long now, another push!”

             
Ella
leaned forward and pushed with all her might.  She only wanted the pain to stop.  She was vaguely aware of
Cea
nn
squeezing her hand and yelling at Maggie, demanding that the woman save her from dying.  There was so much pain, maybe it would be better to die…
but no, there was
the
baby, her son. 
Cea
nn
’s son.  She drew a deep breath
and with the next pain, she
brought their child into the world.  Maggie grasped the
slippery
babe, holding him up for
Ella
to see
, before accepting a linen cloth from Fiona and wiping clean his nose and mouth
.

             
“You have a fine son!” she said proudly.

             
The babe promptly scrunched up his face and squalled.  Maggie handed him to Fiona to be cleaned off while she tended to
Ella
, still showering her with praise for a job well done.

             
Ella
looked up at
Cea
nn
with a tired but blissful smile.  “We have a son.”  She almost laughed at the bewildered expression on his face.

             
“I thought I was going to lose you…”  He was at a loss for words. 
“I don’t ever want to go through that again!” 
He leaned over and kissed his wife tenderly, smoothing her hair back from her cheek.  Relief flooded through him like a river.  She was alive.  Just then, Fiona appeared at his side, holding a small bundle.

             
“Your son, Laird.”  She put the bundle into his arms.

             
Ceann gasped in a little breath. 
“My son”.
  He looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms.  Those were words he had long thought he would never say.  The baby squirmed and pummeled him with a
small
fist.  “He is strong.  A
little
warrior already.”  He felt the tears well up and could not stop them before one rolled down his cheek.  He turned to Ethan, who was watching him with eyes that also looked suspiciously damp.  He held the baby up for him to see
.  “I have a son.”  He
knew he
was grinning like an idiot, but he didn’t care.

             
Maggie and Fiona had finished
cleaning up
Ella
and making her comfortable.  She was watching
Cea
nn
holding his new son, her own eyes full of happy tears.  She desperately wanted to hold her child, to look at every tiny, perfect inch of him,
but she would let
Cea
nn
have this moment.  To see a big, powerful warrior holding such a tiny newborn babe so tenderly made her smile. 
The happiness she felt bubbled up inside of her until she felt like laughing out loud with it. 
Then Maggie took charge again.

             
“
Laird
, give the bairn to its mother now, he needs to eat.  After that
you
can take him down to the hall and show him off as I’m sure
you
’r
e
wont to do.  Come on, now.”

             
Ceann
smiled and put the baby carefully in
Ella
’s arms, then knelt at the bedside.   His son
immediately turned his head
and flailed his arms, trying to find his mother’s breast.  When he didn’t succeed, he scrunched up his face and wailed. 
Ella
put him
gently to her breast and he began to suck
hungrily.

             
Cean
n
’s smile widened.  “Ah he
knows
a good thing when he sees it, smart lad.”  He leaned over and gave
Ella
a soft, lingering kiss, love glowing bright in his eyes.  “Thank you.  There is naught more on this earth that I could want, than what is before me right now.”

             
“Nor I”, Ella said.  She looked down at the tiny newborn.  A miracle
, that they were both safe.  “He has your hair”, she said.  “Look, it’s the same color.  And your eyes, I think.”
  She grimaced.  “Ow!  And you
r
appetite!”

             
Later, after his son had had his fill and his wife was sleeping safe and sound, Ceann wrapped the baby in swaddling and took him down to the hall, where everyone was gathered for the evening meal.  They all looked up expectantly as he approached the dais.  He stood before
his people
and broke into a wide smile, holding up the child for all to see.  “My son!  Artair, future Laird of Tulloch!”