Highland Protector (35 page)

“A wee bit. Aye.” He kissed her and rubbed his nose against hers. “Just a wee bit. ‘Tis a monly thing.” As he expected, she just rolled her eyes and shrugged it off. He promised himself, however, that if the child was a son, it was going to be a story they would enjoy when the boy was old enough.

“What do ye wish?” she asked as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “A son?”

“I dinnae care so long as the bairn is healthy and ye dinnae have any trouble.” The thought of all that could go wrong in a childbirth went through his mind and he trembled with fear, his grip on her tightening. “Ye will nay have any trouble.”

“I dinnae think I will, Simon, but dinnae fear for me. There are many, many skilled midwives and healers in my clan. The skill of them all has kept many a Murray woman safe during that dangerous time.”

“Thank God. Then mayhap we ought to stay here until the bairn comes.”

“Nay, Simon, we will head to Lochancorrie ere the weather turns and makes travel difficult. Someone from the clan will get to us when my time nears. ‘Tis how we do it.”

He nodded. It eased some of his worries but not all of them. Simon had the feeling he was going to be a very protective husband at least until the baby came. There might be a few arguments ahead for he doubted Ilsabeth would take kindly to being watched as closely as he would be watching her. She could argue all she wanted, however. It would not stop him.

“Damn, Ilsabeth, the way we were just romping around, I could have hurt ye.” “Nay, ye couldnae have.”

“How can ye be so certain? Ye havenae had a bairn before.”

She laughed and kissed his frowning mouth. “I havenae but, Simon, both the Armstrongs and the Murrays are a very prolific clan. Breed like rabbits is what they say of us. And, for your peace of mind, I can tell ye that so few of us have trouble birthing a child, it isnae worth the worry ye are beginning to take on.”

“Aye, ye are right, but I doubt I will heed that good advice for very long so ye will no doubt be tired of giving it to me.”

Ilsabeth laughed and kissed him.

“We shall have to tell Elen and Reid,” he said a moment later. “Do ye think they will speak to me now?”

Ilsabeth pressed her forehead against his. “I am so verra sorry that they havenae welcomed ye. They follow me and I was sulking and ignoring ye. I think we shall wander back to Aigballa from here and tell them tonight. They have missed ye, Simon. Ne’er doubt that.”

“It was funny in a way. I hadnae realized how much they had come to mean to me until they left my house. It was so quiet and empty. No running feet, no bellows, no running through the house with Bonegnasher in pursuit and Cat getting up as high as it could to be out of the way. Suddenly it was silent and I couldnae bear it. When I turned away from ye, I realized I was losing the children, too, and the double strike nearly brought me to my knees. I cannae wait to introduce them to Marion.”

Even though he wanted to spend the rest of the night, and a few more, just making love to Ilsabeth, Simon allowed himself only one more taste of the passion she gave him without reserve. Then they got up, dressed, and he gave her a small engagement ring of garnets that had been his mother’s. He barely recalled the woman’s name, but the tale was that she had received it from her lover. Ilsabeth laughed, loving the slightly scandalous tale that went with the ring.

Pandemonium reigned after they entered the great hall at Aigballa and announced their betrothal. It was not until a full round of congratulations had been endured that she noticed Reid and Elen sat off in a corner watching everything with very solemn faces. She took a few honied oatcakes off a tray and went to talk to the children.

“Why are ye hiding o’er here?” she asked as she forced herself between them and offered them each an oatcake. “I thought ye would like to go and say hello to Simon. He has missed ye.” She ignored Reid’s snort of disbelief and looked at Elen’s sad little face.

“Do ye have to marry him?” Reid asked even as he picked up an oatcake and started eating it. “I want bairns, Reid, and, anyway, I love him.”

“Can we stay here then? Will these people let us stay here? I will work hard.”

“Reid, love, ye will come to Lochancorrie with us.”

She could see the doubt in his little face, as well as the fear in Elen’s, and looked around until she saw Simon clapping her cousin the priest on the back in a way that indicated a deal had been struck. When he glanced her way with a smug grin on his face revealing his victory, she waved him over. Perhaps Reid would take Simon’s word for it. One day she fully intended to have cured Reid and Elen of this fear of being left somewhere. Simon kissed her hand and then smiled at the children.

“Simon, tell them where they are going to live,” she said, and put her arm around Elen to hug the little girl close. Ilsabeth could tell by the look on Simon’s face that he quickly understood why she had asked and what needed to be said. “Why, with us of course. As soon as Ilsabeth and I are married, we will ride to Lochancorrie.”

“That is a funny name,” said Reid, but Ilsabeth noticed that the boy had moved closer to Simon.

“ ‘Tis a place near a loch, a lake. Ye will see. ‘Tis beautiful. And ye will meet my lass Marion.”

“Ye have a daughter?”

“I do. A wee lass a few years older than ye, Reid. She waits for us and a pony at Lochancorrie. I will send a messenger there on the morrow so that they will have the news of our arrival and be all ready for us.”

“So we will be a true family?” Reid asked so softly that Simon had to lean very close to the boy’s mouth to hear.

“Aye, we will, and to make it even more special, Ilsabeth is already carrying my child, so we will soon be a family of six.”

Reid grinned and Elen, seeing that her brother was no longer nervous, hopped down and started to climb up Simon’s leg. She kissed him on the cheek, then demanded to get back down so she could run and get some food. Reid sat quietly beside them eating his oatcake and Ilsabeth could almost feel the peace that had come over him. The boy knew he had a home for him and his sister now.

“Weel, what did ye talk the priest into?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. I offered him a new window.”

“Simon! A new window is too much money.”

“Nay, I ken a mon who can make beautiful ones for nowhere near what others make ye pay. And it doesnae matter for it is worth it to marry ye as quickly as possible and get our family back to Lochancorrie.” Simon saw Reid grin and reached over to tousle the boy’s hair. “And ye should go and meet your new uncles. See them o’er there?”

Reid nodded and Simon gave him a little nudge in the direction of his brothers. Simon watched the meeting carefully but within moments, Reid was laughing and acting silly as only a child can do. My family, Simon thought, and the word filled him with contentment. He put his arm around Ilsabeth when she leaned up against him.

“Ye are looking verra pleased with yourself,” she said.

“I am. I have a beautiful woman and will soon claim her as mine. She loves me and makes my eyes roll back in my head when we make love. I have my home, the fields and livestock are better than they were so we willnae starve this winter, and I am about to marry into a verra large family who stays together. Oh, and I have a fine new son.” He nodded toward Reid, who was obviously in a face-making contest with Ruari, and then touched her stomach. “And a child on the way. Brothers returned to the lands made for us, and a wee daughter and”–he glanced toward where Elen was looking for him–“I ken I have forgotten something but I wonder what it is.”

“Si–mon!”

Ilsabeth laughed as Simon grinned at her and then caught Elen up in his arms.