Knight's Legacy (20 page)

Cat growled, threw herself at Roderic, and tickled his middle, something she had found he was vulnerable to. He chuckled and wrestled with her in jest until he captured the offending fingers bedeviling his belly. Holding them in his hands, he wrapped her arm behind her when he bent his mouth to hers.

Cat was giggling as he kissed her. His lips feather-touched her with tantalizing persuasion, and she sighed.

Four days later, Meggie began her laboring. Roderic was awakened in the middle of the night when Cat left his bed at Glyniss' urging. She went at once, and both women were sequestered in Meggie's chamber the entire day.

Long past midday, Roderic knocked at the chamber door to check on the lass. Douglas paced, agitated, at times hearing the lass scream. It was difficult on them all, for it was plain the girl was in agony. Gavin gave Douglas a tankard of ale that he left untouched in front of him. It was as if Meggie's pain were his own, and Roderic did not know how to comfort the lad.

Cat had never in her life prayed for anything as intently as she did for Meggie to give birth. The girl's labor was heart-wrenching, and she grasped Cat's hands until they were bruised and sore. Glyniss tied a long towel to the foot of the bed, and Meggie gripped it like a lifeline. The vicious pain tore at her young body until Cat wanted to weep, and still it went on through the night, early morning, and afternoon.

Edna brought up some food in the afternoon for Glyniss and Cat, but they ate little. The labor intensified, and Meggie became totally incapable of dealing with the wrenching pain. She screamed until she was hoarse, though Glyniss and Cat did everything they could to make her comfortable.

Cat stroked her brow and wiped the sweat from her body with a cold cloth, but she had never felt so inadequate in her life. The other birthing she had witnessed was nothing like this.

“Can't we help her, give her something for the pain?”

Glyniss looked apprehensive, but then a look of resolve crossed her face. “Aye, and the devil with the Church if they don't like it!”

“The Church?” Cat asked.

“They say 'Tis every woman's pain she must suffer for Eve's sins. Know ye not, that healers have been burned for helping women in their time?”

Meggie let out another agonized scream as the contraction gripped her body.

“Enough!” Glyniss said. Turning, she walked over to the table and grabbed her mortar and pestle. Glaring at Cat, she spoke urgently.

“Speak of this to no one. Ye have my life in your hands, lady, for if Father MacNair or the Church knows of what I do, I will die. Do ye understand?”

“Glyniss, you can't think that I would cause trouble for you! Just help her!”

Glyniss worked quickly, stirring a small amount of potion, and rushed to the bedside. Meggie was in so much pain, it was hard for them to get her to drink it.

“Hold, lass, hold on to hope. Take this, take it now!” Glyniss ordered.

Cat helped, holding the girl's head so she could swallow the potion. Another pain came, and Meggie bit down on the blanket to suffer through it. A few short minutes later she had another, then soon after, Cat began to see a difference in Meggie.

The drug was evident in the glazed look in her eyes. She had held herself tense as a bow string, but now she began to relax, and stopped tossing her head on the pillow.

“Glyniss, thank you,” she sobbed. Meggie's breathing slowed, and Cat blessed the concoction that had finally given the girl some relief. Glyniss wrapped her arms around Meggie's shoulders and kissed the girl's forehead.

“Aye, lass, my dear, weary lass. 'Tis better?”

Meggie nodded, too weak to answer, and Cat let out a heavy sigh. The drug did not remove all the pain of the contractions, but it helped Meggie cope and allowed her to rest in between them. She even dozed at one point.

“Is it better now?” Cat said.

Glyniss shook her head. “Nay. This babe is too long coming.”

Three hours later, Meggie's baby girl was born. Cat had taken the baby from Glyniss' arms to wrap it in soft toweling and clean the blood from the child. Her joy at finally holding the beautiful baby girl was coupled with an intense relief that the ordeal was over for Meggie. Washing the baby, she marveled at the softness of the baby's skin when she touched her cheek. Wrapping the little girl tight, snug and warm in the blanket, she moved to the door of the chamber hoping to take the child downstairs to meet her father.

Suddenly Glyniss screamed. “No!”

Edna had entered the chamber. Cat turned and put the baby in her arms, and turned back to Meggie, appalled. The girl was bleeding severely.

“Help me!” Glyniss said. “Push those pillows under her hips!”

Cat moved quickly to follow the orders. Glyniss pressed a soft cloth between Meggie's legs in a desperate attempt to staunch the hemorrhaging.

“Oh, dear God,” Cat said.

“Sit with her, hold her hand,” Glyniss said. “Make her stay awake!”

Cat took Meggies hand and gripped it, looking deeply into her eyes. “Be at ease, you'll be fine,” she said.

Meggie's beautiful blue eyes turned doubtful. “Nay, lady. Tell … tell Douglas to forgive me.”

The blood continued to gush from the girl's body, faster than Glyniss could blot it. It covered the bed and dripped on the stone floor.

“I won't tell Douglas anything. You will tell him soon, when you present him his beautiful daughter. Meggie … Meggie!”

Her skin turned even paler, her blue eyes remained fixed upon Cat's. She took a deep shuddering breath, and Cat knew she was gone.

“No, oh, God, no!” Cat frantically turned to Glyniss. There was an anger, however futile, from Glyniss, in her eyes, her body. She climbed up and over Meggie, to press her hand to the pulse in her throat. Angry tears fell down Glyniss' cheeks, and she shook her head.

Roderic was alarmed when he saw his wife run down the stairs to the kitchens. Covered in blood, she ignored Douglas when he tried to beseech her. The young man was startled, suddenly afraid, and ran up the stairs.

Cat picked up a bowl from the buttery and hurled it against the stone wall, then turned and ran out of the keep.

“Catherine, wait!” She did not heed him, and Roderic followed.

Cat hurled herself onto the saddle of the nearest horse, put her heels into the animal's flank, and galloped away from the keep.

Roderic rushed to find his own mount and followed. Her horse galloped hard, but Roderic paced his animal to match hers. On and on she rode, and although Roderic had the ability to overtake her and pull her from the animal's back, he did not. He simply followed, watching her, seeing to her safety.

Finally, Cat reined the horse in and slipped from his back. She threw the reins over the horse's neck and ran to rest underneath a tree.

Roderic was cautious when he approached her. She sat silent, dry-eyed, and the expression of pain on her lovely face touched Roderic deeply. He was concerned with the fact that there were no tears in her eyes. The pain she held fast inside her, and he steeled himself for the task ahead of him.

“The child has died?”

Cat silently shook her head from side to side.

“Meggie?”

“She's dead.” The tone in her voice was hoarse, desolate, without hope.

Roderic sucked in his breath harshly; his fears for the young mother had proved true. He studied his wife.

“Does it not make you angry?”

Her green eyes turned to impale him. “Angry? What good would anger do?”

Roderic was loath to see the anguish Cat was feeling. It had not gone hidden, the blossoming friendship that Cat had with Meggie. She had found joy in the lass, worried for her health, championed her marriage, helped birth her babe, and now, must bury her. Roderic knew his lady had a deep need to embrace the grief, but she refused.

She tried to pull away when he bent down to sit near her, and he took her hands in his in spite of the blood that covered them.

“Catherine!”

“I don't want you here, Roderic. I want to be alone! Go back to the keep!”

“Nay, love. Embrace it or no, you need me.”

Although she fought with him, Roderic continued to hold her fast.

“Are you not angry? Little Meggie, so bright, so beautiful, with all her life as a mother ahead, taken from us! Does it not make you angry?”

“At what?” She screamed the words.

Glancing down as he held her fast, he winced inwardly at her bloody hands.

“At the injustice! You sit covered in her blood; she was but five and ten summers, and now her life is over! Shake a fist at the heavens, lass! Rage if you must, but don't hold it inside, or it will poison you! Tell me you are angry!”

Cat pulled her hands away and screamed. “Yes! Yes!”

Reaching out, she slapped his chest, though the blows did not hurt him. Then she began to fight in earnest. Using her fists to strike out, Cat hit Roderic, and he allowed it before he grabbed her arms and tried to subdue her as best he could. The anger and pain were released from her with a vengeance.

“She's dead, Roderic! She's dead!”

Her wrath turned to weeping, and she could no longer speak. He felt some of the grief flow from her while he continued to rock and hold her.

Cat cried for a long time, sobbing desperately. But the tears finally ceased, and she sniffled, took a deep breath, and relaxed in Roderic's arms.

He disengaged from their embrace, walked to his horse, took a canteen of water from the animal and washed her hands clean of the blood. Bending down, he kissed her cheek, then sat for long minutes holding her.

Cat was silent when Roderic pulled her up and led her to the horses. She did not speak all the way back to the keep.

But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep in death, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

~Thessalonians 4:13

R
oderic took charge of the burial when they returned, and did his best to spare Cat the task of preparing the body. Glyniss took charge, and though she had done it many times before, she cried silent tears throughout the task. Dressing Meggie in the lace gown that she had worn when she wed Douglas, she even put flowers and ribbons in her hair.

Douglas was prostrate, numb with disbelief, unable to accept that Meggie was gone. He had sat with Meggie, pale and quiet, and when Edna brought the babe to him, thinking the child would give him comfort, and he could not bear to look upon her. Edna took charge of the wee babe, for though Glyniss pronounced the child hale and well, she was too busy with the laying out of the body.

The following morning, Glyniss came into the room to direct the three soldiers that were to take the body. She found that Catherine had come in very early to be with Meggie. Roderic stood to the side of the bed, staring out the window. Cat sat quietly holding Meggie's hand, stroking her cheek, and spoke in a low voice when she said her farewell. She touched Meggie's hair, and Glyniss came to stand beside her.