Chapter 3 #3
“Hmmm …” Irene responded seeming unsure of what Tina was saying.
“I mean, I know it’s not a museum, but it’s just so perfect.”
“Thank ye.” Irene took her by the arm and led her to a chair. “Sit. Helene!” she called.
A moment later a very pregnant blonde woman entered the hall. “Aye. Ye called?”
“Helene, this is Tina. She’s Elle’s sister. Edna has sent her to us and I think she needs a dram.”
Helene tipped her head examining Tina, who was feeling uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
“I believe ’tis so,” Helene said. She left the room and returned only a moment later carrying an oddly shaped vessel.
“What’s this?” Tina asked.
“A wee bit of whisky. It settles the nerves. Drink,” Helene said.
She wasn’t sure she wanted a drink, but then again, her nerves were starting to get the better of her and if these two ladies who didn’t even know her could tell, then she should probably take the drink.
She took the vessel in her hands. It had two flat handles on either side of a small wooden cup.
Before she could give it too much thought, she downed the entire contents of the cup.
It burned as it headed down to her belly, but the warmth once it got there was soothing.
Irene and Helene exchanged amused looks and then glanced back to Tina. “Better?” Irene asked.
“I think so,” she answered.
“Hello.” A very pretty, petite woman entered the hall and made her way right to Tina. “I’m Ashley. Tina, right?”
“Yes. I’m so happy to meet you,” Tina gushed.
“I’m sure you’ve got lots of questions. Don’t worry. I’ve got most of the answers,” she smiled warmly putting Tina at ease.
“I’ll go see that her chamber is ready,” Helene said.
“Thank ye, Helene,” Irene said. “I’ll leave ye both. Ye’ll have much to speak of.”
“It was lovely meeting you, Irene,” Tina said as Irene left the room. She wasn’t even out of the room when a commotion at the entrance drew their attention. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Let’s find out,” Ashley said.
They were about to head to the doors when the group of men she’d seen outside entered.
“Cailin, what’s going on?” she asked.
“Donal is a father,” Cailin said.
“What?” She seemed quite shocked by this pronouncement.
“Aye. The babe’s grandda and granny brought her.”
The apparent father stood in the center of the men a shocked expression on his face.
“This is my husband, Cailin,” Ashley said, introducing her. “This is Tina. She’s Elle’s sister.”
The one holding the baby perked up. “Hamish,” he said.
“Yes. Elle is married to Hamish,” Tina said. She wasn’t sure what was going on or why this man had a baby he obviously didn’t know what to do with, but that wasn’t any of her concern. She was here to find a husband and he definitely wasn’t it.
“Is he well?” the man asked.
“Well and happy,” she answered, looking at the other three men with him. She knew Cailin was taken, so trying not to be too obvious, she snuck a peek at each of them.
Ashley must have read her like a book. “This is Dougall,” she said pointing to the blonde man. “He’s Helene’s husband. Cormac is Cailin’s brother, he’s married to Jenna and Logan is married to Sara.”
So, they were all spoken for, except the one holding the baby.
“And this is Donal,” she said, a note of disapproval in her voice.
“Ashley, would ye like to hold the wee lass?” he asked, holding the baby out to her. There was something in his voice that almost sounded like pleading.
“What’s her name?” Ashley wondered.
“I dinnae ken it. They didnae tell me. She was put in me arms and they walked away. Can ye believe it?” He placed the baby into Ashley’s outstretched arms, seeming relieved to hand her off to someone else.
The poor guy’s in shock, Tina thought. It tore at her heart that this baby was just abandoned like that. What kind of place was this?
“What’s her mother’s name?” Ashley asked.
“Her Ma has passed, but her name was Sionaid.”
“Then that’s what ye should call her.” She tickled the child under her chin, smiling at her. “Would ye like that, sweetie? She looks to be about ten months old.”
Donal shrugged. He apparently knew nothing, which didn’t bode well for this little one.
“Of course, if ye have another name you prefer, you could call her that,” Ashley said.
“I’ve not one.” He looked at Tina. “Not yet.”
“Well, think on it. And, Donal, don’t worry. We’ll help ye care for her. None of this is her fault.”
Again, Tina noted the tone Ashley was using with him and she wondered why this woman didn’t care for him.
“Cailin, he’ll need to sleep somewhere other than the soldier’s barracks. We can’t have this sweet little one sleeping with all those smelly men, can we?”
“We’ll find ye a room here in the castle for now. Ye’ll need a cottage of yer own so ye can raise her proper,” Cailin added.
Donal looked as if he might collapse right there on the spot. “He looks like he needs to sit down,” Tina noted.
“I’d have to agree,” Ashley said. “Donal, here, sit.”
“Thank ye, Lady Ashley.” Tina couldn’t believe that the grandparents would just leave a baby here like this.
Tina’s mother and father would never have done that.
She took a good look at the little one for the first time.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said, placing her finger in the baby’s hand.
“I’m so sorry about your mother.” She received a giggle for her efforts. “Aren’t you adorable?”
“Would you mind holding her for a minute?” Ashley asked.
“You don’t have to ask twice,” Tina took the baby and cradled her like a pro. “My brother has kids and Elle’s expecting.”
“Hamish will be a Da?” Donal said, a certain amount of astonishment in his voice.
“He will. Like you.” Tina’s heart ached for Donal.
He’d lost his wife and now he found himself with a child to care for.
He seemed ill-equipped. “This must be hard for you,” Tina said.
“Losing your wife and all.” She had no idea how things worked here.
She guessed because he was a soldier that he didn’t live at home with his wife.
Maybe it was one of those arranged marriages she had read about.
He looked so lost, her heart went out to him.