Chapter 10
All the thoughts of wives and children that had been giving him a headache vanished magically when Tina forgave him.
Once again, he could begin to imagine a new life, not just for himself but for Elena as well.
The sound of a crying bairn caught his attention and as he scanned the courtyard he saw that Doreen was heading his way with a wailing Elena.
“I think she’s sick,” she said. “She feels warm to me.” Her wrinkled brow and a slight shake of her head worried Donal. “I must go. Ma is waiting for me.”
He was ill prepared to be a da, but he was even more lacking in this area. He had no idea what to do with a sick child. Doreen handed his daughter to him.
“I think her teeth are coming in,” he called to Doreen’s back as she walked away.
He hoped that was all it was. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead, as he’d seen his mother do when he was a young lad.
Elena did feel warm, but if she had a fever what was he to do?
Her wailing continued as he held her close and went back to his room.
Along the way he looked for the ladies of the castle, hoping for some help, but they were nowhere to be seen.
If he could just get her to sleep, then he could go in search of someone who might know what to do.
He lay her on the bed and tried everything he could to get her to stop, but nothing he did worked.
He picked her up, rocking her and pacing back and forth across the room.
Nothing he had seen Tina do was working.
Fear gripped him. What if she were to die?
What if she had whatever illness had killed her mother?
No. Fate would not be so cruel as to bring his daughter into his life and then snatch her away so fast. He would do anything to make her better.
He held her closer. “Shhhh, sweetling. Go to sleep. Da is here. I will take care of ye.”
***
“Did Edna really say that?” Ashley asked, watching her daughter Emma plucking blades of grass along the roadside as they walked. Her son was contently cradled against her chest.
“She did,” Tina replied. She shouldn’t feel so happy about upsetting Ashley, but she’d had one of the best kisses of her life today so happiness was all around her.
“I’m not so sure I agree with her, but I’ll stay out of it and I’ll tell Jenna as well.”
“I really like him,” Tina said. “Don’t ask me why, because I can’t quite put my finger on it. There’s just something there.”
“Do you mind that he has a child?”
“No, not at all. Elena is a sweet little girl who needs a mother and I’d be happy to fill that spot. And before you say anything, Donal admitted to me that at first he only saw me as the answer to his prayers. Elena needed a mother and Donal had no experience being a father.”
“And you believe him.”
Why was she so skeptical? “Yes, I do.”
“Okay. I won’t say anything else about it.
” Emma presented her mother with a bouquet of grass.
“Thank you, sweetie. It’s beautiful.” Emma smiled and went back to work picking more grass.
Ashley turned to Tina. “I want you to know I’m happy for you.
I’m happy you found what you were looking for.
How are you going to convince him to go back with you? ”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, though.”
“Well, let me know if you need any help or if you need to contact Edna.”
“I will.”
“Tam will be disappointed when I tell him.”
“I think Donal got that all straightened out with them today.”
“He didn’t start a brawl did he?”
“I don’t think so. It looks like he got the raw end of whatever happened though.”
“Emma, let’s go back,” Ashley said, holding out her hand for her daughter.
Tina couldn’t wait to get back to Breaghacraig.
She wanted to see Donal and Elena. They were going to be her family and she couldn’t wait to take them home with her to meet her mother and father.
They would be surprised, but she knew they would also be welcoming.
As they neared the gates, Tina noticed Doreen hurrying their way.
“Doreen!” she called.
“I must hurry. Ma is waiting.” She practically ran up to them. “I think Elena is sick. She has a fever.”
“Oh, no!” Tina said as Doreen ran past them on her way home. “I’d better hurry.”
“Go on. It’s going to take us a while to get there,” Ashley said.
Tina lifted her skirts and ran all the way through the courtyard, then the castle doors and up the stairs to Donal’s chamber.
She tapped lightly and opened the door to find a sight that was so sweet it brought happy tears to her eyes.
Donal lay on the bed with Elena on his chest. They were both sound asleep.
There was something about seeing a big, tough guy tenderly holding a sweet little one that melted her heart.
She found an extra plaid folded over the back of a chair and brought it to the bed to cover them both before seating herself by the fire and waiting for one or both of them to stir.
A short time later, Ashley tapped on the door before coming in. “Is she alright?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. They were sleeping when I got here and I didn’t want to disturb them.”
“I brought you something to give her in case she has a fever. You’ll have to keep close watch though. If it gets really bad, we’ll have to contact Edna. Dr Ferguson is on his way to deliver the babies, but I have no idea when he’s going to get here.”
“Where did you get this?” Tina asked holding up the bottle of liquid children’s medicine.
“Edna. It was in the basket of goodies you brought with you.”
“Goodness, she thinks of everything.”
Ashley headed for the door. “I’m going to keep my distance until we know she’s okay. I don’t want to expose my little ones to whatever it is that she has. Jenna will want to do the same. I’ll tell the others. We don’t want the pregnant ladies to catch anything either.”
“We’ll just quarantine her up here then.”
“I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
“Thank you.”
“I love that,” Ashley said, pointing to Donal and Elena sleeping on the bed.
Tina’s heart swelled at the sight of them, “Me, too.”
***
Donal opened his eyes and was surprised to see Tina seated by the fire. “Tina, you’re here.”
“Doreen told me she thought Elena was sick.”
“I cannae tell. She was fussing and crying until I got her to sleep. She felt warm to me, but I cannae say if she’s sick.”
Tina came to the bedside and placed her hand delicately on Elena’s forehead, trying not to disturb her. “We’ll keep an eye on her,” Tina whispered.
“We? Ye mean ye’ll stay here with us?”
“That’s what I mean. I’m not going to desert you when you need me.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “I do need ye, lass. I dinnae ken what to do for her.”
“Ashley gave me some medicine to give her. It might help.”
“Should we wake her?”
“No. We’ll wait. She seems comfortable there with you.”
He shifted Elena on his chest.
“Do you want me to take her?” she asked.
“I would like to sit up,” he replied.
Tina adjusted the pillows so he could sit up a bit. Despite the movement, Elena didn’t stir. “My brother has little ones and they get sick all the time, so don’t worry. She’ll be alright.”
“Do ye believe so? I lost more than one brother and sister to the fever when I was a bairn.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Tina frowned. “We don’t know what she’s sick with. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.”
“What will we do if it is?” She could hear the panic in his voice and knew he needed reassurance. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it.
“Ashley said there’s a doctor coming to help Helene and Sara give birth. Hopefully he’ll be here soon. If not, we can depend on Edna to help us.”
“The witch?”
“That’s the one.”
Donal didn’t know much about witches. The only thing he’d ever heard about them was that they were bad. Tina sat next to him on the bed and placed Elena beside him. “Don’t look so worried,” she said as she rubbed her fingers across his forehead. “Relax.”
He took her hands in his. “Thank ye, Tina.”
“Of course, you’re both important to me.”
He liked the sound of that. He was important to someone.
He was important to her. He was happy to have a partner in Tina.
Someone he knew would be there for him and for Elena.
He’d always resented his parents because they had been too busy with all this brothers and sisters to notice him.
In the short time he’d had a child of his own, he had seen how much work it took to care for a child, never mind eight children.
They must have gone through so much worry.
Where would their next meal come from, what would happen if they were sick?
It had been so hard for them and he hadn’t realized it.
He had been so wrapped up in his own little world that he hadn’t seen the sacrifices they’d made for their children.
When they’d fostered him out, he thought it was because they didn’t want him anymore, but now he understood it was to make sure he was well cared for and that some day he’d have a better life than the one they’d had.
That’s what he wanted to do for Elena. He wanted her life to be a good one with much promise of brighter days to come.
“I’m going to go down to the kitchen. Maybe Mary has some chicken broth for Elena. I’ll bring something for you, too,” she said.
How his luck had changed. From nothing going right in his life to having everything good he could possibly imagine right here in this room with him.
“I’ll be right back,” Tina said.
“We’ll be here waiting for ye.”
***
Mary wasn’t in the kitchen when Tina entered, the only one there was Bethia. “Where is everyone?” Tina asked.
Bethia seemed quite unsure of herself, but managed to answer, “The great hall.”
“Where else would they be?” Tina smiled. She hoped to put Bethia at ease. She wasn’t sure why the young woman seemed so tentative around her. “I was wondering if I could get some broth for Elena. She’s not feeling well.”