Everything changed for him when he met a woman named Beth. Now Beth had another name, a name frequent visitors of the Boudoir preferred to call her by. However, Ezekial never saw Beth as Tranquility. He saw her as his Beth. His salvation. The woman he loved. The only woman he had ever loved. Although the Madam was furious at his defection, for she had long believed she should be the only recipient of his affection, he defied her and propriety and perhaps common sense to love his Beth.
As fate would have it, they had a child, and, as so many woman before her, Beth died from a fever. Understanding he would not have the ability to care for his precious child, the child born of a fierce love, Ezekial made the hardest decision of all. He entrusted her care, and the loving of her, to others.
My hope, dear reader, as we celebrate Christmas tomorrow and embrace the spirit of the season, is that you will fill your heart with love for this innocent child, rather than ever treat her with disdain for her parentage. For she is already beloved by her new parents, Ewan and Jessamine MacKinnon.
Chapter 8
Ewan woke Jessamine by kissing her forehead and tugging her back into his arms for another moment. Aileana had spent the night at Fidelia and Bears’s, as it was easier for Fidelia to feed both babies in her own home in the middle of the night. However, now that it neared dawn, he planned to creep next door to see if it was a good time to bring his daughter home. Christmas should be spent as a family. He eased away from Jessamine, and she moaned her disagreement, clinging to him.
“No, Ewan, don’t get up yet. Hold me a while longer,” she entreated.
“I miss our bairn,” he whispered. “I want to see if I can bring her home for a few hours before we go to Cail’s for the all-day celebration.”
She sighed, this time with resignation, as she kissed his head. “Go and come back quickly. I already miss you.”
“Ah, lass,” he whispered, his voice thick as he watched her resting on the pillows with her eyes glowing with love. “Ye canna ken how much those words mean.” He ran a hand over her head before pulling on his clothes and slipping from the room. He shivered at the cool temperature in the living room and stoked the fire, waiting until the fire had caught so he could add another log. He wanted the home warm and inviting for his Aileana.
He shuddered when he stepped outside, wrapping the scarf Sorcha had knit him more tightly around his neck. Thankful the distance between the two homes was not far, he traipsed onto their porch, smiling at the light he saw lit in the living room next door. Before he could knock, the door flew open, and Mildred stood in front of him, jumping up and down with her excitement.
“Uncle Ewan! Uncle Ewan! It’s Christmas!” she said with a delighted cry. “That means presents!” She tugged on his hand, pulling him into the room.
Ewan smiled at a bleary-eyed Fidelia and an alert Bears as they sat on the sofa in the living room. “I’m sorry for interruptin’ yer mornin’,” Ewan said.
Fidelia yawned and rose. “Oh, it’s no interruption. It’s time I feed the little ones again, and I’ll feed Aileana first, so you can bring her home for a little while.”
Ewan nodded at his friend Bears, before following Fidelia into the nursery. Aileana twitched and made low noises, but she had not begun the full-throttle yells of a starving infant. “There ye are, my darlin’,” Ewan said as he traced a hand over her head. “Happy Christmas, my little love.”
Fidelia smiled at him as she picked up Aileana and then settled in a rocking chair. She tugged a quilt over her and Aileana, forming a sort of cocoon for the baby, ensuring propriety was maintained so that Ewan would remain. She motioned for him to sit, and he settled onto a cot in the room. “I’m glad you came by alone today. I’ve wanted to speak with you.”
Ewan froze, worry in his gaze. “Is it Aileana? Is she ill?” He glared at the quilt as though it were hiding his child from him, and he wanted to examine her.
Smiling at him, she shook her head. “No, she’s growing by leaps and bounds, and I think she will continue to be a very healthy baby.” She made a motion that sounded like she was patting Aileana’s bum. “I’ve never had time alone with you to thank you for taking in Aileana.” Her light-blue eyes were filled with memories. “I’ve always worried my son, who I had to give up as a little baby, was mistreated. You’ve helped me to see that there are men who can love a child as his own, even though the child is not his.”
Ewan frowned. “You already kent that. Look how Alistair is with Hortence.”
Fidelia nodded. “Yes, but who could turn away from Hortence’s charm? This innocent baby …” She shrugged. “I thank you.”
Ewan reached out a hand to clasp hers. “Ye have no need, Dee. I loved her the minute I met her.” He shook his head. “Nae, the minute Jessie told me about her, an’ I could see how much she already loved her. How can ye no’ love a sweet bairn?” He watched as she lifted Aileana to burp her. “Thank ye for takin’ time away from yer family to help mine.”
She looked at him with incredulity. “I will aid you in any way I can, forevermore, Ewan. You helped me escape the Boudoir, and, for that alone, you earned the right to ask anything of me.”
“Nae,” Ewan protested. “I dinna do anything that a man of honor would no’ have done.”
“Any other man at that table would have used me for his pleasure and then bartered me back to the Madam, and I wouldn’t have believed I deserved any better. You, Ewan,” Fidelia’s voice broke, “you were the exception.”
“Ye already were a MacKinnon,” he whispered. “Ye’re Anna’s sister, an’ ye were one of us, even if ye didna believe it. I couldna leave ye to that woman.” He watched as she quickly changed his daughter and handed her to him, freshly swaddled and ready for a few hours with him and Jessamine. “There is little I wouldna do for family.”
Fidelia smiled as she picked up Jack, watching as Ewan moved to the door to return to his temporary home next door. “That is something I understand. Thanks to you, the MacKinnons, and Bears.”
Jessamine curled onto the settee in Warren and Helen’s house, pulling a warm throw blanket around her. The fire crackled in the grate, and the tree in the corner decorated with simple paper ornaments filled the room with the scent of a pine forest. A few presents rested under the tree, and she looked at them as she fought guilt that she had not purchased anything for Ewan.
Jessamine smiled as Ewan entered the house, her arms opened wide to embrace Aileana and him. Ewan sat beside Jessamine, settling Aileana on his wife’s lap as she placed the blanket over them all. She kissed Ewan over Aileana’s head. “Merry Christmas, my love.”
“Merry Christmas, Jessie,” he said with a smile as he watched her holding Aileana. He yawned hugely. “Perhaps I am a fool. I should have waited until the next feedin’ to rush over to Dee and Bears’s. We could have canoodled a little longer in bed.”
She chuckled, kissing first Aileana on her head and then Ewan on his cheek. “No, you aren’t. You’re a man who loves his family.” Her eyes glowed with her appreciation. “Thank you.”
He sighed, resting his head against the back of the settee, his fingers playing with loose strands of her hair. “I love times like this. When it’s just the two of us with our babe, with us both relaxed, ye no’ worried about a story, an’ I’m no’ thinkin’ about the latest building project. There’s nothin’ I like more than holdin’ my girls in my arms.”
“Ewan,” she whispered, her voice laced with guilt.
Instantly he sat up and focused on her, his gaze filled with trepidation. “What is it? Ye ken I’m proud of yer latest paper, an’ I think ’tis a brave thing ye did, writing about Ezekial.”
She nodded, her gaze filling with wonder. “I know. I can’t believe how fortunate I am that you support me as you do. Thank you, Ewan.” She kissed him softly. “No, it’s not that.” She took a deep breath. “I became too focused on Aileana.”
He shook his head. “I dinna understand.”
She pointed to the beautiful tree with
the small pile of presents underneath it. “I don’t have anything for you, Ewan. I … focused on Aileana.” Her gaze was filled with regret. “I realized, as I sat here waiting for you, that, although we are parents now, I should never forget you. Never should forget my love for you as my husband.”
“Jessie,” he whispered as he nuzzled her forehead. “Dinna be so harsh on yerself. We’re both findin’ our way, an’ I ken ye’re doin’ the best ye can. As am I.”
“I never want you to fear that I’m taking you for granted,” she whispered. “Never.”
He smiled at her emphatic words. “I ken, my love. An’, if I ever feel ye are, I’ll tell ye. It’s what ye do in a marriage.” He brushed loose tendrils off her cheek. “Neither of us will be perfect as parents, Jessie. All we can promise is to try our best.” He kissed her forehead and rose to the tree, pulling out the largest present, covered in a blanket. He grinned at his wife. “This is for Aileana, but I ken it will be a relief for ye too.” He winked at her before tugging away the blanket to reveal a finely hewn crib. “I wanted our bairn to have somethin’ I made specially for her.”
“Oh, Ewan, you are so sweet,” she whispered as she leaned forward to kiss him. A blanket already rested inside, and they set Aileana within the crib to sleep peacefully.
“Finally we have someplace for her to sleep that is no’ our arms an’ no’ at Fidelia’s,” he said with satisfaction. Fidelia had the other cribs he had constructed in her nursery, one for Jack and the other Aileana slept in when she spent the night there. Skye had previously used the one Aileana was sleeping in at Fidelia’s house.
He returned to the tree, pulling out two of the smaller gifts. “I ken these are technically for Aileana too, but I think ye will like them,” he teased.
She laughed as she opened up two packages of cloths for diapers. “Ye’re such a devoted father,” she said with another kiss.
He shrugged. “Aye, I am.” He extracted the smallest present from under the tree, holding it in his hands. “This is truly for ye, Jessie.” He looked as though he wanted to say something more, but instead he shook his head and handed her the package.
Frowning inquisitively at him, she opened the package, her expression softening as she saw a heart-shaped locket. “Oh, Ewan,” she whispered.
“I dinna ken if it will be possible, but I thought we could have a small photograph of Aileana taken when she is older an’ place it inside,” he said, as he kissed her head.
“Yes,” Jessamine whispered. “And one of you. That way I have the two people I love most in the world always beside my heart.”
He let out a stuttering breath of agreement as he pulled her closer, kissing her head again, as they watched the fire, while Aileana slept beside them in her new crib on their first Christmas morning as a family. Nothing could be more perfect than this moment.
Jessamine entered Cailean and Annabelle’s house with a bright smile, as she held the door open wide for Ewan, who carried Aileana in her new crib. Jessamine called out a hello to Annabelle, Fidelia, and Leticia in the kitchen, motioning for Ewan to follow her there, so that Aileana would be in the warmth of the room and also near Fidelia if the babe grew hungry. All of the MacKinnons, except for Sorcha and her family, were present.
After settling, Jessamine embraced her sisters-in-law as they discussed their private Christmas mornings at home. She smiled as she realized they had all had similar moments of opening presents and relishing their time as family. Her breath caught as she looked at Aileana, realizing she had a daughter to cherish.
Helen entered the side door with Warren, looking rested and relaxed.
“It’s not hard to tell which one of us doesn’t have a child,” Jessamine teased, watching Helen with wonder that she did not seem upset at her childless state. Her husband headed to the living room to join the men. “Thank you again, Helen, for being so gracious when Warren agreed to swap homes with us.”
Helen shrugged, her gaze looking to catch a glimpse of her husband in the other room. “As Warren assured you, it was no hardship. We are happy anywhere, as long as we are together.” She winked at Jessamine and lowered her voice. “We are thinking of this as a sort of vacation and honeymoon. We haven’t had nearly as many middle-of-the-night interruptions since we switched homes with you.”
Jessamine laughed. “Perhaps you should switch more often.”
“No, the townsfolk need to know where to find a healer.” Helen held her arms wide to hold Catriona, freeing Leticia to focus on a fussy Angus.
“Now, J.P.,” Annabelle said with a glance to the doorway to ensure none of their husbands were about to interrupt them, “why did you never tell us all you knew about Ezekial?” She ran a hand over her sister’s arm as Fidelia shuddered at the name of the henchman hired by the Madam to keep Fidelia working at the Boudoir.
Jessamine grinned. “I tracked him down the day he was leaving and had him tell me his story, while he waited for the train. It was my good fortune the train was delayed fifteen minutes, or I would have found out very little.” She sighed. “I know it’s foolish of me, but I would like him to not be so reviled when he returns to town.”
Fidelia stiffened. “He’ll come back?”
Nodding, Jessamine said in a gentle voice, “I’m certain he will, if he is able to. He seemed distraught to leave his daughter behind.”
Helen looked from the cradle holding Aileana to Jessamine with concern. “But he signed the papers?” she asked with furrowed brows.
“How can you live with the lawyer and know so little?” Jessamine asked, perplexed at the idea. “I’d badger him until he told me what I wanted to know.”
Laughing, Helen shook her head. “That’s why you never would have been a good match for him. He must guard people’s privacy without worrying I’ll interfere. He tells me what he feels I need to know. Or he’ll talk over things with me when he needs support.”
“I imagine it’s the same for you,” Fidelia said as she looked at Helen. “You can’t tell Warren everything about the patients you care for.”
Helen smiled at her friend’s understanding and then focused on Jessamine again. “Many in town are scandalized you would write an article about such a man.”
Jessamine moved to sit beside Aileana, a mischievous grin bursting forth. “I think too many in this town try to believe the Boudoir and its inhabitants don’t truly reside here. And they also fool themselves into believing the women who work there aren’t worthy of their concern.” She raised her eyebrows as she leaned forward, as though revealing a secret. “I think I might start a series of exposés about the women who work there, so the townsfolk come to terms with the fact that they are women who were forced to make difficult choices.”
Fidelia paled and sat beside Jessamine. “Don’t look to me for a story. And don’t expect the Madam to welcome what she will perceive as interference in her business. She will be irate that Ezekial has left, and I fear she will find a man even harsher than he was to act as her henchman now.”
“Don’t you find it odd that she has money to pay for such a man? She never tires of pleading poverty, and yet, from what Ewan told me about his short visit when he attacked Ezekial, the place is looking run-down.” Jessamine frowned as she tried to puzzle out that mystery.
Annabelle laughed. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have seen Ewan tumble Ezekial to the floor.”
“Warren told me that Ewan screamed a bone-chilling phrase in Gaelic that would raise the dead,” Helen said with a wry smile.
Hanging her head in embarrassment, Jessamine acted as though she were tending a fussing Aileana, but she was sleeping soundly. “I had hurt him that evening,” she murmured. “I hadn’t realized he would go to such lengths to defend our marriage.”
“His family’s honor too,” Annabelle said, as she met Jessamine’s gaze with one of understanding. “If I’ve learned anything in the time I’ve been married to Cailean, it’s to never question or doubt a MacKinnon’s honor.” She opened the oven, p
eering inside.
Jessamine sighed with pleasure at the delicious aroma of roasting venison. “I love Christmas at the MacKinnons.”
Fidelia leaned over and smiled. “I love any meal Anna cooks.”
Laughing with Fidelia, Jessamine rose to help prepare the table for their family dinner.
After dinner—where the men had cleaned up in the kitchen, entertaining themselves and the women relaxing in the living room with loud renditions of Christmas songs and any others they could remember—they all gathered in the living room. The room was not nearly large enough to hold them all comfortably in chairs or on the sofa, and so Jessamine, Ewan, Helen, and Warren were sprawled on the floor. Cailean and Alistair had argued that the women should sit on the sofa and the rocking chair, but their husbands had insisted they wanted to hold their wives in their arms.
At the insistent knock on the front door, Ewan murmured, “I dinna ken if I can rise. I think I’ll die here an’ be a happy man after such a meal.”
“Oh, hush your nonsense,” Jessamine chided. “None of that talk of leaving me and Aileana.” She wrapped her arm more firmly around his waist, as she looked to the front hall to see Ben and Jane Metcalf entering, with Tobias Sutton on their heels.
Ewan sat up, causing Jessamine’s head to slip off his shoulder, and she grumbled at having lost her comfortable perch. “I canna believe he came,” he muttered. “I hadna thought Tobias would come.”
“He was good to me when I was sick,” his wife murmured to him. “Ensured I had sardines when I had severe anemia. And then he found that horrible mixture for Aileana.”
Exultant Montana Christmas: Bear Grass Springs, Book Nine Page 9
