by Jennae Vale
It was dark in the room, but the light from the hearth cast a glow that illuminated every muscle of his chest through his shirt. Her breath caught in her throat as she moved her gaze upwards to his lips. She had the urge to smooth the worried lines from his face, but that would be too bold. Elena’s cries became more insistent. Tina tried to speak, but at first only the tiniest of squeaks came out. She cleared her throat. “I heard Elena crying.”
“I’m sorry she disturbed yer sleep.” He turned back to the cradle, his frustration showing in the defeated slope of his shoulders.
“No. It’s okay. Is she alright?” Tina moved closer to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Yes, that is what is was, she tried to convince herself.
“I dinnae ken. She willnae sleep.” He scrubbed his hands through his hair before rubbing them over his face.
“Here, let me.” Tina walked to the cradle and picked Elena up. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” She patted Elena’s back and rocked back and forth with her. She was glad to have a job to distract her from Donal’s presence while she got her heartbeat under control. Before long Elena quieted.
“Yer magical, lass,” Donal whispered.
“What?” she asked, her dazed brain trying to focus on anything but Donal.
“Ye got her to stop. What magic have ye used?”
Poor clueless man. He really had no idea what to do with babies. One benefit to everyone living in the same house was that she had spent a lot of time with her niece and nephew when they were tiny. Once you learned the sway-pat-bounce rhythm all babies seemed to love, your body never forgot. “No magic. Just a little know how.”
“I’m afeared I’m nae verra skilled as a Da,” Donal said as he ran his hand through his hair.
“You’ll get the hang of it,” she said. “Is this your only child?”
“I pray so,” Donal replied and then seemed to think better of his response. “Aye. She’s the only one.”
“I guess it’s been a long time since you last saw your wife,” Tina said. She wondered about her. About them.
“Aye. So long I didnae even ken she was with child.”
Tina did a quick calculation in her head and came up with about a year and a half. She wondered if that was normal for men in this time. That couldn’t be right. Ashley lived with her husband and there were a lot of families in the great hall at dinner. It must not have been a very happy marriage for them. “No one told you?”
“Nae. I found out today.”
“No wonder you seemed so shocked.” She thought her day had been busy.
“Why do ye think she cries so? Does she miss her Ma?” He seemed truly puzzled as he paced back and forth in front of her.
Her heart went out to him. Whatever issues their marriage had, she was gone now and he was trying to find a way forward. She tried to think of what to say that would make him feel better. “I don’t know. She could be cutting teeth.” The confused look on his face caused her to giggle. “Her teeth might be coming in. It can be quite painful.”
“Ah,” he said.
She wondered what they did for teething babies in this time. She’d ask Ashley in the morning, but for now she’d do whatever worked to calm Elena and get her to sleep. Standing here next to Donal, Tina felt at ease.
“I’m afraid I dinnae ken how to care for a babe. Cailin and Cormac have told me I must learn.”
“They’re right, but it’s not so hard. You can do it,” she assured him.
“I’m happy ye’ve faith in me, but I dinnae. What do I do first?”
She regarded him and thought back to her brother’s first baby. There had been so many books and blogs to read through. She thought about their shopping lists for baby items, a bunch of stuff that simply wasn’t available here, but the general care of a baby probably hadn’t changed that much in five hundred years. “Let’s see, you’ll need to learn to feed her, clothe her, bathe her…”
She looked up at him while he silently regarded Elena. Her little fists made their way into her mouth and he just looked so lost. She went to him and touched his arm.
“Don’t worry. There are so many people here to help.”
He looked at her hand on his arm and sighed, “I dinnae think they wish to help me,” he said.
“Why not?”
“They tell me I must do it myself,” he replied.
“Well, we’ll see about that,” she said, her take charge attitude showing. “They can’t possibly mean to leave you alone to handle all of this.”
“They believe they’re helping me by not helping me,” he explained.
“Well, it is true, the only way to learn to be a parent is to do it. But listen, I’ll help you whenever I can.”
“’Twould be a blessing, but I’d ask that ye nae say a word to anyone. They may nae allow it.”
Tina was confused by this. She thought, from what she’d heard, that everyone here was helpful to anyone in need. She couldn’t understand how they could be so mean.
Donal shifted closer to her and placed an arm around her as he looked at his daughter. For a moment, Tina wanted to lean into the strength she felt there, then caught herself and leapt away as though the very heat of him had burned her.
“I’m sorry lass. She looks so content in yer arms. I forgot myself for a moment.” Donal gazed at her looking quite remorseful.
“It’s okay.” Tina felt all kinds of weird. Here she was alone with Donal in his bedchamber. Realizing for the first time that she was in nothing but her linen shift. Thank goodness he was still dressed. What if someone had walked in on them? It might just ruin her chances at meeting the man of her dreams.
“Are ye sure? I didnae wish to make ye feel uncomfortable.”
Uncomfortable was one way to put it, but warm and oddly drawn to him would be another. She hardly knew this man and yet she felt something passing between them that seemed like more than lending a helping hand.
“I’m sorry. I overreacted. It’s not like you were trying to…”
His eyebrows scrunched together and his lips pursed as he tipped his head waiting for her to finish.
“Oh, never mind. It’s fine.” He was really quite good looking. Just the kind of guy she had always wished for, but could never find. Real romance novel material. Tall, strong, impossibly blue eyes paired with dark hair. She liked that.
“Are ye well, lass?”
She realized she’d been staring at him as she made a list of all his fine attributes. “Yes. Definitely. It looks like Elena has finally fallen asleep.” She gently set her in her cradle. “I’ll head back to my room. I’m right next door, so if you need me… I mean if Elena… If you need help, I’m right there.” She finally managed to string the right words together as she made her escape out the door.
Donal smiled to himself as he disrobed and got into bed careful not to wake Elena. He knew the look Tina’d been giving him, he’d seen it before. Plenty of times. There was a difference here though, he felt something more for her than he had with all those other women he’d been with. He admired her ability to soothe Elena and her willingness to help him. He also admired her lovely figure, which had been quite visible in the firelight as it shone through the gauzy shift she wore. He’d been careful not to stare, but it had taken every ounce of self-restraint he possessed not to. Her soft brown locks fell in lustrous ringlets over her shoulders and down to touch the tips of her breasts. She couldn’t be just another roll in the hay, she would be his salvation. He didn’t have much time though. She said she was only here for a short visit. He’d have to work fast if he was to convince her to stay and mother wee Elena. If he had to be married, she’d do nicely.
Chapter 6
“Donal has a baby?” Sara exclaimed. “I didn’t know he was married.” Tina thought if her eyes opened any wider they might pop right out of her head.
“None of us did,” Ashley said.
Ashley had asked Tina if she wanted to come with her to visit Sara this morning and Tina had been more than happy to join h
er. She thought it odd none of them knew Donal was married. From what she’d seen Breaghacraig was like a small town. Everyone knew each other and they all knew each other’s business.
“Go figure,” Sara said. “I guess anything’s possible around here.” She poured some tea for each of them and placed some oddly shaped muffins on the table.
“It’s sad that she passed though, don’t you think?” Tina asked, wondering at the lack of empathy she was seeing from these two women.
“Oh, of course it’s sad,” Sara exclaimed. “It’s terribly sad. Do we know who she was?”
“No. I’m afraid not. All we know is her name was Sionaid.”
“That’s a pretty name,” Sara said, helping herself to one of the muffins.
“Wait. I just thought of something. It wouldn’t be Sionaid who worked in the kitchen, would it?” Ashley asked.
“I don’t think I know her. I haven’t been here as long as you have,” Sara said.
“Hmmm… She hasn’t been around for quite a while.”
“Well, we aren’t going to figure out this mystery today,” Sara said. “Tina, Edna sent you to find your man. How exciting!”
Tina had just taken a bite out of one of the muffins and was unable to speak. She had been told Sara was learning to cook and she imagined that would be a doubly hard thing to do here with no modern appliances or tools. She sipped her tea to help moisten the contents of her mouth before swallowing and stifling a cough.
“They’re dry. I know,” Sara said. “They’re better than the last batch I made. Those were as hard as rocks. Poor Logan. He always tells me they’re good, no matter how bad they are.”
“The tea’s delicious,” Tina said. She wasn’t going to say anything about the muffins, but she wasn’t lying about the tea. It really was good.
“Thanks. My friend, Ayla, used to live in this cottage. She gave me the recipe and showed me how to grow the herbs to make it.”
“You know this would sell like crazy in our time,” Tina said. “People would go nuts over it.”
“Maybe I’ll give you the recipe and you can give that a try,” Sara suggested. “I’m not going back anytime soon.”
“You really like it here?” Tina asked.
“I do, but Edna promised me that if I ever wanted to go back. I mean, if Logan and I ever wanted to go back, she’d get us there.”
“It’s nice that you have that option,” Tina said.
“Well, I kind of forced her to send me,” she shrugged and looked past Tina. “I do miss my brother, though.” She absently wiped a tear from her eye and Tina felt terrible for her.
“That must be hard.”
“It is, but I know I’ll see him again, one way or the other. Ignore these tears! Ugh! Pregnancy hormones are in over drive, I tell you. I really am happy here.”
Tina admired Sara’s commitment to her husband. She couldn’t imagine giving up her family to stay in this time. She continued sipping her tea and seriously considered the idea of bringing the recipe back with her. Maybe she could find out how to make the soap they all used, too. She didn’t like the idea of sitting around and doing nothing when she got back home, maybe she could take up soap making or something. As Ashley and Sara continued talking, Tina’s mind wandered to Donal. She hoped he was doing okay with Elena. As soon as they got back to the castle she decided she would check in on them.
“What are you thinking about Tina?” Sara asked.
“Oh, nothing much.”
“Nothing much seems to have put a smile on your face.”
“I was just thinking about how nice it is to be here with you both,” she lied.
Apparently neither woman believed her. “Uh-huh,” Ashley said, rolling her eyes towards Sara, who did the same.
“What?” Tina asked. “I mean it.”
“Sure you do. Who were you really thinking about?”
“Baby Elena,” she admitted. She purposely left out Donal. It was obvious from what she’d seen and heard, they weren’t fans.
“She is cute, isn’t she?” Ashley said.
“I’m going to have to come to the castle so I can meet her.”
“Don’t walk over there by yourself,” Ashley said.
“I’m kind of a klutz,” Sara explained. “They’re all worried I’ll fall or something.”
“Falling wouldn’t be good at this point,” Tina said. “So, I agree. You should be extra careful.”
“Well, I can walk back with you both then and I’ll wait for Logan. Maybe we’ll eat there tonight. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to have a decent meal.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Ashley said. “You’ve been working extra hard to learn to cook. Besides, I always hear Logan bragging about you to the other men.”
“Oh, he’s so sweet. I just love him to pieces,” Sara grinned. “So, Tina tell me all about Elle. What’s she doing? Is she writing new songs? Is she touring?”
Tina had to admire Sara’s enthusiasm. She seemed to be Elle’s biggest fan, but she had kind of hoped to leave Elle in the future and make this trip all hers. “She’s doing really well. She’s happily married now and we just completed a European tour.”
“We? Do you travel with them?” Sara asked.
“I’m the tour manager,” Tina said, sounding less than happy about it.
“Oh, that sounds… um… exciting.” Sara said, clearly not sure how to proceed.
Ashley seemed to understand how Tina was feeling without her even having to say a word. “It must be hard having a sister who’s a celebrity. I can’t even imagine what that must be like for you.”
“It’s never been easy,” Tina said. She wasn’t sure if she should reveal her deepest, darkest feelings about her sister’s fame. “I never wanted to be famous,” Tina said. “When Elle made it big with her first single, I was still in high school. I suddenly became very popular, but for all the wrong reasons. It wasn’t me they were interested in. Guys only dated me so they could meet Elle. Everyone else only wanted tickets and backstage passes to her concerts. Don’t get me wrong. I love Elle and I’m so happy for her success. It’s just that now I don’t know if people really like me for me or if they’re just trying to get close to her. Does that make sense?”
“It does. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring her up. If I’d known…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Tina interrupted. “It’s fine. How could you possibly know about my insecurities.”
“Well, I know now and I promise, from this point on my lips are sealed about your sister.”
“Really, it’s okay. You can talk about her all you want.”
“I guess you know we won’t be hitting you up for tickets,” Ashley laughed.
“We like you for you,” Sara assured her.
Tina smiled warmly at both women. They really were as wonderful as she’d been told. It was nice having real friends, even if they were in the sixteenth century.
Donal did his best to get Elena ready for the day. He was no expert, but her dress was on and they had both survived that. He gathered her in his arms and headed for the kitchen where he hoped Mary would know what he should be feeding her. It was a boon waking up in a big, warm bed after what turned out to be a decent sleep. As he made his way through the castle, he was greeted by Irene.
“Donal, how is our wee lass this morning,” she asked, chucking the bairn under her chin.
“I believe she’s well,” he responded. “Thank ye fer allowing us to stay.”
“Yer welcome. The barracks are no place for this little one. Have ye fed her yet?”
“Nae. I’m headed to the kitchen to see what Mary has to offer.”
“Take good care of her,” Irene said as she walked past him into the great hall.
He wanted to tell her that it would be easier on all of them if one of the ladies of the castle took care of her, but he got the impression that they were all trying to teach him a lesson.
Entering the kitchen, Mary greeted him with
a scowl and Elena with a huge grin. “So this is Sionaid’s wee one, is it?”
“Aye. Mine, too, from what I’ve been told.”
Mary swattted him on the back of the head. “Yer lucky she’s the only one, the way ye spread yer seed like the farmers in spring.”
He hadn’t thought of that. “Do ye think there are more?” Panic began to rise from his belly to his throat and he found he’d lost his appetite.
“Aye. I do.” She set a bowl of porridge down in front of him with a spoon. “For the lass.”
“Her name’s Elena,” he said. He set the bairn on the table and she immediately reached for the porridge. He caught her before she could fall off the table or get the cooked oats everywhere. She started fussing and reaching and for such a tiny wee girl, he was having trouble holding her still. “Mary, I’m afraid I dinnae ken what to do.”
“Like this.” She took the spoon and put a small amount of porridge on it. Elena seemed to know exactly what to do. She stopped wiggling and fixed her eyes on the spoon, opening her mouth like a baby bird.
“Now, ye do it.”
Donal did as Mary had done and was pleased Elena continued to eat. The joy he felt in this simple activity surpassed any anxiety he’d experienced only moments before.
“’Tis best she has her own spoon. Have Smithy make a wee one for her.” Mary continued her work in the kitchen occasionally checking back in with him to see how Elena faired with her porridge. “Bring her back for the noon meal,” she said, sounding gruff and mean to his ears.
“Mary, why do ye treat me so? If I’d known Sionaid was carrying my bairn, I would have married her.” He pleaded his case to someone he’d always felt a connection to. It hurt him deeply that she was angry with him. “Please, Mary, dinnae hold it against me.”
“I willnae. It will take me some time, ’tis all. Sionaid was like a daughter to me, as are all the lassies who work in the kitchen.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m sorry she’s passed. I’m sorry for yer wee bairn, but I’m nae sorry for ye.”
Her words stung him and he watched as she hurried from the kitchen as though the sight of him was more than she could bear. He wiped Elena’s mouth with the cloth Mary had left on the table, feeling totally alone in the world. Perhaps rightfully so. “Come, wee one. Da has work to do.” He stood and walked out into the sunshine of another day, but this day was the beginning of a new life for him. One he hadn’t expected and one he wasn’t sure he deserved.
