AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t know what was wrong. She wasn’t in pain or necessarily heartbroken or scared, but she was clearly distressed.
Oh, hell. Had the bearer of dark magic gotten to her and bewitched her?
Dammit. I’d forgotten my sword and dagger back in my bedchamber. But I didn’t want to waste time going back for them, so I hurried headlong toward her without thought.
When I drew near enough to hear the distinct wails of an infant, I broke into a full sprint, imagining Vienne lying dead at the foot of her child’s crib—even though I rationally knew she was physically fine, meaning she couldn’t be dead—so when I burst into her room, and found her alive and well, pacing the floor with the babe, I stupidly slumped against the doorframe, drained from the overabundance of relief.
“Holy fuck.” I pressed a hand to my heart. “Thank God you’re okay.”
She turned at my voice, revealing panic and a red face full of tears.
Honestly, I couldn’t tell who was crying harder: her or the child.
“Okay!?” she wailed, clutching the screaming infant to her chest. “You call this okay? I can’t get her to stop. I’m too sleep-deprived as it is. I’ve lost any patience and nurturing instinct I ever had twenty minutes ago, and I just keep having this vision of shaking her until she shuts up. Isn’t that awful? Oh God. I’m so awful. I’m the worst mother ever.” More tears flooded her cheeks as her shoulders began to shake from her sobs. “What kind of monster thinks such things about their own daughter? My baby. My precious little baby.”
The last few sentences were nearly indecipherable through her sobbing hiccups. She wept over the girl, crying for all she was worth, and for some reason it made me smile out a soft laugh.
Yawning, I ran my hand through my hair. “Who thinks such thoughts? Every exhausted parent who’s had to get up in the middle of the night with a cranky child, I suspect.”
Vienne snapped a glare my way. “This isn’t amusing.”
Instantly sobering, I nodded. “I know, my lady. I apologize for smiling.” Pushing away from the door, I strolled toward her. “Where’s your nursemaid? I’d say you need a bit of a break.”
Her scowl only increased, turning petulant. “I don’t have a nursemaid. I should be able to handle this myself. Every mother takes care of her own child. I won’t be any different.”
“My nanny always told me it took an entire village to raise a child,” I offered helpfully, though the words only earned me a glare. “Come now, my lady. No one can handle a baby completely by themselves.” Wincing as I drew closer, I covered my ears and lifted my voice. “Her lungs are quite healthy. That’s one consolation. Does she have any volume control?”
Vienne laughed, only to burst into tears again. “I love her,” she sobbed, lost in her grief. “How could I ever, even for half a moment, think of hurting her when I love her so much?”
My heart broke as I reached out. “Thinking something doesn’t mean you actually would’ve hurt her. You’re drained and at the end of your rope, sweetheart. She knows you love her. You just need a break. Do you want me to hold her for a spell?”
When I held out my hands, Vienne backed away and shook her head violently. She looked wild with her face wet, hair a mess, and eyes shiny and vague from lack of sleep. “No, I should be able to comfort her. Why can’t I just fucking comfort her?”
I nodded, realizing she was going to be a stubborn case. “Then let me comfort you,” I said.
She only blinked at me, clearly not understanding. When I reached for her elbow, she let me take her arm and lead her to the rocking chair.
“I don’t need… What’re you doing?” was all she asked, her expression curious, before I sat in the chair and pulled her down into my lap, while her child settled into hers.
When she tensed in my arms, I murmured, “Shh,” and stroked her hair. “It’s going to be okay, little mama. She can’t cry forever. She’ll wear herself out eventually.”
Another tear trickled down her cheek as she looked into my eyes. “I’ve tried everything. Everything. I’ve fed her, changed her, sang to her, rocked her, walked with her, left her alone in her crib, everything. Now, the crying is just driving me crazy. I need it to stop.”
I nodded. “The sound really does make it feel as if someone is sticking an irritatingly sharp needle right into the center of my brain.”
Sniffing, she nodded too. “It does. It really does.”
I chuckled and kissed her temple. Then I started to hum softly, a tune I remembered from my dreams.
Vienne only blinked. “We danced to this together. In a dream.”
I nodded and kept humming.
Baby Anniston kept wailing, not a fan of my voice. She went on for another five minutes or so until the wails eventually settled into sobs and the sobs became whimpers. When the whimpers turned into the occasional sniffle in her sleep, the baby’s mother finally looked up at me from fatigued brown eyes.
“You did it,” she slurred sleepily.
I shook my head and smiled softly. “No. I just relaxed you enough so you could do it.”
