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“I ken it,” Olivia said as she dropped her head into her hands and cried.
“And Sionn?” Conner asked.
“Ye could say he killed himself,” Damon said. “When he was— well, gettin’ his blade, he slipped over the edge.”
“So, he too is gone?” Conner asked as he found the weight on his chest rise off him like the mist coming off the moors.
“Aye,” Damon said. “At least that terror is over wit’.”
“We cannae leave my faither here like this,” Olivia said. Conner’s heart shattered for her. He wished he could take away her pain.
“I ken,” Conner answered. “We will nae leave him here.”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said as she dropped her head into Conner’s chest.
“This is nae yer fault,” Conner said. “It seems that the bad blood between our families was unjustified. It is I who should apologize to ye. For all of this.”
“If ye two really want someone to blame, ye can blame the king,” Damon said in a light banter that made Conner want to slap him.
“Aye, yer right,” Olivia said. “But I will nae be like Sionn. I’ll nae hold grudges. Life is too precious for such things.”
“Come, we will use the carriage to brin’ yer faither back and give him a proper send off,” Conner said.
“He died on his feet,” Olivia said as she wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Suppose that is how we all should want to go.”
Epilogue
Olivia’s face scrunched as the pain crippled her. Every breath she took raked down her dry throat distorting her screams. She knew this day would come and had been dreading it. Focusing on the flowers painted on the vase sitting across the room from her, she pushed.
“That’s it dearie, just a wee bit more,” the midwife said in a calm cool manner. It made Olivia ill to see the woman between her legs so collected when it felt as if her body were being ripped in two.
“I cannae,” Olivia huffed, throwing her head back. Her body ached, her muscles felt as if someone set her on fire. It didn’t matter how many gulps of air she had, she couldn’t continued as she was.
“Aye ye can. Ye must, the bairn is so close,” the midwife said as Olivia’s belly tightened. She wanted to push, to expel everything out of her body. But there was nothing left in her.
“If ye daenae push ye will lose this babe,” the woman said with a stern scowl on her face. “Now dae this. When the next time ye feel like pushin’ ye give it yer all, dae ye understand?”
Olivia whipped her head back and forth as she gritted her teeth and dug her fingers into the blankets beneath her. The pressure was building and she let out another long agonizing scream wishing for this to be over. In the back of her mind she wondered if she would survive. She could her body giving up on her and knew what was at stake if she didn’t fight for herself and her child.
Mustering all that she had left, Olivia pushed.
* * *
Conner paced the length of the hall, flexing his hand into a fist. Each scream that rippled down the hall was like a blade to his heart. From where he stood it sounded as if Olivia was being ripped apart and he could do nothing to help her.
“She’ll be alright,” Sadie said as she rubbed Conner’s arm. Conner bobbed his head nervously as he tried to push aside the screams from his mind.
“It’s been nearly all day,” Conner mumbled as his eyes darted about the hallway. He noticed another group of servants rushing into the room with fresh linen as others came barreling out with the soiled ones.
“The first child is always the hardest,” Astrid said as she came around the corner.
Conner couldn’t help but feel joy with his mother and sister back in the castle. He had no clue how he would have reacted without them by his side. It was his mother’s comforting tone that eased his mind.
“That is the fourth trip into the room wit’ new linens,” Conner said pointing to the doorway. “Somethin’ is wrong.”
“Nothin’ is wrong,” Sadie said sympathetically as she stepped aside, allowing Conner to being his pacing once again.
He lingered by Olivia’s door wishing for a peek inside as Olivia’s voice cracked and broke from her scream. Conner closed his eyes and brooded as he thought of barging into the room demanding to know what they were doing to his wife.
