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“It’s been that way for generations, but Zia assures me our next child will be a boy,” Artair said with a smile.
A gentle knock interrupted them and Addie entered. “I wish to speak with Lachlan alone.”
Though the solar was strictly the laird’s domain, Lachlan knew Cavan would not deny his mother, and he and Artair left, closing the door behind them.
“I miss your smile,” Addie said, taking the seat beside his and placing her hand on his arm. “Tell me this decision of yours will bring it back.”
“Oh mother, what I’m about to do will bring me so very much happiness,” he said and grinned from ear to ear.
Terese looked over the lush fields. The harvest would be plentiful this year. There would be enough to store for winter and more than enough to share with the mercenaries. In a couple of months, around November, meat would be cured and stored for winter and Septimus promised that his men would supply them with more if necessary.
Andrew and the other men were busy building more cottages, though Andrew worked most diligently on the one he and Megan planned to share. They spent all their time together and Terese had never seen Megan so happy. That they were in love was undeniable, and Terese was so pleased for her.
Piper and Evan were inseparable and already had a cottage of their own. Piper had asked that she be able to confide in him about the mercenaries for it was getting more and more difficult to hide the tracks from him. And she didn’t want to continue to lie to him.
Terese had given her permission after they had all discussed it at a meeting, and though the women were concerned for Piper as to how Evan would react to the news, they needn’t have worried. He was more excited about Piper showing him how she had concealed the tracks from him, then the news itself. The two were meant for each other.
Rowena was also in the throes of love, Talon having returned time and time again to see her after he had healed and returned to the mercenary camp. His stays at Everagis grew longer than his returns to camp until finally Septimus threw him out claiming that a love-sick pup was useless to him. Talon now spent his day building a cottage for him and Rowena.
Terese grew melancholy, thinking about Lachlan. Actually, there hadn’t been a day that had gone by since his departure over four months ago that she hadn’t thought about him. She missed him terribly, especially at night when she crawled into an empty bed. She ached for his arms to wrap around her and to feel his body planted against hers.
She shook the thoughts from her mind or else she would cry. She had been doing a lot of that lately, and it annoyed her.
Terese turned hearing someone approach, and smiled. It was May, or at least that’s what the women had named her since she arrived in May in the throes of labor the last night Terese had spent with Lachlan. She’d had severe bruising around her neck and had been unable to speak. So far her voice had not returned. But she had given birth to a beautiful baby boy who everyone fussed over. Though only a few months old, the lad laughed and smiled and rarely cried.
Since May couldn’t speak, the lad had yet to receive a proper name so he was often called little darling, sweetie, sweet stuff or any other endearing name that came to mind.
May was good at using her hands to make herself understood, since she never attempted to write anything, Terese assumed that she didn’t know how.
“Is the little one sleeping?” Terese asked.
May nodded and then proceeded to communicate with her hands.
Terese watched and then asked, “Are you telling me people approach?”
May nodded vigorously.
That’s when Terese spotted Hester approaching her on a run, and a sense of dread washed over her.
“May’s told you riders approach?” Hester asked anxiously.
“Riders?” Terese repeated the sense of dread growing. “Do you know who?”
Hester reached out for Terese’s hand, but she pulled away. “No, don’t tell me…” She shook her head. “It can’t be. He told me he wouldn’t return.” She grabbed hold of Hester’s arm. “Tell me it’s not him.”
“I’m sorry,” Hester said. “Lachlan will be here any moment.”
Chapter 21
Terese’s hand went to her stomach. She had been able to hide the slight roundness thus far, the only ones who knew that she carried Lachlan’s babe were Rowena and Hester. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Megan or Piper, she just didn’t want to put them in the position of lying to the men they loved. And she supposed she had feared Andrew or Evan might decide to contact Lachlan. What did she intend to do when she couldn’t hide her expanding stomach any longer? She had no idea, though now she had a bigger problem to worry about.
