Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager - By Sarah Mallory Page 0,50
’tis drifting.’
‘My footman, Lucas, should go. He is young and strong.’
‘It would be safer if there were two,’ said Jasper. ‘Morton shall go with him. Give me the midwife’s direction and I will go out to the stables and tell them.’
Susannah did not hesitate. Instructions were given and even before the viscount had left the house she ran upstairs. Jane was leaning against the wall, clutching at her stomach.
‘Mrs Gifford told me these pains would come,’ she gasped. ‘Slowly at first, but then more frequently.’
‘And how do they seem to you?’ asked Susannah.
Jane gave her a strained smile. ‘They are coming very quickly. I hope we can wait for the midwife.’
‘Oh my heavens, what shall we do?’
Susannah turned at the anguished cry to find Violet Anstruther standing in the doorway. Quickly she ushered the girl out of the room, telling her to look after Lizzie and her baby, then she turned her attention back to Jane, who was pacing up and down, her face very pale.
She calculated that the midwife could not be here for at least another hour and she busied herself with preparing the room, bringing in a crib and blankets and clothes for the new baby, then she helped Jane out of her gown. All the time she kept up a cheerful dialogue which was punctuated by Jane’s gasps each time the contractions took hold.
* * *
The heavy cloud had brought an early dusk and Susannah had given orders for the lamps to be lit. It was with relief that she heard the thud of the outer door and the low rumble of voices in the hall. She ran down the stairs. The chill of the air as she descended confirmed that the front door had been opened, but there were only three figures in the hall: the viscount, his groom and Lucas, her footman.
The two servants were covered in snow.
‘I beg your pardon, miss, but we didn’t make it.’ Lucas blew on his hands and his teeth chattered when he spoke. ‘The snow is breast high across the road and we couldn’t get through. And we daren’t risk crossing the fields for the snow is falling so thick ’tis impossible to see more than an arm’s length in front of you and we wouldn’t have known which direction we should go.’
Susannah tried hard not to let her disappointment show.
‘Very well, thank you for your efforts. If you go into the kitchen Bessie will find you something hot to drink.’
‘If you don’t mind, miss, we’ll head back to the stables,’ put in Morton. ‘The old man said he would keep a good fire and have a kettle of something ready when we got back.’
‘Yes, yes, you had best go then, and get yourselves warm.’ The viscount waved them away and turned to look at Susannah. ‘This is bad news,’ he murmured, drawing her into the warmth of the parlour. ‘What will you do now?’
‘I must go back upstairs, I fear Jane is very near her time.’
‘Is there anything I can do?’ His readiness to help was comforting, but she shook her head.
‘Not unless you are a man-midwife.’
‘I regret I cannot help you there, my only experience of such things is when my favourite pointer whelped at Markham.’
Despite her anxiety she smiled at that.
‘Then you know less than I do. I was here last year when one of the girls was in labour. She was very frightened and the midwife asked me to sit with her, to calm her.’
‘So you are not totally inexperienced.’
Susannah clasped her hands together.
‘On that occasion the midwife had very little to do. The baby came into the world quite easily. If Jane’s birth is like that then there is nothing to worry about, but if not—’
She broke off, the horrors of what might happen crowding in on her. The viscount took her hands; the steady strength of his fingers around hers was oddly calming.
‘We have no choice but to try our best.’ A faint cry from above made him lift his head. He squeezed her hands. ‘Do you feel up to this?’
She met his eyes.
‘As you have said, there is no option. I must do what I can.’
‘Then go back upstairs. If you need me you only have to call.’
* * *
The hours ticked by. Susannah sat with Jane while the contractions continued. She had heard that sometimes these pains could die away, and the baby might not come for days. For a while she hoped that perhaps this would be the case