before approaching him. Her hand reached out and grabbed his arm in wordless comfort.
“I didn’t know what Harrison had done, Gordon. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry. It was best that I was here anyway.”
Together they entered Sean’s room. Jennifer sat as Gordon picked up the second chair beneath the window and moved it to the other side of the bed. He covered Sean’s work-worn, gnarled hand with his own, grateful that the Adaire family had cared for his father when he hadn’t.
A moment later he looked over at Jennifer. “Tonight has taught me something. How fleeting life can be. Marry me. Marry me, Jennifer. Be my wife. Be my partner. Be my sounding board and my most trusted ally. Be my friend and my lover.”
She stared at him wide-eyed.
“We would have to live in London, but hopefully that isn’t a problem. If it is, I can make other arrangements. I have a few managers I trust implicitly.”
“London?”
He nodded. “I’ll give you the world. Whatever you want, Jennifer. You won’t suffer for anything. I promise.”
He was babbling. If it had been anyone but Jennifer, he would’ve stopped himself before now. It sounded as if he was begging, and he probably was. Yet he didn’t have any pride when it came to her, not when she looked at him with such radiance in her eyes.
She had to say yes.
“Marry me,” he said again. “I promise you we’ll be happy. As happy as we were all those years ago. Happier, perhaps.”
“Oh, Gordon, don’t you know how much I love you? You don’t even need to ask. You could simply take my hand and lead me to a carriage, and I’d go anywhere with you. These last five years without you have been miserable.”
“You’ll marry me?” He wanted the exact words. He wanted her to say it in such a way that there was no question.
She squeezed his hand. “Yes. A thousand times yes. A thousand times a thousand times. Yes, I’ll marry you. Do you know how many times I’ve dreamed of being your wife?”
Sean blinked open his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling, then seemed to realize where he was.
“I’ve something to say,” he said, his voice raspy.
“Don’t tire yourself,” Jennifer said, smoothing the sheets over Sean’s chest.
He turned his head at her voice, then closed his eyes, sighed, and remained silent.
“What is it, Da?”
“Naught,” Sean said. “Naught at all.”
They remained there long enough to be assured that Sean had no intention of speaking. He fell into an uneasy sleep, his hands occasionally twitching on the sheet.
Finally, they stood and left the room, leaving Sean to rest.
“You look as tired as I feel,” she said, smiling up at him.
“It’s been a long night.”
“Will you meet me later?” she asked. “At the loch? I’ll bring a lunch for us.”
He nodded.
She turned to leave him, her hand brushing his. He wanted to reach out and grab it, pull her to him, and hold her. Just that, to hold her for a few minutes, to allow himself the luxury of being with the one person in the world he loved unconditionally.
When the door closed behind her, he turned to Moira. “I’m going to sleep for a bit. If I’m needed, please come and get me.”
“Aye, that I will, but for now you go and get some rest. There’s time enough for worry later.”
When he woke, he would see if Sean felt like talking and find out what he wanted to say but couldn’t in front of Jennifer.
Lauren’s daughter was born in the wee hours of the morning which, according to Mrs. Farmer, was not unusual. The baby was healthy, already expressing her displeasure about having to wait a moment to be fed, and was instantly adored by her mother and her aunt.
Jennifer said a fervent prayer of thanks. She’d known that first births were long, but she’d never thought that it would take this many hours. The baby was perfect, however, even if she was loud. The two of them, Lauren and her daughter, were a picture she would not shortly forget.
She was careful not to compliment her niece. Doing so would summon all sorts of bad luck including being forespoken. To prevent such a thing from happening, the infant was passed through the nightgown that Lauren had been wearing at the time of her birth three times. Then Mrs. Farmer washed the baby in ice-cold water. Great care was taken so that the water didn’t touch the baby’s palms. Otherwise, any luck the child