go back for a gown. Greer said nay, her father had wanted everyone out. She insisted that didn’t include her, and they all started arguing about whether she was capable o’ fetching a gown on her own, or—Where are ye going?” Geordie broke off his explanation to ask as Conran spun on his heel and headed for the door.
“Next time, Geordie, just say, ‘Nay, they didn’t go straight there,’” Aulay suggested dryly as he started to follow Conran.
“Wait a damn minute, Conran. I need to tend yer head wound ere ye—” Rory’s words died as Conran opened the chamber door and they heard a muffled shriek and a crash from the next room.
“Nay!” Evina said with disbelief to Saidh’s words, her attention immediately reclaimed from watching Greer and Alick carry a chest across the room to set by the fireplace. Jetta and Saidh had held up a plaid to give her privacy while Tildy had tended her wound and then helped her dress in the borrowed clothes. But once that was done, Tildy had gone below to fetch beverages for everyone, and Jetta, Saidh and Evina had all taken up positions on the bed, sitting cross-legged in a triangle. It was Jetta who suggested the men make use of her chests and sit on them. The men were now moving them across the room to sit by the empty fireplace. She supposed it was an effort on their part to give them some privacy to talk.
“Aye,” Saidh assured her with amusement, drawing her back to the conversation.
“Ye had three bairns at once?” Evina asked with dismay. She’d never met anyone who’d had more than one child at a time. She’d heard tales of such things, but—
“Aye, three girls,” Saidh said with a grin. “They’re two and a half now, thank goodness.”
“Why thank goodness?” Evina asked with curiosity.
“Because I don’t think I could have handled a fourth child while the first three were still in nappies or teething. But the lassies are done with both. Well, for the most part anyway. There may be one or two teeth still to come, but that should be done by the time I have this one,” she said, placing a hand on her stomach.
“What if ye have triplets again?” Evina asked, eyeing her stomach with wonder.
Saidh shrugged. “Then I hope they are boys to balance things out.”
“Ye would no’ mind having three again?” she asked with surprise, her gaze sliding back to the men as they set down the first chest and returned for the second one at the foot of the bed.
“Whether I mind or no’ won’t make any difference to the number that shows up,” Saidh said with amusement. “So why fret over it? I just hope however many there are, they are healthy.”
“Healthy is good,” Evina agreed, glancing down to her own stomach and wishing the same for the baby she might be carrying.
“Triplets run in the family,” Saidh announced, and then amended, “Well, twins do.”
“Do they?” Evina asked with concern.
“Aye. Aulay and Ewan were twins,” Saidh told her. She glanced down at Evina’s stomach and teased, “So, perhaps you’ll have two or three bairns at once yerself when ye start having them.”
“Accck!” Evina shrieked, and then peered sharply toward the fireplace as Alick lost his grip while lowering the chest and it dropped with a heavy thud. Shaking her head with amusement when Alick made a face, she looked back to Saidh and said, “Do no’ even jest about something like—”
Evina broke off mid-sentence, turning wide eyes toward the door this time as it suddenly crashed open and Conran, his brothers and her father all charged in, swords at the ready.
Chapter 12
“Where is he?”
Evina’s eyes widened at that growl from Conran, and when his gaze landed on her, she pointed to Greer and Alick by the chests. They were the only “hes” in the room. Apparently though, they weren’t the “hes” in question. At least, that was the conclusion she came to when everyone suddenly began to move. Aulay and Geordie strode to the chests, drawing her attention when they opened them and began pulling out the dresses inside. She gaped at them briefly, and then shifted her attention back to Conran just in time to see him fall out of sight. Frowning, she shifted closer to the edge of the bed and peered over to see that he’d dropped to look under the bed.
“What is happening?” she asked as he straightened again.
Rather than answer, Conran glanced to his brothers,