It didn't take long for life at Leoch to fall into a routine again and a few months to pass by quickly. The first of the potatoes were to be harvested and preparations were going underway for storing them with Jim overseeing them while he took a few patients here and there. There were plenty of tenants in need of evaluations from Jim but not many who could easily make their way to him.
He had tried leaving at first, determined to keep up with those who needed him, but her patients' demands on his time and his family's needs quickly forced him to abandon that habit. He was not going to be an absent father like his own and leave Melinda alone to raise their daughter and any future children.
"I wonder who she will grow to be," Jim pondered out loud one night after Faith had fallen asleep on him, her cheek pressed to his sternum.
Melinda was returning the bottle of whiskey to the sideboard - Faith had started to have trouble sleeping as her teeth began to grow in, but rubbing a drop of whiskey on her gums calmed her enough to put her to sleep, and luckily for them, she generally stayed asleep.
"Me too. Sometimes I feel as though she understands what she's watching," Melinda admitted. "Obviously it's just that she's tracking me or you and our movements... but she'll be old enough to learn before you know it."
"Aye," he ran his hand over her hair - it was just getting long enough now to be brushed but would still be a while before it could be plaited or tied off to keep it out of her face. "Soon she'll be walking with wee Eddie, tryin' to keep up with him."
"One day soon," she said, tracing her cheek and then taking their daughter from his arms. "Hopefully she will have a little brother or sister to grow up with soon."
He walked up behind her, his arms around her waist. "Are you thinking down the road, already?"
"I am," she said, setting their daughter down in her cradle before she turned around to face him. "Is that wrong of me?"
He smiled. "No. I think of it just as often," he said, leading her away from the cradle.
As they approached the bed she noticed Jim had begun to make his way back toward the door, but she reached out and grabbed his hand. "Will you stay tonight?" She asked. "I miss you in our bed."
"Aye, of course." His cheeks were tinted as he came back over to her and pulled her close. "I didn't want to rush anythin'... or to pressure ye."
"Well, good thing you could never pressure me," she said, tilting her head and quirking the corner of her mouth into a little smile.
He laughed and her insides felt warm from his gentle blue gaze. "Let's go to bed then," he said and they moved to lay down together. His hand still massaged her back, feeling the touch of her skin through the fabric of her nightgown.
She shifted over to pull herself onto him and chose to show him by capturing his mouth with hers. The kiss became rougher as Jim quickly deepened it, suddenly more desperate for her than she had expected. His smell, his taste, the feeling of his body on hers. It's been too long since they had been together last, but now she wasn't going to let him go.
His heart was thudding, matching the rhythm hers had taken on: quick and anticipatory. She swiped her tongue across his lips but wanted more. "Melinda," he panted, breaking their kiss. "I would never wish to hurt my lovely wife."
"I need you," she whispered, tugging at his shirt, "Please, I want you." She moved back in to kiss him again, rolling her hips to make her point clearer if it wasn't already.
"Are ye sure yer body has healed?" He sighed into the kiss, all restraint failing as his hands automatically moved under her nightgown to caress the skin of her back.
"It's been more than enough time," she told him, mockingly. "You worry too much… you could never hurt me."
He raised a trail of goosebumps as he went, making her arch into him, her hips even more insistent than before. Raising up, she made quick work of ridding herself of her nightgown, but before she could descend to plunder his mouth more, he had flipped them over. "Melinda, ye give me far too much credit," he said as he took off his own shirt before coming down to begin kissing her again.
She pulled him closer to her, relishing that there were no more barriers between them and wanting no space between their bodies. Jim's tongue swept across her lips, begging for entry and she granted it immediately, visiting the mouth with her tongue as well. Her hands traveled down his body to thumb at his trousers.
He smiled into the kiss. "In a hurry?" he teased, leaving her lips to lick a trail down from her jaw.
"Yes," she breathed, back rising as he laved his tongue down her chest, pausing to give gentle care to her breasts. "I want you… I want to feel you inside me."
He licked around each nipple in turn, placing light kisses over them before continuing down, nipping a trail along her body that he soothed as he went. Her nails scraped up his back, head going fuzzy with the sensations he was causing, making his breath turn to shudders as he continued his descent lower on her body. His tongue moved between her thighs, up and down the heated expanse of her flesh, probing inside her only slightly.
Each small movement and flick of his tongue elicited a sound from Melinda, which encouraged him all the more. Her hand came down and her fingers tangled with his curls. "Jim… Don't stop." She whispered, barely audible while her free hand gripped the sheets so tight that her knuckles went white. She did her best not to move her hips, letting him do all the work. "Oh, God." She nearly screamed, but then turned her face to muffle the sound from waking their child that slept in her cradle a few feet from their bed.
She could feel her breath quicken and her stomach clench as she went over the edge with pleasure. Her smiling husband emerged from between her legs, very pleased with himself, indeed. Contentedly, he hummed against her, but before she could become more undone, Jim had pulled away and came up to meet her in a kiss that tasted like both of them.
Melinda pulled him closer, pressing herself against him in a way that had them both moaning into each others' mouths. Her heart seemed to stutter as he nestled between her legs, skin bare, and his cock hard against her. She reached to grab at him, desperate for him to be inside, but unable to find the words to ask. Just as she found her voice, she no longer needed it.
"God, yes," she found herself saying as he buried himself deep within her. "I love you." Her eyes opened, locking gazes with him as they joined. She saw nothing but Jim. Her beautiful husband. "I love you."
"I love ye madly, Mel," he murmured, hand coming up to brush back the hair from her face and cup her cheek.
It tangled in her long, brown hair and he kissed her again. She found herself exploring him, hands trying to take all of him in at once. Then he shifted, changing angles, and he set a faster pace whimpers from her as she found her mind going fuzzy, unable to think much past the delicious sensations that he was causing.
"More," she commanded, gripping his ass again to make his strokes harder, quicker, deeper. "I need more."
She arched her back as he filled her entirely, her nails now digging into him and eliciting a shudder into her neck from him. Responding in kind, he moved his mouth to her neck and then her breasts, driving her towards incoherence as he alternated between sucking and soothing it with flicks of his tongue. He quickened their tempo again and until she was left writhing underneath him, careening towards the edge of bliss.
"More," she whispered into his ear.
Jim traveled back up her jaw. "More?" he breathed into her ear, teasing her with a laugh, nibbling lightly on the lobe as he thrust harder into her.
Obliging, he brought his hand from her hair to slip in between them. "Oh, yes," she cried as his finger circled her center, "So close, Jim."
They came together, their cries silenced by a kiss as they clung to each other, Jim spilling himself completely as she trembled around him. Boneless, completely spent, they laid wrapped in each other, their chests heaving together as they came down, still taking pleasure in each other's mouths.
For a moment, she laid and reveled in the feelings that had become familiar once again. Feeling her husband wrapping his arms around her, she felt safe and loved. And given what he had done, she was certain that they'd have more children; even if not now, if she wanted more children then her husband would give her as much as she wanted. She found herself smiling, completely satiated, and feeling even more desperately in love with him than usual.
I missed you," she whispered, turning on her side and bringing a hand up to his face, tracing from cheek to his swollen lips - she knew he had made similar work of hers, the tingles of their kisses still lingering. "And this time spent together..."
His laugh rumbled low in his chest, his eyes alight even in the darkroom. "Really? I couldn't tell," he teased, petting her nose and returning her smile.
At that, she laughed too. "Maybe I was a little over the top," she admitted as she cuddled closer into his chest, pulling the warmer blanket over them from the edge of the bed."Do you think we woke her?"
"No, ye could never be that way," he teased her, placing a kiss onto her nose. "And I think Faith is still asleep." He resumed stroking her side, gazing into her eyes as if he was still trying to drink more of her up. The hand at her back began tracing her spine, lulling her heavy eyelids to close as she listened to his breathing returning to normal. "Sleep now, my sweet," he said as the last of her effort to stay awake left her and she drifted off to peaceful slumber.
Melinda enjoyed most days, but her favorites were when she took Faith out to the garden, spread a blanket, and set her down to roll about and play while she watched Jim gather the necessary plants for his medical stores.
Their little girl was thriving in Scotland - they all were.
Faith squealed on the blanket and while her daughter had been sitting up when Melinda set her down, the little girl had flopped onto her back. An insect was humming nearby and the infant arched her back, reaching with her arms to try and catch it.
She moved closer to wave it away, but it had already dodged Faith's grasp. Determined, the four-month-old rolled onto her belly and pushed up onto her hands and knees, rocking back and forth screeching for the dragonfly to wait for her to catch up with it.
Faith hadn't quite mastered the coordination necessary to crawl, but she could tell her daughter was getting closer each day. Jim sat on the floor encouraging her most evenings while Melinda watched and enjoyed her nightly tea as she wrote in her journal, the efforts usually leaving their daughter so exhausted that she frequently would lay on her belly on the floor and go to sleep right there.
"And what are you going to do with that when you catch it, sweet girl?" Melinda asked the little one with a laugh.
The infant turned towards her voice and moved an arm but lost her balance and rolled to her instead, ending on her back, startled, but looking up at her amused mother. Faith smiled triumphantly which only made Melinda laugh more.
"And just what might you two lasses be up to?" Jim asked, brushing dust and dirt from his arms and shirt as he strode over with his basket full of herbs and other sorts of plants he used in his line of work. "Ye both look bonny."
"Faith has learned her first nature lesson I guess you could call it when a butterfly flew by her," she explained as she scooted over so her husband could join them on the ground. "How's the plant and herb collecting coming along?"
"I think I have enough to get me through for the next few weeks," he said, reaching for a mint leaf from his basket of freshly plucked herbs. He stuck it in his mouth and chewed for a minute before leaning away from them and spitting into the grass. "I saw to it that Ned had begun to dig out the cellar. He said he dinna think he'll stop tasting the dirt of digging for a week, but the cellar will be ready when the last of the potatoes are harvested."
She nodded, happy to hear of the work that was coming along nicely "We'll have to set some aside for planting next season and store the rest for winter. Hopefully, there will be a decent crop." She replied.
"Hopefully, we won't ruin too many in the process of harvesting them," he voiced his fear. "It's a new crop and we're no familiar wi' it. Ian has his book on growing potatoes but there's still more than enough room for error on our part. And then there's the small matter of getting the folk around here to eat them."
"Ah, but I thought we had a plan for that." Melinda reached over and plucked Faith from her back, setting her upright again.
Their daughter smiled up at her father, but Faith had to look up at such a sharp angle she nearly toppled over backward again. Jim reached into his sporran and pulled out a whittled animal her uncle Daniel had made - it was difficult to tell whether the creature was supposed to be a dog or a cat but it certainly had four legs, a tail, and a lean body.
"Daniel will be bringing the priest when he returns home next week," he confirmed, smiling as he watched Faith play with the toy. "I dinna expect it will take more than a day or two to harvest the potatoes once he is here."
"And you're sure you're alright with doing this now?" She asked him.
"Faith should have a proper Christening," he insisted, smiling at both her and their daughter. "Here at Leoch with her family present. We should celebrate wi' the tenants as well so they can finally see how things are coming along."
The harvest hadn't taken long - once they'd decided for sure that the potatoes were ready for harvesting. There had been more than a few questions about how they were meant to be cooked and eaten before Jim and Melinda explained they would be served several ways after Faith's Christening and that all the tenants were invited.
An air of anticipation descended as Daniel arrived with a priest from a village just over the border into the Clancy lands - it had been a short time since the priest at Leoch had passed away suddenly. A new priest had yet to be assigned to the church there but word had reached them of Father Drummond traveling through the area on his way further north and he'd agreed to come and Christen Faith properly in exchange for room and board.
"Catherine?" Katherine had asked with raised brows as Faith slept in her arms following the brief ceremony. "Why on earth would you want to settle my name on the poor child for her Christening? Even with the C, I can see the geture that was made."
"You mean everything to me and I know you will be there for your niece as much as I am now that you are here," she explained.
"It was my idea in the first place," Jim added, reaching out to take his daughter into his arms. "If I must say."
"Well, it is an honor," Katherine brow furrowed as she settled into a chair to rest before the time to assist Mrs. Crook in the kitchen arrived. "Thank you both."
Faith then began to stir in Jim's arms, her fussing indicative of needing a fresh change of her nappy. "I'll take her," she volunteered. "I should change her into something more suitable for tonight anyway."
"What's wrong with what she's wearing?" He inquired.
"If she's going to have a taste of potatoes tonight, I'd rather she wear something that isn't so new," she explained as Jim passed Faith to her. "We'll be back in time to help in the kitchen."
"You better," Katherine snorted. "You're the one who knows best what we should be doing to them and whether they'll have turned outright."
Melinda swept up the stairs with Faith and laid the baby girl on the bed while she changed her. Faith began babbling to her and squirmed onto her stomach while she was busy folding and putting Katherine's beautifully handmade dress out of harm's way. She noticed Faith seemed to sense her mother's preoccupation with other things as she continued to emit strings of meaningless syllables.
"I'm being silly, I know," she told her. "Now let's head down to help get ready for your party."
There was a spot in the corner of the kitchen where blankets had been piled and obstacles erected to keep Faith and Eddie from getting underfoot while their mothers were working at the table—though Eddie was beginning to grow proficient at climbing over the unorthodox walls.
Melinda deposited Faith there with the silver rattle her father had given her and it had promptly entered Faith's mouth and she began gnawing on it. Eddie, a few months older than his cousin, crawled over to watch what Faith was doing with it at which point the little girl removed it from her mouth and waved it around, splattering her older cousin with droplets of drool—the boy lost interest and moved back to the small wooden horse he'd abandoned.
Melinda joined Katherine and Mrs. Crook dicing up potatoes and other root vegetables for the stew. Daniel came in at one point with a leg of mutton for them to use as they saw fit—the rest of the sheep with two of its brethren and two pigs would be roasted in the yard. She went through the pile of potatoes and set aside the biggest ones to be buried and cooked in the coals directly after the meat had finished. After that,
She pulled aside a number of greens and raw vegetables to put into what she could of a salad—Katherine and Mrs. Crook watching her with raised eyebrows the whole time. Jim was determined to encourage as many of the tenants to eat greens as could be managed and had instructed her to do so—the last thing he wanted to come wintertime was to be called to treat scurvy.
Two other women soon slipped into the kitchen after having assisted in the necessary outdoor preparations. With the extra hands, Melinda and Katherine were able to slip away to change before gathering the children and going out to greet the guests as they began arriving.
Melinda quickly located Jim standing with Daniel and Ned not far from where the mutton and pork were roasting over the fire. She crossed to them with Faith grinning at the sight of her father—and her husband breaking into a proud smile of his own when he spotted them coming.
"There ye are lass," he said, reaching to take their daughter from her arms. "Don't you look bonny. Are ye eager to try those potatoes yer mam has had us growing? Goin' to put that wee tooth of yers to good use."
"I think there's a second just coming through there," she said, pointing to a pale spot along the babe's lower gums.
The little girl twisted her head to avoid being prodded, spotted both her uncle Daniel and uncle Ned, and reached for either of them to save her. Daniel obliged with a faint smile largely hidden beneath his bushy beard.
"Dan, Dan," Faith babbled as she twisted her fingers into it and pulled.
"Hi, sweet one," Daniel said as he pressed a kiss to her cheek and the baby girl burst into laughter.
As the tenants and their families began to arrive, they stopped to make their congratulations to the Lord and his family, to admire Faith before enjoying the food, drink, and company of the larger party. Melinda took Faith back when the meat and stew were ready to be served.
With so much going on, the little girl watched everything with a keen interest and enthusiasm. A few young boys excitedly set about the task of laying the potatoes in the bed of glowing charcoal before Daniel and Jim both raked the rest of the embers on top of them to bake.
Faith was growing heavy as her exhaustion took over—it had been a long day with more activity than her small body could handle without a nap. Melinda drifted to the edge of the crowd and found a place on a bench where she could lean against the side of the house while her babe slept in her arms.
The meat and ale had taken care of much of the tenants' wariness over some of the food options they were unfamiliar with. She watched two children playing with leaves of watercress before their mother could scold them.
The potatoes were proving a bit more popular than the leafy greens. The scent of them smeared with butter wafted over to her and made her stomach rumble—she had been busy with Faith and chatting with their guests and hadn't had enough to eat.
The smell roused Faith as well and she stirred in Melinda's arms. "Did you have a good nap?" She inquired, smiling at her daughter.
Faith smiled back and reached up to grab one of her stray curls. She bent her forehead to Faith's inspiring a string of giggles. The smell of food was closer now and she realized someone had come up while she was preoccupied.
Jim stood with two of the baked potatoes in his hands, the blackened skins sliced open with buttery steam rising from them. She moved to sit Faith up in her lap but her husband remained still, a soft smile on his face.
"Are those both for you?" she asked, nodding to the potatoes.
"No," he answered, blinking, and taking the seat beside her. "Sorry I just… didna want to disturb the two of ye like that. Wi' yer heads together that way… I couldna tell where yer hair ended and hers began—framed yer faces and made yer smiles shine brighter." He balanced one of the potatoes on his leg and reached out to smooth a curl back from each of their faces. "I'll ne'er tire of seeing the two of ye like that, Melinda." He trailed his finger down her cheek and along her jaw before raising her chin for a kiss.
Faith was apparently just as hungry as Melinda was and reached out for the potato, but she deftly caught her wrist before Faith could burn herself. "Slow down there," she laughed. "You're going to hurt yourself, little one."
"Mamamama," Faith babbled, looking up at her mother and reaching for the potato.
"Can she have it?" he asked, loosening a small bit and blowing on it to cool it for her.
"Yes," she said with a nod. "Let's see how she likes it."
Faith pushed the small, butter-soaked bite around in her mouth with her tongue, the unfamiliar movement causing her to scrunch up her face. She swallowed it eventually and began kicking her legs in approval and reaching for more. "Dadadada mmm," she jabbered, opening her mouth in anticipation.
"Aye, that's right," he beamed. "Da. That's me. Here ye are. I suppose ye're hankering for a change from what yer mam can give ye of her milk—though I've yet to tire of yer mam myself."
Melinda snorted quietly. "People can hear you," she reminded her husband.
"And ye think I'm ashamed of wanting ye?" He smirked at her. "I'll never be."
"No," she admitted. "But I can think of a better time and place than—"
"Ye know ye need only name a time and place," he told her. "I'm familiar wi' yer appetites, Melinda."
"If I've an appetite at the moment, Jim, it isn't for that," she informed him as her stomach grumbled again. "Now take the baby and give me that potato. I'm starved."