Chapter 42- Part Two
"Come in! Come in!" Greeted Ian while Jamie remained a statue.
"Murtagh, it's been years. Good to see ye." Ian continued, shutting the door behind them.
Jenny's shriek rang from upstairs drawing Daniea's attention to the staircase.
"I'm so sorry fer my rudeness, Mistress?" Ian began to question.
"Daniea O'Dowd," She finished, drawing back her hood to reveal the emerald gaze Jamie knew hid there.
"Mistress O'Dowd is the healer of Castle Leoch. Colum received a message that young Jenny was in dire need of a midwife."
"Yes! God bless ye." Ian praised. "My wife is up the stairs and down the hall to yer right mistress."
Daniea flashed a broken smile at the poor man as she began towards the stairs. Jamie without a thought moved to intercept her, catching the men's attention.
"M'Laird?" She queried, lowering her eyes as she bowed down at his feet.
Jamie drew back, her composure startling him; as she remained before him he heard her tenderly murmur. "I promise I won't let anything happen to yer sister M'laird."
Jenny's scream startled Jamie back into his body just in time to see Daniea sprint upstairs and disappear around the corner.
Murtagh took the opportunity to pour three glasses of whiskey and force the boys to sit down.
Ian sipped on the amber liquid allowing it to temporarily steal his nerves. "I haven't the faintest clue who sent word but whoever it was I will be forever grateful."
Murtagh grinned, "It was Fergus."
The men chuckled, breaking the tension even further.
"Yer wife is in the best hands I know. So don't worry yer poor head anymore. If anyone can help that bairn into the world it's Daniea." Murtagh assured, ignoring the murderous looks from Jamie.
"She didna talk much but was that an Irish accent I heard." Ian questioned, trying to distract himself with polite conversation.
"Aye, tis..we were lucky to receive the lad's message when we did… a few hours later we would have already departed fer Ireland in fact."
Jamie stilled in his chair at the proclamation.
"Ireland?" inquired Ian.
"Leoch has been fortunate to host the lass for the last year, but recently she had decided it was time to return home." Murtagh explained as his eyes turned to the ceiling; they could faintly hear Daniea ordering the servants about in all the commotion. The timber of her voice secretly commanding Jamie's senses as it always had.
Jenny barely knew what was going on around her but she was grateful that help had finally arrived. Hours upon hours of maneuvering and pushing kept Daniea flitting around upstairs; trying her best to ignore the bottomless pit in her core. She took great care with Jenny who was already past the point of exhaustion when she arrived. Fergus checked in only once when he heard her voice, bewildered that she had actually answered his call for help.
Daniea thanked the boy, kissed his brow and ushered him away to rest. But not before reminding him that he was not to speak a word about the relationship that had existed between herself and the Laird to anyone.
Jenny groaned as the rooster crowed with the sun. She was finally pushing a new life into the world after three days of grief. The wails of a shrieking bairn woke the entire manor, a roar of excitement meeting the child as a bloodied Daniea handed the beautiful little one over to her mother.
"It's a girl." Daniea cooed, as Jenny wrapped her arms around the babe. It was still minutes before anyone heard anything more as Daniea double checked that Jenny had passed the placenta and the bleeding had ceased.
Finally when she was sure everything was alright, she had Mrs. Crook help her clean Jenny up and put her in her bed to rest with the bairn.
The men rose as one and stood at the bottom of the stairs when they heard footsteps closing in. Daniea stopped halfway down, her hair mussed in a tangled bun and her dress completely soiled with blood and sweat.
"Mr. Murray, yer wife gave birth to a little lass who decided to come into the world feet first."
Ian's smile stretched from ear to ear as he kept listening.
"She needs to be observed fer a few days just to make sure the birth had no lingering effects, but both are doing well. Please... go to them."
Ian slapped the men hard on the back with his excitement and took the stairs as fast as his legs would allow to greet his family.
"Here Lass, you've earned this." Murtagh smirked, handing a dram of whiskey up to the exhausted woman.
Daniea happily drained the glass before staggering down the stairs.
"If M'laird would permit it, I would like to change out of this dress before we take our leave." Daniea asked as she cautiously gazed at the floor.
"Of course his highness will permit it. Go take care of yerself Lass, there is a small cottage outside by the horses where ye should be able to find everything ye need. I will come find ye after I check in on Jenny and the bairn." Murtagh ordered never breaking eye contact with Jamie.
The room remained eerily silent until Daniea was out of sight.
"I best be paying my respects to yer sister and check in on Fergus." Murtagh stated, beginning to make his way up the stairs.
"Murtagh, wait!"
The older man turned, glaring at his godson.
"I…"
"Ye what lad? Out with it! Whatever ye have to say to me... or to her for that matter, ye best be telling me. For the short remainder of our visit, ye will not be speaking one word to that girl, do ye understand me!" Murtagh growled, his knuckles turning white on the banister.
"I wasn't...I have nothing ta say to her." Jamie snipped back.
"Best be keeping it that way. Ye have made it crystal clear what ye want and I will not partake in yer goings on any longer. I brought her here fer Jenny... Not to be trifling about with yer likes any longer than necessary."
An hour or so later Murtagh came down the staircase. Still sitting in a chair by the fireplace was Jamie, staring sharply out the front window. Neither man spoke as Murtagh exited in search of Daniea. To no one's surprise she was just outside the front standing in the pasture. Her cascading midnight locks blending in with the animal's fur as she buried her head into Raven's neck.
Realizing why Jamie was watching out the window so intently made Murtagh's eyes roll, complete exasperation aging his features.
"Lieing dolt!" He grumbled to himself.
Daniea followed closely behind her caretaker into Lallybroch. Her appearance was slightly refreshed by the clean dress, but her features remained as stone.
They made their way up to Jenny's room to bid their farewells, followed closely behind by Jamie. Jenny and Ian welcomed them into the bedroom as they remained huddled together with the baby and their elder son.
"Jenny. Ian. We best be getting on our way." Murtagh admitted.
"Must ye?" Jenny asked, still in desperate need of rest.
"Aye, I must be getting home. It's a long journey that I have to be starting. I promise ye and the bairn will be in fine hands. I wrote down all the instructions fer Mrs. Crooks and yer midwife when she returns." Daniea assured.
"Please! Won't ye just stay one week? After everything ye have done fer us, to be right honest I don't trust anyone else to be watching over us as ye have mistress." Jenny pushed, her nerves flaring. "And I would love some more time with my godfather." She added, smiling at Murtagh.
"Now Jenny." he began but Ian cut him off.
"Please mistress, I know that if it wasna fer ye these two would surely be with . Just one week... to make sure all is well and then I swear we will speed ye along to yer destination as if no time was lost."
Ian's tear brimmed eyes threatened to break Daniea. She glanced up at Murtagh and they both knew there was no way around their request.
"One week and then I must go." Daniea finally agreed.
"Ye are an angel!" Jenny squealed. "Brother, be a dear and go show our guests to their rooms."
Daniea bowed her head graciously. "I will be back in a few hours to check on ye. Get some sleep after ye feed the wee one."
"Thankyou." Called Ian as Murtagh shut the door
