Page 26 of A Season Beyond A Kiss (Birmingham #2)
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“M IZ R AELYNN! M IZ R AELYNN !” T IZZY CRIED IN an anxious dither as she scurried into the clothier’s shop late one afternoon three days hence. “Mr. Brandon’s coachman jes’ arrived at Miz Elizabeth’s, an’ he says dat Miz Heather’s gone inta labor an’ dat she’s askin’ if’n yo’d be o’ a mind ta come out an’ help her through de delivery.”
Raelynn rose to her feet without delay and was just turning to search out Farrell to ask for his permission to leave when she saw him striding hurriedly toward her.
“Just go!” he urged, motioning her toward the door. “Don’t worry about cleaning up your desk. Elizabeth can put everything away. Stay as long as you’re needed. If something comes up that won’t wait, we’ll know where to find you. Now go, get yourself ready. You have a long ride ahead of you.”
“I done packed a valise fo’ yo’, Miz Raelynn, jes’ in case Miz Heather’s baby takes its own sweet time gettin’ here,” Tizzy informed her. “It’s already in Mr. Brandon’s carriage. If’n ye’re o’ such a mind, ye can leave right now.”
“Thank you, Tizzy,” Raelynn said gratefully, already scurrying. She snatched her cloak from the coat tree and dragged it on as she ran.
In a moment she was slipping out the front portal which the doorman was holding open for her. The coachman had pulled alongside the boardwalk in front of the shop and, in anticipation of her arrival, was there waiting at the open door of the conveyance.
“Aftahnoon, Miz Raelynn,” he greeted, tipping his hat. “Ah hope yo’ don’t mind rushin’. Mistah Brandon was fit ta be tied, worryin’ o’er his li’l darlin’. Befo’ I left, he said ta get yo’ dere as fast as I could whip de horses inta a frenzy.”
“Thank you for coming all the way to Charleston to fetch me, James. I want to be there.” She placed a hand in his massive, gloved paw and accepted his assistance into the landau. Her slippered feet barely touched the coach steps as she made a hasty ascent. Settling back into the seat, she felt the carriage lurch as the servant climbed to his seat, and soon they were on their way.
Once they left the outskirts of the city, James displayed a definite urgency as he cracked his whip time and again above the heads of the four-in-hand. The horses’ hooves were nearly churning up the winding road, yet the servant gave no signs of relenting. Obviously he had taken his master at his word.
Twilight had settled over the land before James turned into the long lane leading to Harthaven. At the far end of the oak-lined drive, the blazing lights of the large house cast a welcoming ambience. Soon the landau was drawing to a halt before the steps, and Raelynn caught sight of Brandon hurrying across the porch to meet the approaching conveyance. When she scooted forward on the seat, he was there to swing open the door and give her a hand down.
“I’m glad you were able to come,” he murmured, obviously relieved that she had seen fit to do so. Settling a hand beneath her arm, he whisked her across the porch. “Heather said something about you two being sisters almost as much as Jeffrey and I are brothers. She got it in her head that she wanted you beside her, and there was no denying her request.” He chuckled softly, but it lacked a carefree tone. “I told James to drag you forcibly into the carriage if need be, but he only laughed and assured me that he’d bring you back without going to that extreme.”
“Heather is not in any danger, is she?” Raelynn queried anxiously, glancing up at her brother-in-law as he opened the front door for her. Perhaps it was only because she had been away from Jeffrey for more than three weeks, but at the moment she was struck with a keen awareness of just how tall her brother-in-law really was. But then, she reminded herself, he was no taller than Jeffrey.
“Hatti says everything is going along as it should be,” Brandon informed her, but in the brief pause that followed, he released a wavering sigh. “Since that could mean a whole plethora of things, her statement is hardly very soothing.”
Heather was in the grip of a painful contraction when they arrived at the master bedroom. Even so, she managed an anguished grin for the new arrival. When she finally could relax, she dropped her head back upon the pillow and, regulating her breathing again, rested a moment before reclaiming a genuine smile. In spite of the crispness of the weather, her hair was damp and a tiny dappling of sweat shone on her face. Yet she seemed oblivious to that and the pain she had just endured as she stretched forth a slender hand, inviting Raelynn to come near. “I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you properly just now, but this baby has a way of demanding my full attention. My labor started some hours ago, so I don’t imagine that it will be too long now before I give birth.”
Raelynn clutched the woman’s thin hand fondly within her own and managed a wobbly smile. “James made sure I got here as soon as I could,” she replied and, in spite of her concern, tried to sound amused by it all as she added, “I don’t believe I’ve ever experienced a swifter ride.”
Heather groaned in mock chagrin. “I didn’t mean for him to scare you to death, dear. I would’ve been content to wait another half hour if need be.”
“Our offspring might not have waited that long,” her husband interjected, moving around to the opposite side of the bed. Lifting a knee upon the mattress, he settled beside his wife and gathered her free hand within his much larger one. “You were having hard contractions when I sent James to Charleston to fetch Raelynn, and now they’re coming with greater frequency. Frankly, madam, I don’t know how much more of this I can stand.”
Heather and Raelynn smiled at his dry wit before his wife reached up to run a hand lovingly along his upper arm. “You’ll do fine.”
“Doesn’t help knowing I promised to stay with you until the end,” Brandon confessed. “My knees are already feeling a little weak at the idea.”
“That was your suggestion, not mine,” Heather accused sweetly. “I can manage without you.”
Brandon laid a gentle hand over the sheet that covered her distended belly. “Who’s responsible for this baby?”
“We both are,” she acknowledged with a smile.
“Then we’ll both be here when she’s born,” he assured her, his green eyes gazing into hers. He brought her hand to his lips for a doting kiss. “Now tell me, my sweet, how are you feeling now?”
“I’m doing fine,” she assured him, threading her fingers through his. She lifted sapphire orbs and perused his face with wifely concern. “How about you?”
Briefly Brandon held out his free hand before her as he boasted, “You see? Steady as a rock.”
“Aye, and I’m my mother’s uncle,” Heather replied, chuckling as she caught the large extremity within her grasp.
Barely a half hour later, a servant softly rapped on the door and, when Brandon went to open it, a young black woman announced in soft tones, “Mistah Jeffrey’s downstairs, suh. He jes’ arrived.”
“Thank you, Melody. Tell him that I’ll be down directly.”
Brandon closed the door as the servant left, and when he turned, he found himself meeting Raelynn’s gaze. It seemed to him that she looked suddenly unsure of herself, but he had no idea how to put her at ease. He lifted his shoulders in a lame shrug. “Farrell must have sent word over to him.”
“All the way to Oakley?”
“Probably at Jeff’s townhouse in Charles ...” Brandon broke off abruptly, realizing he had just betrayed his brother’s confidence. Seeing Raelynn’s deepening confusion, he offered an excuse that was no real exaggeration of the truth. “Jeff has had a lot to do lately at his shipping company. He didn’t want to have to ride in every day, so he let a townhouse from a friend.”
Raelynn opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again just as quickly, realizing she was on the verge of tears. In view of the fact that Oakley was about an hour’s ride from Charleston, she had consoled herself that her husband had had no time to come in to see her when he was so busy tending to his many business affairs. If, however, he had been in the city all this time, then she could only believe he had been deliberately avoiding her since she had started working at Farrell’s.
In fear of betraying her crumbling reserve, Raelynn cleared her throat and dared to put forth a question. “Has he been there long?”
“I’m not exactly sure how long it has been now. Only a couple weeks or so, I think. I’ve lost track.” It seemed a trite excuse Brandon offered, but true. While he had been so wrought up worrying about what Heather would have to face during the birth of their child, he hadn’t hardly thought about anything else.
“Brandon,” Heather called from the bed.
“Yes, my love?” he answered, moving to her side. He was grateful for her interruption, yet he also sensed she had something on her mind that didn’t necessarily involve him.
His wife clasped his large hand against her bosom and smiled up at him gently. “Go downstairs with your brother. I’d like to talk with Raelynn alone for a few moments.”
Brandon perceived that she intended to lay out the complete and honest truth before their sister-in-law, and that it would be better for all concerned if he removed himself. He did so willingly, preferring to leave rather than witness the tears that would likely be forthcoming. “Don’t do anything while I’m gone now,” he urged with wane humor. “I said I’d be here with you to the end, and you know I always keep my word.”
“Even if you pass out doing so,” Heather teased, lifting her face to receive his doting kiss.
“Me?” Brandon straightened and turned a pointing finger toward his own chest in an attitude of wide disbelief. At her grin and nod, he feigned a bruised countenance, “Why, madam, shame on you. I wouldn’t do anything like that.”
“Of course not,” she sweetly agreed and squeezed his lean fingers before letting him go.
When the door closed behind him, Heather beckoned Raelynn around again to the left side of the bed, near the spot where she lay. Raelynn readily complied, but at Heather’s sudden grimace, she reached out and clasped the delicately boned hands.
“Can I do anything to ease your discomfort?” she asked anxiously, amazed by the small woman’s tenacious grip.
Unable to answer, Heather strained downward a lengthy moment until at last the contraction eased. Then she blew out a long breath, and once more slowly inhaled. Regaining her composure, she smiled up at Raelynn. “It won’t be too much longer now.”
“You wished to speak with me,” Raelynn asked gently.
“Yes, dear. I just wanted to assure you that the reason Jeffrey is staying in Charleston has everything to do with you.”
“Me?” Raelynn laughed at the absurdity of such a notion. If not for the fact that she was so completely distraught, her actions might have seemed to mimic Brandon’s earlier protestations. “But I haven’t hardly seen him since I left Oakley. He came to Farrell’s shop briefly, but he didn’t even glance at me.”
“That doesn’t mean Jeffrey hasn’t been concerned about your welfare. All along he has had men watching over you to ensure your safety, mainly from Gustav. I haven’t been informed of just where his men are located, but I believe they’re fairly close to the areas where you’re working and living. Jeffrey is staying in Charleston in case there’s trouble.”
“It seems he’s just as honorable as always,” Raelynn replied stiltedly. “Or is he just using me as bait to catch Gustav?”
“Raelynn, dear, I truly believe Jeffrey cares for you. Otherwise ...”
“If that is true, then why hasn’t he come to see me?” Raelynn interrupted, her voice weakening. “If you ask me, it’s just a matter of manly pride. He can hardly be accused of leaving me to my own defenses if he has men watching over me when Gustav decides to come calling again with his ruffians.”
Heather tensed and pressed her hands against her stomach as another contraction rent her restraint. After a moment, she gasped, “You’d better call Hatti. I think the baby’s head is beginning to push through.”
Raelynn tore from the room and rapidly descended the stairs, calling for the black woman. Brandon charged out of the study like a man possessed, and as he bolted for the stairs, Raelynn stumbled to a halt, her eyes falling on the tall, handsomely garbed figure entering the main hall.
As their eyes met, Jeff nodded a greeting and leisurely advanced to the stairs, there placing a booted foot upon the first step. Though the hall had suddenly come alive with ser vants rushing to and fro, carrying bundles of linens and buckets of water, Raelynn remained unaware of everything but her husband until she realized of a sudden that Hatti had passed her some moments ago.
“Heather will be wondering where I am,” she gasped. Whirling, she caught up her skirts and raced back upstairs. She didn’t realize just how much she was trembling until she had closed the bedroom door behind her and leaned back against it. Of a sudden, her knees felt so weak they seemed incapable of bearing her weight. If not for the fact that she had clenched her teeth, she had no doubt that they would have been chattering by now. Chiding herself for allowing her husband to dismantle her reserve so completely, she forged an unsteady path to the bed, totally amazed by his debilitating effect on her. But that was not the worst of it, by any means, for her heart was thudding chaotically against the wall of her chest, as if she had run a fierce race.
At present, Heather was straining hard to thrust her child into the world. Brandon was beside his wife, his long fingers entwined with hers, appearing every bit as stalwart as his physical bearing conveyed as he murmured encouragements and dabbed at her glistening brow. Only Raelynn noticed that the large hand, which gently wiped Heather’s brow, was shaking far more now than it had been. Indeed, it nearly matched the tremor in her own.
“Yo’ doin’ fine, honey chile,” Hatti encouraged as she busily prepared the bunting for the new arrival.
Heather’s head fell back upon the pillow as the spasm passed, and for a moment she panted as if thoroughly spent. Then she let out her breath in a sigh, composed herself, and glanced around, only then noticing her sister-in-law standing near the end of the bed. Heather held out her free hand invitingly, and Raelynn seized it, fighting anxious tears. Between Jeffrey and Heather, she didn’t know if she’d ever be the same.
“It’s all right,” Heather soothed, managing a brave smile. “It will all be over very, very soon. No need to fret now, dear. I’m doing fine.”
In another moment, Heather was grimacing and bearing down hard again. The baby’s head finally pushed through, and immediately a muted, angry squall was heard, evoking laughter from all who heard.
“Ain’t got de volume Mistah Beau had,” Hatti commented with a white-toothed grin. “Dis one sounds mo’ like a dainty li’l girl ta me. Very shortly, ah ‘spect, Miz Heather, yo’ gonna be havin’ yerself a looksee at your li’l daughter.”
Heather’s head came up off the pillow again as she strove through the throes of childbirth. It wasn’t long before the black woman was cackling in glee.
“Sho nuff, a fine black-haired, li’l girl. An’ she’s a real beauty, too.”
“Oh, she is,” Raelynn agreed, laughing. Of a sudden, she felt as if her heart would soar.
Hatti placed the squalling infant upon her mother’s stomach and dispensed with the rest of the necessities involved in child-bearing. Much awed by the miracle of birth he had just witnessed, Brandon thrust a finger through the tiny, bloody fist of his new daughter and immediately the baby stopped her crying and started making a sucking noise.
“Well, we know what our new little darling will soon be wanting,” her father said with a chortle.
Hatti took the newborn to a corner of the room where she cleansed and swaddled her. Within moments, the tiny girl was lowered into her mother’s arms.
“She’s absolutely gorgeous,” Raelynn observed proudly.
Heather gazed down upon the small, wrinkled face and laughed. “Only a loving aunt would be so kind.”
Brandon rose from the bed and, crossing to the door, grinned back at his wife. “I’m going down to fetch Beau and Jeff. They’ll be wanting to see Suzanne, too.”
Heather was absorbed in inspecting her new daughter and making sure that everything was as it should be. Hatti and Melody were tidying up the bedroom and repositioning the cradle near the bed. In the confusion, no one noticed Raelynn slipping out of the room and hastening down the stairs. She left through the back of the house just as quietly and hurried out to the privy, diligently seeking the privacy it afforded. She really didn’t want Jeff to see her while she was so wrought up. At the merest thought of confronting him again, she had started shaking enough to make the trip to the privy a requirement. With her pregnancy came the necessity, and she definitely needed to go.
She hardly expected Jeff to be waiting just outside the cubicle when she opened the door. She flushed red in embarrassment, as if he had never seen her scurrying toward a chamber pot in their bedroom. Nervously she smoothed her skirts. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were waiting to use the convenience.”
“I was waiting for you, madam,” Jeff corrected. “I was informed that James brought you out from town, and I was wondering if you’d care to share my carriage on the return trip to Charleston. It would save James the trip in.”
Put that way, Raelynn couldn’t see how she could refuse. “Tizzy packed a valise for me just in case I’d be staying overnight. I’ll have to fetch it.”
“James gave it to me some moments ago, madam. It’s already in my carriage,” her husband informed her. “Once I pay my respects to the newborn and her mother, I’ll be ready to leave. Will that be acceptable to you?”
Raelynn couldn’t decide whether she should feel offended because he had taken her reply for granted, or if she should be pleased that he had gathered her belongings with his usual punctilious competence. “Yes, perfectly.”
Not daring to touch her for fear of what that would lead to, Jeff swept his hand toward the narrow path leading to the house. “After you, madam.”
Raelynn hurried along the well-worn trail, even in the moonlit shadows feeling his unrelenting gaze following her. His long legs had no difficulty keeping up with her, and when she arrived at the door, he was there to swing it open.
“Thank you,” she replied, glancing up nervously. She was so intent upon eyeing him that she failed to notice where she was walking until her head met the sharp ridge of a doorjamb, the hard way. She stumbled back, completely stunned by the impact, and wished in mortifying chagrin that she had fallen into a bottomless pit somewhere.
“Are you all right?” Jeff asked solicitously, lifting her chin with a knuckle to see the damage.
She stood blushing furiously with a hand clasped over the swelling knot on her forehead, telling herself that it was perfectly sane for a woman to wish the earth would open and swallow her up. Her husband was trying to pull away her hand in a quest to see her battle scar, but she was too embarrassed to let him. “I’m fine! Just leave me be, Jeffrey.”
“You’re not fine,” he argued. “There’s blood dribbling through your fingers.”
Startled by his announcement, she yanked away her hand and stared at it in shock. It was indeed bloody, but what was even more disturbing was the fact that droplets began plummeting onto her bosom. “Oh, my gown! It’s going to be ruined.”
“It’s a wonder your head isn’t,” Jeff quipped, gently dabbing a clean handkerchief to the small cut on her brow. He swabbed up the blood there and then, with husbandly familiarity, proceeded to her bodice.
His diligent swipes across her breast immediately caused Raelynn to forget her throbbing head, for she could feel her nipple drawing into a tight little nub beneath his casual ministrations. She lost any semblance of a ladylike poise and clasped a hand over her breast, unable to ignore the hungrily throbbing peak. “Please, Jeffrey, just leave me be!”
“Your head needs tending, madam,” he reasoned, “and at the moment everyone is busy in the house, so I’d be grateful if you’d just let me take care of it.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“You can’t even see your head.”
“Oh, all right!” Much like a petulant child, she plunked herself down upon a stool near the rear door and leaned her head back, still holding her breast within her hand. “Tend me!”
Jeff drew a bucket of water from the well, poured a small amount into a tin cup that hung from a hook, and brought it near. “You needn’t act so offended, Raelynn,” he rebuked gently, wetting the handkerchief. “I’ve done a lot more than handle your breast.”
It dawned on Raelynn that she probably looked more than a little ridiculous sitting there with a hand clasping the womanly fullness. Shifting uncomfortably, she lowered her arm to her lap. Just as quickly she caught the glance her husband shot toward her bodice and looked down at herself, curious to know what had provoked his interest. Her nipple was still tightly puckered, and with a mortified groan she crossed her arms, drawing a low chuckle from Jeff.
“It isn’t as if you haven’t seen such sights before,” she fussed.
“My memory needs refreshing.” Jeff gave the excuse with a grin. “It has been awhile.”
She wanted to quip something appropriately tart, but nothing came to mind. As it was, she endured the careful cleansing of her head wound, allowed him to bandage it, and then sought the covering of her cloak before following Jeffrey upstairs to the master bedroom.
When they arrived, Beau was sitting on the bed beside his mother, peering inquisitively at the little creature his father was holding within his hands. The boy was asking numerous questions about where his new little sister had come from. Finally Brandon settled his tiny little daughter in one hand and, reaching across with the other, laid it on the blan ket covering his wife’s stomach, which was now noticeably flatter.
“That’s where Suzanne and you both came from, son.”
Beau pondered this a moment, before looking up inquisitively. “But how’d we get in there?”
Jeff pressed a knuckle against his lips to subdue a chuckle as his brother looked at him with a pained expression. The elder Birmingham turned back to his wife and, clasping her hand, finally gave an answer. “Love put you and your sister there, son.”
“Love?” Beau asked, his voice imbued with an incredulous tone. “You mean the way Hatti loves fried chicken?”
A hoot of laughter came from Jeff, who threw his head back and guffawed to the ceiling. His amusement proved contagious, and soon the whole room was filled with sounds of hilarity.
D ARKNESS HAD SETTLED OVER THE LAND BY THE TIME Jeff and Raelynn bade their farewells to the family and settled into the landau for the long ride to Charleston. Raelynn yearned for the trip to be shortened by an invitation to stay the night at Oakley, but it soon became apparent that her husband was not inclined to make such an offer.
Though at first she felt tense and nervous sitting beside Jeffrey, the day’s events had taken a decided toll upon her energy. Soon she was nodding off. She hadn’t donned her bonnet for fear of ruining the ribbons with a fresh flow of blood from her head, which left her bruised brow rather vulnerable when it brushed up against the interior wall of the carriage. She came awake with a jerk and, in deepening mortification, straightened herself upon the cushioned seat, well aware that her maddeningly stoic husband was watching her with unrelenting persistence through the moonlit gloom.
Only a few more miles had been traversed before Rae lynn’s eyes were drooping closed again. She never knew exactly when Jeff lifted her onto his lap and nestled her brow against his throat, for she had ceased her struggle against an encroaching sleep. She was just as oblivious to the kiss he placed upon the top of her head.
Sometime later Raelynn became vaguely aware that she was being borne along through an area of darkness. She heard the sound of a door closing, and then muted voices seemed to drift upward from a deep well. A glowing lamp moved somewhere beyond her, casting elongated shafts of light and shadows across ceilings and corridors. A door’s hinges creaked as a portal was opened and then closed. When a moment later she was placed upon a bed, she recognized a familiar squeak. She tried to wake when she heard Tizzy’s sleepy voice, but much deeper tones banished the girl to her own room. Gentle hands plucked open buttons and other fasteners, and with a contented sigh Raelynn turned her face upon the pillow as her baby rolled within her womb. The movements seemed obscure and distant, as if she only dreamt them, much like the inviting warmth of a large hand resting upon her cool stomach. She felt a nightgown being drawn over her head and, at long last, a blanket being tucked in around her. Then a lantern at the end
of a long tunnel was snuffed, and darkness closed in around her as she sank deeper into a dreamy vortex from which she had no desire to rise.