Medieval Ever After (93 page)

“Why are all these people here?” Alex scowled at his brothers.

“Word spreads quickly, brother. Everyone has been waiting for your wife to have her bairn. Everyone wants to see if it is a laddie or a lassie.”

“Get them out. I do not know all of them. By the saints, how can I hear what is going on in the chamber?” Alex was distraught. “Robbie, go listen outside the door and see if Maddie is safe,” he ordered.

“Nay, I think we best stay down here, Alex. Nothing could drag me away from your side right now,” Robbie replied.

“Quiet!” Alex yelled out. Dead silence descended. He tried desperately to hear some sounds from his chamber, but all was peaceful. He ran his fingers through his hair, realizing it would be a long night.

***

Alice and Brenna quickly prepared the bed and helped Madeline into a clean night rail. Though pain rocked her, she bore it quietly.

“‘Tis all right, Maddie,” Alice said. “Everything is happening as it should be. You will make a great mother for your bairn. It will not be long now.”

While Alice continued to coach Madeline, Brenna readied herself for the birth. The cradle was already in place, along with clothes to swaddle the babe in, she had her healing kit in case she needed it. Maddie knew her sister-in-law was a little nervous—she had not yet seen many births—but Alice was experienced enough to help them through it all. Maddie’s pains continued without incident, but then they heard the door to the chamber quietly open and close, followed by the sound of a bolt sliding into place.

Madeline’s face turned stark white when she recognized their unannounced visitor, and Alice and Brenna twirled in unison.

“Kenneth!” Madeline yelped as she clutched her belly against yet another pain. “We thought you were dead. Why are you here?”

“Leave immediately, Kenneth,” Brenna said, her demeanor calm and cold. “You do no’ belong here and my brother will kill you when he finds you.”

Kenneth reached over and grabbed Brenna by the hair. Yanking her head back, he held a dagger at her throat.

“You will be quiet unless I tell you to speak, or I will kill each of you slowly. Agreed?” he asked. When Brenna nodded her head slowly, Kenneth released her.

Maddie grasped her belly again as another pain shot through her. They were getting worse. She could not think what to do.

Staring at her with disdain, Kenneth said, “You are a disgusting whore, Madeline. Look at you, fat as a pig. I loathe you,” he snarled at her. “But I have waited a long time for this moment.”

He paced the chamber as he peered at her. His hair was a mess, his clothes were filthy, and his stench was overpowering. What could he possibly want with her now? Maddie willed herself to remain calm for her babe.

He muttered as he paced. “Finally, I will get my revenge on you and yours. I will pay you back for all the pain you and your revolting husband have caused me.”

“Kenneth, what have I ever done to you? Why do you want revenge against me?” Madeline asked. She could not believe this was happening now. How had he gotten into the keep? Where was Alex? She had to do something to protect her bairn, but it was a little difficult focusing through her constant pain.

“What have you done to me?” he stopped in front of her to scream at her. “You ruined my life! You and that vile husband of yours ruined everything. You took the only thing I ever cared about away from me.”

All three women turned and stared at Kenneth. What was he talking about? Alice shook her head in denial. Maddie was certain he had finally lost his wits.

“Niles! Your husband killed him. He was my best friend. And now, thanks to you, I have lost all my men and my best friend, too. We had so many plans. We were going to conquer the Highlands together. But you ruined all our plans. Now I have nothing. You and the Grant will pay.”

Kenneth started pacing again. “Hurry up and push that bairn out so we can be done with this.”

Alice peered at Kenneth. “What will you do, my lord?”

“What will I do? Why, of course, I will kill them! I will kill Maddie and her bairn. I will watch them bleed all over the sheets, and then I will call her husband so he can watch them bleed. I want him to watch the life drain out of their eyes just like I had to do with Niles. I want the Grant to know what it feels like to watch someone you care about die in front of your eyes and be powerless to stop it. Then revenge will finally be mine.” There was a mad edge to his laughter.

He paced and paced for the next hour. Occasionally, he mumbled about his life. Brenna tried to calm him, even suggested he go for ale, but he refused to listen to anyone, his rambling getting worse.

“Maddie, you are so vile. I don’t know why your stupid father liked you so much. He should have liked me better. I am the one who was going to take over his lands. He should have trusted me most. Why did he no’ love me more? I deserved it. You don’t deserve anything. You were just a stupid lass. But everyone always loved ‘dear Maddie’ better than me. Och, and that is the best part of it all, Maddie! I am not really related to you. My mother made it all up. She lied to your father just to get me some land. But he was so drunk, he could not even remember what happened.” Kenneth shook his head and snorted over it all.

As he laughed and laughed over that revelation, Alice peeked at Maddie and whispered, “I knew it. He is too nasty to be related to you.”

Kenneth whipped around to face Alice. “Silence, you stupid cow! Sweet Elizabeth is no longer here to save you from the beatings you deserve, or did you forget that?”

He started pacing again and dragged his fingers through his hair.

Maddie stared at Alice, shocked to have learned that she had suffered so for no reason, that Kenneth had no rights to her father’s land. On the other hand, she was relieved to know he was not her family.

“This is taking forever. I cannot wait much longer. But I have waited this long, have I no’? What is a little more time? I have all the time in the world! I need to savor these moments. Take your time, wench!” Kenneth raked his hands through his grizzled hair, tugging on the ends in frustration. “Do you no’ see how funny it all is? I am the bastard, but I am the smart one. You are the noble born, but you are so stupid! See how I have finally outsmarted you and the Grant, Maddie? I just had to be patient. Your husband can’t see anything right now, he is so worried about you. It was easy to sneak past the men in disguise.”

He marched back and forth as he continued to mumble to himself. He was truly mad after all these months alone and in hiding. Maddie tried to think of some way out. Her brain felt like mush.

“You know I had to do it, Maddie. I just could not wait any longer to take control of the clan. My mistake was no’ waiting for you. I should have dragged you into that building. But I became so excited, I could not wait. I had to set that fire when I saw both your parents enter that place. The opportunity arrived. I had to take it.”

Maddie gasped and stared at Kenneth with wide eyes.

“I could not risk their leaving. My mother told me to hurry up. I kept telling her to ‘shut up,’ but she would not listen. Nag, nag, nag! That is all she ever did. That is why I had to get rid of her, too. And no one ever suspected me of anything. I got away with three murders!” Kenneth chortled and patted his chest in delight.

“See how smart I am? Three murders! Never got caught. I will get away from here, too. I will escape just like the last time. No one can outsmart me. I am the best.”

Brenna whispered, “Kenneth, please allow Alice to let the laird know his wife is doing fine.”

“Nay, no one is leaving.”

“But I could get ale for you. Are you not hungry? Would you like something to eat?” Alice asked.

“Nay!” he shouted. “Be quiet, all of you. I need to think.”

Maddie’s pains grew more intense and closer together. Alice and Brenna mopped her brow, worried expressions on both their faces. She wracked her brain, trying to come up with a way to get Kenneth out of the room or summon someone to help, but to no avail. Kenneth denied every request they made. He continued pacing. Every once in a while, Kenneth stopped and stared at Maddie with a smile on his face. At one point, he leaned against the wall and snickered, staring at Maddie’s belly.

Finally, Madeline could take no more. She had to protect her bairn somehow. She would not lose this laddie—the bairn and Alex were her whole life. Madeline felt another pain coming, and she instantly knew what she had to do. She roared a blood-curdling scream that could be heard over half the valley.

“Scream all you want, Madeline. Nobody pays any attention to a woman screaming in childbirth.” He chuckled.

***

Alex, Robbie, and Brodie all jumped when they heard Madeline’s scream. Alex and Brodie instantly rushed toward the stairs.

Robbie appeared bewildered. “Where are you going? She is having a bairn. All women scream in childbirth.”

Brodie looked over his shoulder at Robbie. “No’ Madeline, you fool, she never screams.”

Alex reached the door first and pushed on it. It was bolted from within.

“Open the door!” he bellowed. There was no response. “Brenna, open this door or I will kick it in!”

Alex and Brodie kicked in the door, and Robbie followed right behind them with several other guardsmen. Alex froze the instant the door fell. There was a dagger at his wee wife’s throat. Kenneth. Time stood still for him. He saw the sweat on her brow, the fear in her eyes, and the fine trembling in her fingers. He met her blue eyes and willed her to be strong. He wanted her to know how much he loved her. He tried to tell her with his eyes, but he felt like a failure.

He had failed his wife in more ways than one. How could she ever forgive him? He had promised to protect her from her stepbrother, and now the man had returned to threaten her and their bairn.

Kenneth was a dead man. Alex’s focus returned to him and he stared at his enemy. “What do you want, MacDonald?”

“I want to make you pay for what you did, Grant, and my revenge is just moments away. I lost everything because of you. I lost my friend and all my guards. As soon as this whore drops the bairn, I will kill them both while you watch.”

Every muscle in his body tensed and fury coursed through his veins. His eyes turned fiercely dark as he stared at his wife. He willed her to give him what he needed. The next moment, Madeline turned her head and let out another blood-curdling scream right into her stepbrother’s ear.

Kenneth started for a second, providing Alex with the only opening he needed. Reaching over, he grabbed Kenneth by the shoulders and threw him as hard as he could against the far wall near the window. Kenneth was momentarily stunned, but he quickly stood up. When he did, he saw the three huge Grant brothers all lunging for him simultaneously.

Kenneth turned and jumped out the window.

He screamed all the way down, but then there was only silence. Everyone in the room froze. “Alex, please!” Maddie huffed out, her face red.

Brenna started to shove everyone out the door.

“Robbie, make sure he is dead!” Alex ordered. When Brenna tried to push him out of the room, too, he stood fast. “Nay, Brenna, I stay!” he insisted. “My wife just had a dagger at her throat.” Gazing at Maddie, he strode over to the bed and said softly, “I need to tell Maddie that I love her. That I have always loved her.” He leaned over the bed and kissed her soundly.

Maddie gaped at her husband and smiled. “I love you, too, Alex. But right now, I have more important things to do. Your son wants out,” she ground out through her teeth as she pushed again.

Alex glanced at his sister, then at his wife, and did the unthinkable. He picked up his wife, sat down on the bed, and settled his wife in front of him. He positioned himself so as not to be in the way of the babe. “I am not leaving, and I do not think anyone here can force me out.”

“Then help me push, would you please.” Maddie shouted as her body heaved again.

Brenna and Alice lifted the sheet and got Maddie in position for the birth. Each time she pushed, Alex could feel the strain on her body. He wished he could assist her. Marveling at the amount of stamina of his wee wife, he whispered his love into her ear whenever she had to push and let her grip his hands.

“One more push, Maddie, I think.” Alice cried. “I can see the bairn’s head.”

With Maddie’s next push, the bairn gushed from her body, and she leaned back against her husband in relief. Alex wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek as he wiped the sweat from her brow. They both held their breath until they heard the wee one cry.

“You have a son, Alex! He is beautiful, Maddie.” Brenna swiped at her tears as she cleaned up the squalling bairn and handed him to his parents.

Tears flowed from Maddie’s eyes as she looked at their son. “Oh, Alex, he is so beautiful, isn’t he?”

“Aye, he is,” the proud father said.

“You do not mind that he is not a lass?” Maddie pleaded.

“Nay, nothing could make me happier than the sight of our wee lad in your arms, my love.” He leaned in and kissed them both.

“Oh, Alex, it’s starting again! Oh, Alice, I have to push again!” she announced as her body heaved once more.

Brenna shouted, “Twins! Two bairns. Keep pushing, Maddie.”