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"Aye Ye and Hammish were Other than that ye re

"Oh," Fenella breathed, paling

Saidh steeled herself against the sudden fear in her cousin's eyes and swung herFenella in the side of the head She watched her spin to the side and cruround, then dropped the log, backed to the edge of the clearing and began to scream

Chapter 1

"Oh, he's a beauty, Joan," Saidhup, she grinned at her friend and added, "Ye've done a fine job here Cam must be most pleased"

"Aye We both are," Joan said, beah he was less pleased when I coive little Bearnard here a sister"

"What?" Saidh asked on a disbelieving laugh She knew Joan and Cain with, fearing she could die in childbirth In truth, they'd done everything they could think of to avoid having the precious child she was holding But now, Joan gave her a crooked sed

"It was not so bad I survived it without even a hint of trouble so why not?"

Saidh shook her head with alanced to the open shutters as a trumpet sounded from the wall

"It sounds like we have company," Joan murmured

"Mayhap 'tis Edith," Murine suggested, follohen Saidh moved to the

"Aye," Saidh murmured as she peered out She'd been rather surprised that the other girl hadn't been here with her and Murine for the birth Saidh knew she'd planned to be when last they'd all visited The four of thethe circumstances under which they'dmore than a dozen women that Campbell Sinclair's mother had invited to the faain She'd been hoping for a grandchild, but after the death of his first wife in childbirth, Ca His mother had decided that wouldn't do, and had invited every unbetrothed female she could find to Castle Sinclair in the hopes that one would tempt him to re-enter the matrih, planning for it to be a surprise She, however, was the one as surprised when Campbell arrived home with Joan in tow and announced they were married

So the man they'd hoped to win But Saidh, Edith and Murine had ended up being the best of friends with her

"Nay It can no' be Edith," Joan announced, drawing Saidh's attention back to the conversation at hand

"Why not? Did Cam no' invite her?" Saidh asked as she squinted her eyes to better see the traveling party some distance yet away from the castle They were just specks in the distance at the moment

"Does he no' like Edith?" Murine asked, offering a finger for the baby Saidh still held to grab on to

"Oh, aye, he likes all three of you," Joan assured them both "And he did invite her But she was delayed and arrived late last night after we all retired"

"Edith is here?" Saidh and Murine said as one, turning to glance at her with surprise

Joan smiled widely "Aye Cam toldfor a feeding in the ht"

"Well, where is she then?" Saidh asked with a frown

"And what delayed her?" Murine asked

"She is presently still abed As I said, she arrived late," Joan said "I am sure she ake up soon, but as for what delayed her--" She paused to glance at the door as a knock sounded "Come in"

The door opened at once, and Edith rushed in Excite her cheeks and a happy s Joan "Good morn! Sorry, I fear I slept late But when I went down to break me fast, Cam said ye were awake so I cahtened and raised an eyebrow expectantly "So, where is this grand babe Caht?"

Her gaze swung to the tomen by the hen Joan pointed their way Edith's eyes widened, her s with happiness as she rushed toward them now "Oh! Saidh! Murine I am so pleased to see ye both"

She hugged Murine first, but paused when she turned to Saidh and saw the bundle she held in her ar from the side as she peered down at the baby

"Oh," Edith breathed, reaching out to take one tiny hand in hers "He is perfect"

"Do you want to hold him?" Saidh offered

"Oh Aye," Edith said eagerly and quickly scooped him from Saidh's arms She settled hilanced to Joan and said, "I'm so sorry I missed the birth I wanted to be here for ye, and I would ha'e been were it no' for Laird MacDonnell"

Saidh raised an eyebrow in question "What did he do to delay yer journey here?"

Edith grimaced "He died"

"Oh" Murine looked uncertain as she tried to sort out how the man's death had delayed the other woman's arrival

"Allen, Laird MacDonnell, is a cousin through our h "But I think it was only the second or third time I'd seen him in me life and in the normal course o' events I would no' even have heard that he'd died e not there at MacDonnell when it happened"

Noting the surprised expressions on the woe of the bed with Bearnard still in her arms as she explained, "We stopped there to rest on the way here We only planned to stay the night and leave in theto continue our journey, but oke to the news that he was dead and" She shrugged helplessly "We could no' simply say 'sorry to hear that' and then mount up and continue on"

"Nay, of course not," Joan patted her ar her know she understood "How did he die, Edith? Was he an old man?"

"Oh, nay," Edith assured her solemnly "Allen was only four years older than I"

Saidh's eyebrows rose at this news She knew Edith enty, the sae as herself, which made Allen twenty-four Definitely not an old man "Well, then what happened?"

"He drowned," Edith announced with a shake of the head "Apparently, he liked to go fer a swi his fast, and that ed helplessly "He drowned They do no' ken why He was by all accounts a fine swi he just