Page 124 of Promises to Keep

We followed her downstairs and I asked, “How do you know you’re having a girl?”

“I can tell, Queen, I mean, Madame Kaitlyn, because I hae a great deal of belchin’ from the gas, which is a sure sign, because girls are light and airy compared tae boys, ye ken, tis science.”

I chuckled. “Where did you learn ‘it’s science’?”

“On TikTok, Madame Kaitlyn, ye can learn everything ye want tae learn there. Dost ye miss it? Och nae, I miss it so — see? Here is another mood swing. I need Quennie tae give me two kisses now or I may never recover.” Then she frowned. “I am sorry tae say it Queen Kaitlyn, I daena mean tae make ye feel bad. I ken King, I mean Lord Magnus inna here. I hope it daena cause ye sadness tae hae me speak on kissing Quennie.”

“Don’t worry about it, Beaty, I am sad, but it is never caused by you.”

Emma said, “All this baby talk is making me think I need to brush up on my birthing skills. I’ve never attended a birth in the eighteenth century.”

Lizbeth said, “Och, Kaitlyn has, she was elbow deep in an eighteenth century birth, thankfully, as I dinna think I would pull through. Twas with God’s help and with Kaitlyn’s deft handiwork that she turned the—”

Beaty’s eyes grew wide. “Tis a chance of the bairn nae…? Och nae, I need tae go pray on it.”

Lizbeth said, “While ye ought tae pray, Madame Beaty, I am understanding what Colonel Quentin meant by your moods the other day.”

I teased, “He said you were having mood swings that were going to kill him.”

Beaty said, “There is naethin’ in m’mood that would kill Quennie except surprise, if he pays attention tae me, he will nae be surprised. He ought tae ken when I hae m’forehead creased like this…” She furrowed her brow. “Tis because I need tae sit down, and I just need a kiss — I am very easy ye ken.” She put her hands on her hips and huffed. “Now I think I ought tae go get m’kisses andthenI can go tae the chapel and pray.”

We all walked down the steps to find Quentin for Beaty.

CHAPTER 60 - KAITLYN

Afew weeks after that, Quentin called a meeting. We sat in chairs in a circle in the Great Hall, much like we used to when we lived in Kilchurn. “I want to go… I need to… we need stuff for the birth, this is… we need stuff, right, Emma?”

“Um… yes and no, I mean, her sister and her cousins all probably gave birth here and she was—”

Quentin said, “Beaty, do you want to hear, or cover your ears and hum?”

“If ye are goin’ tae talk on birth, Quennie, I am going tae cover m’ears.” She placed her hands over her ears and hummed with her eyes closed.

He whispered, “One of her cousins died in childbirth.”

He told Beaty, “You can take your hands off your ears, Beaty.”

“I ken what ye were sayin’ Quennie, but I am glad ye kept me from hearin’ it, if women who are with-bairn hear evil tis easy for darkness tae overtake them.”

Quentin looked queasy. He swallowed. “You hear that? We havedarknesscoming, we have a drafty castle and not an OB-GYN for centuries. Anddarkness.” He mopped his brow with a shaky hand.

Emma said, “There are midwives, and Kaitlyn and I have a little bit of—”

He said with a grimace. “What about,compli-cations? I mean,” he turned to James, “what would you do?”

“I have no idea, I think I would get a vessel and park her in the lot outside of the hospital, but then again I know nothing about this.”

Emma sounded irritated when she said, “Why are you asking James?”

Quentin said, “I don’t know, just taking a poll, I—”

Zach put up his hands. “Look, dudes, this is… you gotta let the women plan this, you can’t be deciding to throw your woman over your shoulder and take her through time to the hospital, you gotta balance the needs of the baby and… did I say it right, Em?”

“Yes.” She exhaled, then she softened. “I get you, Quentin, you’re scared, I just get riled up when we aren’t askingBeatywhat Beaty needs.”

“Beaty doesn’t know, Beaty has never given birth before and… Yeah, I’m freaked out.”

I said, “But we aren’t supposed to leave.”

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