Page 37 of My Highland Rogue
“I do,” she said, leaving the room to retrieve the garments.
Once in her own suite, she went to the bottom drawer of her dresser and took out two cotton nightgowns, both of them worn and nearly threadbare. Before returning to Lauren’s room, she took a moment to compose herself.
Women died in childbirth. One of their closest neighbors had died two years ago giving birth to a little boy. He, too, had perished. A friend she’d made in Edinburgh had also died of childbirth fever a few months ago.
Yet more women survived. She had to remember that. Lauren was young, healthy, and Mrs. Farmer was reputed to be an excellent midwife.
She said a quick prayer for Lauren as she rushed back to the earl’s suite.
Once Lauren was changed Mrs. Farmer escorted her back to the bed, making sure she was tucked up and comfortable with two pillows behind her.
Where was Harrison? He’d evidently ignored her letter just as he’d ignored his wife. Was he going to ignore his child as well?
Perhaps that would be for the best. When hewas at Adaire Hall, Harrison was difficult, critical, complaining, and generally a misery to be around. Yet Lauren loved him and missed him.
Even as isolated as they were in the Highlands, gossip still filtered to the Hall in the form of London newspapers. Harrison, as the Earl of Burfield, was occasionally mentioned, and not in a way that would please a wife.
“He seems to like London a great deal better than Scotland,” Lauren had said, just in the past week.
“He does at that,” Jennifer said.
“It’s because there aren’t as many entertainments here as there are in London. Harrison’s often bored. His mind is such that it craves stimulation.”
No, it was because there weren’t any gambling establishments locally like there were in London. Harrison was a gambler. He’d always been one for wagering on anything. The worst of it, however, had started after he’d been sent away to school. Ever since, he’d done everything in his power to empty the Adaire coffers and, to her dismay, might be succeeding.
She didn’t say that to Lauren, however. What good would it do to point out some difficult facts to the woman? There was nothing Lauren could do about the situation that she hadn’t already tried. Charm hadn’t worked. Understanding certainly hadn’t.
Not for the first time, she wished her brother was a different kind of man, someone who wasn’t as involved with his own pursuits. Someone whocared about those around him. Yet wishing for him to be different was silly. He wasn’t going to change.
“Now, Lady Jennifer, while I appreciate your assistance, this is not the place for a single woman.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“It’s time for you to leave.”
Jennifer didn’t understand why Mrs. Farmer was being so restrictive. She’d assisted in the birth of the scullery maid’s child, a secret hidden until the moment the girl went into labor. There hadn’t been time to summon anyone else, and Jennifer had been the only one available to help.
Everyone had been ridiculous about that event. They didn’t seem to care that the poor girl had been so terrified that she would be struck off for being pregnant that she’d hidden her condition. No, what everyone paid attention to was the fact that Jennifer was unmarried and therefore too virginal to have witnessed the event.
What nonsense.
How could she possibly leave now with Lauren looking at her with such pleading eyes?
“Mrs. Farmer, I will concede that you have a great deal more experience than I, but Lauren is not just my sister-in-law. She’s my friend. Surely it isn’t necessary for me to leave right this moment?”
Just when she was certain that Mrs. Farmer was going to have her bodily removed, Lauren looked up at the midwife. “Please, Mrs. Farmer. May I stay just for little while.”
“Very well, Your Ladyship.” She didn’t look happy about the concession, however.
Right at the moment, Jennifer didn’t care about the midwife’s feelings.
“Now I’m hungry. Isn’t that awful?” Lauren whispered. “Who’s hungry when they’re having a child?”
When Jennifer asked Mrs. Farmer if Lauren could have something to eat, the midwife just frowned at her.
Jennifer would have left to fetch Lauren some mints she’d purchased in Edinburgh, except for one thing. She wasn’t sure Mrs. Farmer would let her back into the room.
“Could you read some of the book you were reading before?”
