Page 36 of An Unwitting Alliance
“Are you all right, Mr. Harwood?”
He looked at the ground and shook some sense into his head. “I am well. Just a little dizzy from my ride. I’m better already.” He gripped Mr. Buttars’s arm in thanks. “Where are the boys? I should see how I can help.”
“In the drawing room.”
Tom found them sitting rigidly on the sofa. Peter the Rock was hunched over his knees with his hands folded in praying formation. Poor lad. Though, this proved he was a man more than anything else did. Michelangelo had his head back and was staring at the ceiling, his color pale. Robin, on the other hand, looked unconcerned and terribly bored.
“Who is up for a game?” Tom clapped his hands together. “What about lawn bowls?”
Robin jumped to his feet. “Count me in.”
Michelangelo shrugged. “I guess I could play.”
Tom eyed Peter, who hadn’t looked at him yet. “Join us, Rock.”
“Rock?”
“Of course Rock, for that is what you are. Come, now. Lawn bowls will keep your mind off everything.” And then he said something Mr. Romantic, his Bible-loving friend, would say. “God will watch over them.” And he meant it too. He did not understand theology like Miles Jackson did, but he knew about simple faith. He hoped Peter’s was greater than his, but Tom was willing to offer what he had if the young man needed it.
Peter the Rock’s head came up, his eyes rimmed with red. He nodded and stood. The four of them went out to the lawn and played for a good half hour.
An older man on a horse came up the drive, and Tom noted his black medical bag. He excused himself from the game and begged the boys to continue without him.
He met the much shorter man on the front steps. “You must be the doctor.”
“In this case I am the accoucheur. But you may call me Mr. Adams.” Mr. Adams dipped his head, ruffling the few tufts of white hair left on his otherwise bald head.
Accoucheur? Was that the male version of a midwife? Tom dared not show his ignorance by asking. “I am Mr. Harwood, a guest at Fairview. They are all expecting you inside.” He jogged up and opened the door for Mr. Adams so he would not have to wait for Mr. Buttars. “Mrs. Vail’s room is at the top of the stairs. I will show you up.”
“I have been here before, young man, but you can lead the way if you so desire.”
Tom nodded, completely out of his element, and went to the staircase. At the top, he moved to the correct room and knocked softly.
Cassandra stuck her head out the door, her curls limp and her cheeks pale.
“The doctor is here,” Tom said dumbly, motioning behind him.
“Thank heavens.” Her gaze went past him to Mr. Adams.
She waved the doctor in and shut the door on Tom. He stared at the oak wood separating him from the action on the other side. Moments passed, but all in silence. There were no loud screams that he had always imagined accompanied childbirth. Was that a good omen or bad?
A few minutes later, Cassandra slipped out, surprising him. Her breathing was uneven, and she leaned heavily against the bedchamber door. Her hand went to the back of her neck, and he noticed she was shaking too. When she dropped her hand, his reflexes had a mind of their own, and he took it. Her skin was as cold as ice.
He didn’t know whether she thought him worthy of being her friend, but he wanted to be the one to comfort her. When she did not pull away, he rubbed her fingers and palm to warm them. “It looks like you’ve had quite the scare.”
She bit her lip, and her eyes filled with tears. Her erratic breaths worried him. When she did not speak, he knew she was hurting too much to say anything. He did what any of the Rebels, except for maybe Paul, would have done and pulled her to him. There was no halfway with Tom, so instead of holding her daintily, he wrapped her tightly in his embrace.
Her shoulders shook, and he rubbed her back while she cried silent tears. Slowly her breathing evened out. Her flood of emotion did not last long. Cassandra hid her hurt better than her fire.
She pulled back and wiped at her eyes. “Forgive me. It sounds foolish, but I sometimes forget how to breathe when my emotions get the better of me.”
“I... I had no idea. What helps?”
She looked at him with a faint hint of a smile. “You did just now.” She tucked a blonde lock of hair behind her ear, and this time her hand did not tremble. “I held it in as long as I could. I’m sorry if I ruined your cravat.”
He shook his head. “I leave all the worrying over cravats to my valet. And he will likely congratulate me if I tell him it was ruined by a woman.” He dug out his handkerchief and extended it to her. “Are things so bad in there?” Tom motioned to the door behind her.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. This is not the normal way of things. While you were gone, Mama was coming down the stairs and slipped on the bottom step. She fell on her back. The labor pains started soon after... as did the bleeding. Papa is beside himself.”
