Wildfire: A Western Historical Mail Order Bride Romance (Petticoats and Pistols Series Book 2) by Emma Harper

Author:Emma Harper [Harper, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The stillness of the baby's chest made Brigid reach in and pick Betty up to try to revive her and restore some life, but Betty was cold to the touch. Brigid wanted to cry out, but she could hear the boys laughing as they played and she didn't want to cause alarm. Instead, she put her hand to mouth to contain her cry. Why did this have to happen while she was in charge? Why had she fallen asleep? Carlton would blame her. And he’d have every right to. Brigid had fallen asleep while she was supposed to be tending to the sick girls but she had turned her focus on Grace and truth be told, she didn't know about anything babies. She had taken Betty's quietness for feeling better.

She wrapped Betty up and sat holding her in her arms. Whatever bit of hope she had of finding a home was gone? Carlton had gone through so much for these children, and now he would wake to a dead child. Life wasn't fair. Brigid thought she had it bad but this family, to lose a mother, father and now a baby. It took Brigid back to her own situation as she had an inkling of what her parents must have gone through with their babies dying.

Brigid braced herself as she heard Carlton's voice. He was awake. The children shrieked with delight and Brigid smiled. That was how fathers should be welcomed, and to all intents and purposes, he was their father. But he had yet to reveal this to Brigid. She didn't know what to do.

"What is it, Miss Brigid?" Carlton asked, and the children climbed down the stairs. Brigid couldn't let the children see.

"Mr. Briggs, Carlton, please come closer. Something bad has happened. Lydia, take care of the little ones, please."

Carlton heard the anguish in Brigid's voice, and as he got closer, he looked from the baby to Brigid and back again.

"I don't understand…"

Then he saw how Brigid had covered the baby's face.

"She never woke from her sleep. I'm sorry. I should have checked on her sooner."

Carlton rushed towards her, grabbing Betty from her arms and cried out. How much more could he take? He was being punished for his past but why take the innocents and not him?

"Why weren't you watching her? It's all your fault. I should never have brought you here. You let little Betty die. I promised to take care of the children, and now Betty is dead. I should have stayed up with them."

Brigid burst into tears. How could he say that to her? She walked towards the children and hugged the children.

"Lydia, we must make our own way back to town."

"Why can't we stay here? What's wrong with Betty?" Lydia was a perceptive child.

Carlton called the children to him. They ran to them, as they should. He was all they had now, and Brigid couldn't help but feel responsible for their pain. She knew from the tenements that some babies just died in their sleep.

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