Caelen's Wife: A Murmur of Providence by Suzan Tisdale

Author:Suzan Tisdale
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Highland
Published: 2015-01-22T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The babe had not been asleep long, when Brodie and William came bounding down the three steps that led from the foyer into the gathering room. Behind them were Caelen McDunnah and several of his men.

Brodie and William came to an abrupt halt as soon as they saw their nephew asleep in Fiona’s arms. Both men knew that the last few days — and nights — had been quite stressful for anyone who lived within the walls of the keep, especially on the third floor where Collin and Mairi’s room was located.

“He’s asleep,” William whispered, looking quite relieved. He and his wife, Isabelle, had a bedchamber across the hall from Collin and Mairi. Though a solid wooden door and wide hallway separated the two rooms, nothing aside from moving the child out of Scotland could keep anyone from hearing the poor babe cry.

Caelen and his men came to a halt, but for entirely different reasons.

“Yer wearin’ a dress,” Caelen murmured.

Phillip, having not yet had the pleasure of meeting Fiona McPherson in person, said to Caelen, “Ye did no’ say she had a babe.”

Fiona pinned every man in place with a fierce glare.

“I’ll kill the first man who wakes this babe.”

No one moved so much as a muscle for a very long time.

“This is the first time he’s slept in days. I’ll thank ye kindly to remain quiet,” she whispered.

Phillip repeated his earlier statement to Caelen, this time in a much softer whisper.

“Ye did no’ tell me she had a bairn.”

“I don’t,” Fiona whispered across the space to the man. “This be me nephew, Symon.”

Phillip stepped forward and smiled when he looked down at the babe. “Colicky?”

“Nay,” Fiona whispered as she continued to rock from one foot to the other. “Teethin’.”

“Did ye rub whisky on his gums?”

“Aye, only a little while ago,” Fiona said, wondering who this big, burly man standing before her was.

Phillip gave an affirming nod of his head. “What have ye teethin’ him on? A beef bone?”

“I be no’ sure what his mother and father are usin’ at the moment. A bit of leather I think.” Fiona said, as she stared up at the man. “Who are ye?”

Phillip took his eyes away from the babe long enough to answer. “Phillip McAdams. I be cousin to Caelen, on his mum’s side.”

Fiona inclined her head to him. He looked nothing at all like Caelen, but there was something in the man’s warm smile, the way his eyes near sparkled with hidden amusement and kindness that made her feel at ease in his presence. He spoke to her as if she were a long lost friend and she liked him immediately. “’Tis a pleasure to meet ye, Phillip McAdams.”

Phillip was not quite finished with offering advice on teething babes. “Ye should also try a sugar teat.”

“Aye, when he wakes we shall try that. Fer now, I’d like to keep him sleepin’.”

Looking away from Phillip she turned her attention to the group of men standing near the entryway. Caelen looked as though he’d just seen a ghost.

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