Portraits, Passion, and Other Pastimes: A Steamy Historical Romance (Art of Love Book 1) by Charlie Lane

Author:Charlie Lane [Lane, Charlie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

Raph at her side, Matilda ran outside. The others followed close behind, and they skid to a jumbled stop before the cart where the young Tom sat.

“What’s happened?” Raph asked. “Is Molly well?”

Tom nodded. “For now. I went to get the midwife, but she’s out of town. No one expected the babe for another month. At least. She left with Molly’s mother. To the neighboring town to help Molly’s sister. She’s in labor, too. Right good timing they have. I … I didn’t know where else to turn.”

“It’s good you came here,” Matilda said.

Beside her, Raph, tight-jawed and pale, shook his head. “Aren’t there ladies in the village to help?”

She laid a hand on his forearm. “It is right he’s come here.”

Raph hissed, “I’m not a trained midwife.”

Matilda turned to face the assembled crowd. “She needs the knowledgeable presence of an experienced mother to guide her and to give her comfort. Franny, Jane. You know what to do, I suppose.”

Franny stepped forward with a confident stride. “I’ve had six children. I know how it goes. Good thing you came to us right away.”

“And I’ve had three,” Jane said. “We can help.”

Matilda turned to Atlas, ignoring the surge of pride rising through her for the women. “Lord Atlas, we’ll need blankets. I think.”

“Yes,” Franny added. “Lots of them.”

“Can you gather them?” Matilda asked.

Atlas took off toward the house like he knew exactly what he was about. The rest turned toward the cart.

Tom made a choking noise. “Not enough room for everyone.”

Raph’s gaze fell once more on Matilda, as if he looked to her for guidance.

“Right,” she said. “We’ll send Franny and Jane in the dog cart. You can ride to the village on your horse, Lord Waneborough, and Lord Atlas will take the other horse when he appears, bringing extra supplies.”

“What will you do?” Raph asked.

“I’ll stay here and finished knitting the blanket I’ve been making for the new arrival. I thought I had more time.”

He shook his head, pulled her off to the side. “You must come, too.”

Tom helped Jane and Franny into the cart as Atlas barreled down the stairs, his arms piled high with clean linens.

“There’s no need for me,” she told Raph. “I’ll be in the way.”

“No. What if the baby’s on the way and Mother decides to do a card reading for it? What if Atlas passes out? Or Tom. What if something goes wrong with Molly?”

She wrapped her hand around his forearm and squeezed. “You will know what to do. Don’t you always know the best thing to do in any situation?”

“Not this kind of situation. I can manage when fields are flooding or some other such disaster, but this? This is entirely beyond me, Miss Bellvue. I … I would like you to be there, too.”

Something about the way he said like made it sound more like need, and Matilda wavered. In more ways than one.

Atlas bumped into them, eyes wide, arms free of blankets. “Mother has the linens, Matilda. I’ll just … return to the stables now.

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