The Midwife and the Marquess

Chapter 14: Arrivals and Departures

Mounted on the back of his gelding, Evan came to a stop at the crest of the hill, his fists tightening on the reins. He scanned the view of the home that had belonged to his distant ancestors for generations, and could feel his stomach knot in anticipation. Winifred reared her spitfire of a mare up next to his and brushed her ringlets out of her mouth.

"What is the matter?!" She shouted over the din of wind. "You've been riding as if the very devil is on your heel..." her voice drowned in a sudden whip of cool air. Evan shook his head, but kept his gaze on the manor. There was a pause as they waited for the wind to subside. Winifred laughed and spoke again. "Anxious to return are you? We shall see what mischief Laura has gotten herself into!"

His eyes flickered to Winifred, one brow rising in a brotherly fashion. She laughed wickedly but her smile was fond, and Evan was stricken with how well her husband was keeping her. She seemed in a very good mood, and that wasn't always a given with Winifred. She called to him to come along and with a flick of her reins she was off, racing toward the house.

Exchanging the reins from one hand to the other, Evan held Murdoch back from chasing after the honey-colored mare long enough to compulsively pat the chest of his coat. He felt the stiff, flat texture of the folded paper under the layer of thick wool and was satisfied that the document he'd tucked away there two days hence was safe. Then, with a shifting of his bodyweight and a flick of his own reins, his mount set off down the hill.

***

"They're late again!" Laura fussed as she paced the upstairs sitting room. Over the past four days, Maria, Laura and Diana had gotten into the habit of meeting in Diana's sitting room for tea every morning. They'd talk of many things, such as Maria's midwifery practice, Diana's life as a married woman and Laura's hopes for her first season. Often Maria and Diana listened to Laura's ramblings with polite interest, as neither of them had anything close to a season in London.

Laura spent most of her afternoons planning for the house party with Mrs. Tuckner. Much to their surprise, Diana's husband, Captain Thorne, had returned in the middle of the night two nights before, claiming that he and the Marquess' business in London had been resolved quickly, and he'd wanted to return early.

Since his arrival the Captain had spent his time split between his wife and child, and tending to the flood repairs in Evan's absence. He was a gruff man of middle years, but he got along with the tennant families and Diana helped with the ledgers, as the Captain had lost much of the finer abilities in his hands; they shook terribly when he wrote.

Maria stood next to one of the windows that overlooked the forested hills to the east, and tilted Matthew's face toward the sun. He had grown somewhat yellow, but that could be easily remedied with a few minutes of sunlight each day. His features scrunched as sunrays played upon his face, and Maria mused that if he was hers, she would kiss his little nose. Instead, she rubbed one finger down between his eyebrows, cooing in response to his little grunts, until his furrowed brows relaxed and his shallow breaths became even. After another few minutes of sunlight, she brought him over to his bassinet in the adjoining room and returned to the settee by the fire.

Laura was chewing on her lower lip, standing on the other side of the room, staring out the only window that had a decent view of the northern gravel road leading up to the manor. She had expected her guests to arrive the day before, but due to some unknown delay, a full day and a half had passed without a sign of the guests, and Laura was growing more nervous by the hour.

A soft gasp escaped Laura's lips as she caught sight of something. "Is that—? Yes, it is! Winifred coming over the hill. Oh! and there is Evan! They have arrived! I must go down to greet everyone." Laura picked up her skirts and left the room in an enthusiastic bustle of white and blue muslin. Diana exchanged a look with Maria, both of them suppressing amused smiles.