Page 29 of The Tantalizing of a Scandalous Rake

Harriet shook her head. “No. No...it’s Simon’s wife.”

“Oh no.”

Harriet nodded grimly. “She’s been laboring for the past day. Mr. Thompson said as much. They fear the worst.”

Rosie glanced at the half-finished pies. Lunchtime had passed but dinner would be upon them soon—their busiest time.

“Go,” Harriet urged, apparently reading her intention.

“I’m not certain I can leave you.” She gnawed on the end of her thumb. “There is too much to do.”

“If you do not go, I shall fling you out myself.” Adam appeared in the doorway and leaned against the wooden frame.

She rolled her eyes. “But of course you would.”

“We can manage on our own,” Adam said.

“I do not—”

“Rosie, just go,” Harriet said, coming over to untie Rosie’s apron. She gave her a light push toward the door.

Releasing a sigh, she whipped off the apron and handed it to Harriet. She could not leave Simon to suffer this alone and she had little idea if Jane even had a midwife with her. If there was anything she could do, she ought to do it.

“Make sure—”

“Go!” Harriet repeated.

“Yes, but...”

“With haste,” Adam added.

“I know, but—”

Adam gave her a little nudge toward the door too and she chuckled and held up her hands. “Very well, I am going.” She could not hold the smile when she thought of Jane suffering, however. “I only hope I return with good news.”

Adam nodded. “As do I.”

Rosie went on foot to Simon’s house, not wanting to take the time to hitch up the horse to the wagon. Thankfully his modest cottage was not far from the inn and she arrived swiftly enough to find Simon pacing the parlor room. The usually ruddy-faced, large man appeared smaller than usual thanks to his rounded shoulders and his complexion was pale even with the afternoon sun streaming in through the window that overlooked the lake.

“How is she?”

Simon gave a tight smile. “Exhausted mostly.”

A shiver dashed down her spine when she heard the scream echo from the bedroom next to them. “I shall go to her. Why do you not sit and rest?”

“Rest? How can I when she goes through such pain?” He shook his head. “What will I do if I lose her, Rosie? If I lose both of them.”

“You shall not,” Rosie assured him, though she swore he heard the lie in her voice. If she had been laboring this long, the chances of something terrible happening were too high to think on. “Is the midwife with her?”

“Yes, though she has only been here since this morning as she was attending another birth in Grasmere. We had Mrs. Parsons with us until then, but she has gone home to rest.”

Mrs. Parsons was one of the oldest members of their community and whilst quite experienced in childbirth, Rosie imagined the elderly lady would not have managed much longer by Jane’s side.

Rosie put a hand to his arm. “Do not fear. Make a cup of tea and try to sit for a while at least.”

By the time night had set in, there was still no sign of the baby. Rosie damped down Jane’s head with a cloth and murmured reassuring words but when she met the midwife’s gaze, she knew things were still not going well.

“I’m going to get some fresh water,” Rosie told her. “Is there anything else I can do?”

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