Page 44 of Made

“Now you!” I announced. “Grab a partner and find a place where you can see what we’re doing,” I told the onlookers. To Esme, Fie, and John David, I said, “You’re my helpers. Be super patient.” To Keir, I said, “We’re going to strip it down to a snail’s pace.”

“Gotcha, Captain.” You gotta love a man who’s comfortable turning the reins over to a woman now and then.

It was slow going at first, but within half an hour, everybody was laughing and having fun. Kagan was as much an athlete as his brother. There’s no disguising built-in rhythm. He picked it up super-fast and was twirling Esme around like a pro.It was delightful to hear her laughter from across the room and, when I caught her eye, I thought I saw gratitude on her face. Another first for Esmerelda.

I was basking in the ego-stroking confirmation that my ballroom dance class really was nothing less than brilliant! Until I heard a scream from the floor below.

My maternal instinct went Code Red. I’d never heard Evie scream before. Not in her entire life. Yet I knew instantly that my child was in grave distress. My body was heading for the staircase before my mind was fully engaged. I was being slowed by the damn ballgown. And heels.

After three steps, I stopped, kicked the shoes off, and gathered the dress around my waist so I could run. Keir, having a miraculous ability to go from one place to another, was already there when I reached the first floor. I hadn’t seen him pass me, but I’d learned that, when a creature is traveling fast enough, they become invisible to the human, or essentially human, eye.

Evie was lying back on a white linen chaise lounge, her beautiful face a mask contorted by pain. The entrance to the drawing room was an exaggerated archway. No doors to close. I looked around for the butler.

“Jarvis! Bring those Chinese screens from the dining room and set them up here.” I pointed to the threshold. “For privacy. Quickly, please.”

As he darted away I could see that John David was standing transfixed as if he couldn’t move, eyes glazed over.

“John David…” I began, but didn’t finish my original thought. I looked from him to Evie. The white linen chaise lounge wasn’tcoveredin blood, but close enough to qualify as a horror show.Oh, no.“Keir!” He looked my way and saw the panic in my eyes. “Get John David out of here.”

Keir immediately registered the cause of my alarm. Without a word, he grabbed John David and disappeared. Being married to the enforcer has undeniable advantages.

Jarvis had enlisted Fie’s help to set the screens in the doorway. At least there’d be no gawking at my daughter. I rushed to her side and took her hand.

Calling on every bit of self-discipline in me, I tried to sound calm. “Evie. Should we call an ambulance?” Granted. It was a stupid question, but in a moment of crisis, my brain does a factory reset and I think in human terms.

She was panting. “No. I… No.”

“What should we do?”

“We’ve called the midwife,” Evie managed to grit out.

The midwife?

I looked at Diarmuid, who was on her other side. He was extraordinarily pale and looked scared, unable to do anything except stare at Evie. “Diarmuid?” Nothing. “DIARMUID!!!”

“What do you need?” Keir materialized by my side, which meant he’d been moving very, very fast. I was glad to have him close by andwithoutJohn David.

“Evie says there’s a midwife. Hopefully on the way.”

He moved his head slightly, ears picking up something my own couldn’t hear. “Esme wants to know if she can come in. She says she might be able to help.”

Evie let out another blood-curdling scream. I knew the pain was serious because Evie was the stoic type. Even as a toddler, she’d pressed her lips together and refused to cry when getting vaccinated. I nodded vigorously. “Yes. Sure. Please.”

Esme hurried in, and I could see concern all over her face.Gods bless friends who love our children.She came straight to Evie. Diarmuid was on one side. Not wanting to displace the dad, I moved to give her access and space.

“Well then, girl,” Esme told Evie. “Take heart. Females have been helping females bring young into the world from the beginning of time. All will be well.” While she was talking, she was pulling a pendant necklace free from where it had been stowed out of sight between her breasts. “Look at this.”

She held the multifaceted crystal by its cord so that it spun in the air near Evie’s face. The facets caught the various lights and colors in the room and dazzled like a disco ball. In seconds, Evie’s features relaxed, she slumped a little, and appeared calm.

“There it is, dear heart,” Esme said quietly. “Stay there in that quiet place until Rhiannon is ready to join us.”

I heard a thump. Diarmuid had fallen to the floor and appeared to be sleeping. It seemed he’d been accidentally hypnotized second-hand. Probably just as well.

“I will not go to sleep. I will not go to sleep. I will not go to sleep.” I chanted out loud, but not loud enough to disturb Evie.

A small pop and inverted air pressure accompanied the arrival of a woman who looked like she’d breezed into Central Casting to audition for the role of Mary Poppins. No umbrella, but she did have a large black leather bag. Like Julie Andrews and Emily Blunt, at the time of filming the movies, she was young and beautiful.

With practiced haste, she removed her hat and jacket. With a nod to Esme, she said, “Release her. I need to communicate.”

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