Page 42 of Bride of Fire
“How did you do that?” Feiyan asked in wonder.
Jenefer shrugged. She hadn’t done anything.
“The bairn is clearly drawn to ye,” Bethac gushed. “’Tisn’t that way with anyone else, not even…” She stopped short. “’Tis quite wondrous.”
“Wondrous?” Jenefer raised her brows. “’Tis quite inconvenient, I would think. Surely there’s some woman in your own household who can calm the lad.”
Bethac shook her head.
“Let me try,” Feiyan said.
Jenefer passed Miles to her cousin. Feiyan cradled the infant against her chest, cooing down at him. But after a moment, his face crumpled, he arched his back, and he began squalling again.
Feiyan handed him back.
Jenefer lifted him up once more, narrowing her eyes. “If you keep crying like that, soon you’ll have no tears left. Then what will you do when a faithless wench breaks your heart, eh?”
Miles’ cries turned to sniffles.
“If you use up all your tears, what will you do when your favorite hound falls down dead?”
The babe quieted. His mouth made a perfect O as he listened intently.
“What will you do when your master sells you for a coo?”
“Miss!” Bethac chided.
“Oh, I know all about Highlanders,” Jenefer assured her, clucking her tongue, “trading babes for coos.”
“What?” Bethac exclaimed. “That’s not true! We’d ne’er—”
The maidservant’s outrage was interrupted by a soft, sweet sound from Miles that turned all three ladies’ heads.
“What did he say?” Feiyan whispered.
Jenefer snorted. “’Twasn’t a real word, Feiy.”
But Bethac had other ideas. “It sounded like…” Her old, wrinkled face melted. “Da.”
Feiyan giggled. “He thinks you’re his da, Jen.”
Jenefer shot her a scathing glance.
Miles made the sound again, sending Feiyan into another spate of giggles.
Jenefer scoffed. It didn’t sound at all like “Da.” The babe was only making a random noise.
“He does seem to be fond o’ ye, Miss,” Bethac said.
Jenefer neglected to tell the maidservant that was a good thing, since she intended to take the lad with her at the end of the day. Instead, she gave her a fleeting smile.
Bethac, encouraged by her silence, asked her, “Have ye always had a way with wee ones?”
Feiyan nearly choked on laughter.
Jenefer clamped her lips, tempted to smack her unruly cousin.
But Feiyan wisely stepped out of reach, stifling her amusement, and returned to staring out the window.
