When Emerald saw her son, her lovely green eyes shone with unshed tears of joy.
"He"s a beauty all right, but he"s got a rare temper. When he cries, he makes enough racket to raise the rent."
Emerald smiled through her tears.
"Your milk has come in, love, would you like to feed him?"
When she nodded, he tucked the baby beside her and opened her nightgown.
The little mouth needed no guidance to his mother"s engorged nipple. As she watched her son, Emerald"s face lit with radiance, and Sean truly felt blessed that he was privy to such an intimate moment.
After a while Sean lifted the baby to the other side. "What shall we call the young devil?"
Emerald lifted her gaze from her son and looked into pewter eyes. "Joseph,"
she whispered.
The lump that rose in Sean"s throat made it impossible for him to reply for a moment. She was still the most generous woman in the world. What the h.e.l.l had he ever done to deserve her? When Joseph started to drift into slumber, Sean plucked him from his coc.o.o.n and held him upright against one broad shoulder while he rubbed the little back as Kate had shown him.
"Do you think you can stay awake long enough to greet your daughter?" In truth, he wished Emerald had fallen asleep, so her discovery could be postponed one more day. "Then at the risk of being repet.i.tive, don"t go away, I"ll be right back."
When Sean left the room with his son, Emerald closed her eyes in distress.
From the time she went into labor she had been aware of almost everything. She overheard the conversation between her father and Dr. Sloane, whereby she learned the fate of her newborn babies. When she realized one was dying and the other also was to be taken away from her, Emerald gave up. Giving birth to the twins had used up every drop of strength she possessed and more. Then all hope had been snuffed.
She withdrew inside herself and waited for death.
What happened next was like a dream. The Angel of Death swooped down and carried her off. It was only later that she realized it was no dream, and the apparition that descended upon Portman Square was Sean O"Toole in the guise of an avenging angel. His will was so strong, he refused to let her die. Somehow, he had even forced death to take a step back from her baby daughter. But Emerald had little hope. She had heard two doctors say the baby girl was too small and frail to survive.
Sean was putting up a brave front for her sake. Emerald was overwhelmingly grateful for all he had done. He had struggled tirelessly from dark to dark, infusing them with his own strength, refusing to entertain even the possibility of failure. She closed her eyes and prayed for strength to face what lay before her.
When Sean stepped into the bedchamber, he carried the tiny bundle so possessively, her heart turned over. "She"s very small, Emerald, I don"t want you to be alarmed. The nurse has already fed her and she has just fallen asleep." He placed the baby against her heart, but he did not let go of the child.
Suddenly, Emerald knew she could not take away his hope. As she looked down her face softened with love and she fought back the tears that threatened to drown her in sorrow. "We"ll call her Kathleen," she whispered.
The moment touched him so deeply, Sean wanted to weep. Then he clearly saw she was holding back her own tears for his sake. He slipped to Ins knees to bring himself closer. When their eyes met, all pretense between them fled.
"Emerald, I swear to you on my knees, if there is any way I can save our daughter, I shall. Kathleen is a perfect name. Perhaps my mother has been chosen to be her guardian angel." He touched the slumbering child beside her mother, then left them alone for a few private minutes.
When he returned he carried in the big wooden cradle on rockers and set it beside the bed. Then he brought in a sleeping Joseph and laid him inside. Sean turned the lamps down low and lay down on the wide bed beside Emerald. One protective hand curved around the tiny baby that lay between them. So long as they lay touching, they were a part of each other. Joined together through the dark hours of the night, they might not be separated.
During the next fortnight Sean never left their side. Joseph started to thrive.
With both his mother and Alice feeding him, he began to grow.
Baby Kathleen did not grow. Her appet.i.te was minuscule, sometimes nonexistent. Often her breathing was labored and her pink color would turn waxy.
Whenever this happened, night or day, Sean patiently ma.s.saged her until her circulation was restored. She seldom had enough energy to cry, but when she did, the sound was quite pitiful. Sean and Emerald made a pact that one or the other would hold her at all times. Both were convinced of the magic power of touch.
Emerald herself gained a little more strength, but Sean knew it would be a long, slow road back to perfect health. When she looked unwell, he exuded tenderness. He didn"t leave the house in Old Park Lane until the third week. February brought early-spring sunshine flooding through the windows, bathing every cheerful room in golden light. Everyone in the house seemed to brighten. So far things were going as well as could be expected, and an air of optimism crept upon them that things would improve.
When Sean returned he brought an armful of daffodils and scattered them across the foot of the bed. He smiled at the lovely picture she made, propped against the pillows, cuddling her baby daughter.
"I know you have an inordinate love of flowers and accept them from me willinglya"unlike jewels," he added softly. He sat clown on the bed. "There"s something else I want you to accept." He took the baby and handed Emerald a long envelope.
She opened it and found the deed to Old Park Lane. She lifted her eyes from the crackling doc.u.ment. "You bought it?"
He nodded. "I know how much you love this house. I bought it in your name, not mine. I should have done it long ago."
"Thank you. It is such a lovely, thoughtful gesture."
"I love you, Emerald."
"Don"t say that," she said quietly.
So, you haven"t forgiven me after all, he thought. He understood completely.
He hadn"t expected her to; yet, Sean realized now, he had been harboring a glimmer of hope. He smiled at her to show his understanding. He hadn"t given her enough time. He would give her all the time she needed, and in the meanwhile he would show her by his actions, by his dedication and devotion, that he loved her with all his heart.
All four of them slept together in the bedchamber and Emerald had no objection to this arrangement, rather he could tell she took great comfort from it. She allowed him to bathe and feed her, until she became strong enough to feed herself, so it was obvious to Sean that she had no objection to his touch. He thanked G.o.d for small mercies, noting wryly she only rejected his verbal declaration of love.
He chose his words carefully. "I don"t want to push you before you"re ready, but I want you to think about going home to Grey-stones." He was relieved when she seemed quite eager.
"If you think it"s safe for Kathleen to travel, I"m ready anytime, Sean."
He took Emerald"s hand and squeezed it.
"I won"t lie to you ever again. . . . Sweetheart, I can"t guarantee she"ll make it."
"I know that," she said softly. "I"ll carry her all the way to Ireland."
Her mouth curved. "And what about Joseph?"
"h.e.l.l, he"s big enough to sail the ship!"
It felt wonderful to see her laugh. He did not know the main reason she was eager to go home was to put distance between him and the Montagues. Each day she wondered when he would take up his vendetta again. He had done a superb job of controlling his anger and hatred, but she knew it could not last. She and their babies were his first priority right now, but she feared it wouldn"t last long, and knew his retribution would be terrible.
The next time Sean gave Emerald a sponge bath, he voiced a concern.
"Having to stay in bed is not strengthening. I don"t want your muscles to deteriorate.
I think you will benefit from a good ma.s.sage every day. You have another three weeks to go before you can even attempt to walk."
"I was beginning to worry that even with all the bed rest, I don"t feel much stronger."
"Muscles that are never used begin to atrophy. We won"t let that happen. I"ll give you some bed exercises."
"Oh, my, I warrant you are most inventive at bed exercise," she teased.
"Ah, if your thoughts are drifting in that direction, it is a most encouraging sign."
Emerald abandoned herself to his ministrations. After he bathed her, his hands slicked on perfumed oil, stroking and ma.s.saging every muscle of her body. Her eyes half closed in bliss. "It feels soooo good," she murmured, stretching like a feline being stroked. She watched him from beneath heavy lids, thinking him sinfully attractive.
Her gaze slid down his body to see if he was aroused by what he was doing.
The corners of her mouth lifted with secret satisfaction. "Encouraging signs are everywhere," she murmured wickedly.
With a perfectly straight face he replied, "This is most uplifting work."
"Good. They do say antic.i.p.ation is the best part and denial is good for the soul." Keeping her face as serious as his, she asked, "Is it very hard?"
"Irish, you have no idea."
Emerald reached out and cupped him with her hand.
"You are c.o.c.kteasing," Sean said lightly.
"Just testing. Muscles that are never used begin to atrophy." She gave him an inviting glance. "How about a little oral stimulation?"
Sean removed his hands from her thigh, pushed her back against the pillows, and looked deeply into her teasing green eyes. "You are thoroughly enjoying this wicked game at my expense. By oral stimulation I suspect you mean kissing, even though you want me to think otherwise."
She gave him a little slap. "Stop reading my mind, you devil." "When you"ve done your exercises, I"ll give you kisses, and not before."
Their playful banter came to an end as they both concentrated on helping her regain her strength.
Kate came in with a baby on each arm. "Here we are, all bathed and ready for a cuddle."
Sean winked at her. "I"m game if you are, Kate." "Beware," Emerald said, laughing, "he"s feeling very frisky." "Ha! Must be something in the spring air. Paddy Burke"s sap seems to be rising, an" all."
They both stared at her in disbelief, but the minute she departed, they both dissolved into helpless laughter.
"It really is time we went home. Those two have been thrown too much together."
During their last night at the house in Old Park Lane, Sean departed the bed to carefully lay Kathleen in the cradle beside her sleeping twin.
"What are you doing?" Emerald whispered.
"I want to hold you for a while; you can have her back in an hour." He slipped into the bed and moved over until they were almost touching. Then he propped himself on his elbow and gazed down at her. Earlier he had washed her hair, and the pleasure it had given him lingered on.
"Your hair is prettier than ever. It"s silky soft and curlier than it ever was." His fingers lifted a tress, then rubbed it against his cheek.
"It has something to do with having babies."
His hand moved to her breast. His fingertips traced a delicate pattern over their crests, then moved into the deep valley. "You are so luscious and ripe."
The corners of her mouth lifted, "Like forbidden fruit."
"Forbidden indeed. It feels like forever since we made love. I know you are not yet strong enough to indulge me entirely, but perhaps you are ready for a little dalliance?"
"What choice do I have? I"m your captive. I can"t exactly run away from you,"
she teased. "At least not yet."
"Shall we play captor-captive?" he asked huskily, as the head of his shaft brushed against her thigh.
"That might be rewarding, at least until my leg is healed."
He touched his mouth to her lips, needing to taste her, yet enjoying their verbal foreplay. "And then?"
"Then I shall give you a run for your money," she vowed. "I"ll run so b.l.o.o.d.y fast, you won"t know what hit you."
"I"ll just come panting after you, hot and heavy."
"Hot and heavy?" She slid her hand between his legs, cupping his sac. "That describes you perfectly. Mmm, you are very tempting, but I"ll still run."
"Not tonight you won"t, little captive, not tonight." His mouth took complete possession of her and showed her exactly what a captor did when he caught his prey. And Emerald, his willing captive, found inventive ways to satisfy all his desires.
For once, Sean fell asleep before she did. Being confined to bed had given her long hours to review the past and contemplate the future. In hindsight she recalled the subtle warnings he had given her. He had taught her to live in the present and never consider the future, because he knew they would be apart. Before he first made love to her he had warned: I"m black, beyond redemption. Go from me before it"s too late for you. He had also insisted she keep the jewels. You have no money of your own; the diamonds will give you financial security.
As Emerald lay quietly in the darkness, contemplating her plans, she let her gaze drift over his dark face. Fair was only faira"she had warned him clearly that she would run from him.
When the Sulphur sailed into Greystones"s harbor, Sean was amused to see that Shamus was flying the ancient green-and-gold flag of Ireland from the watchtower turrets.
Kate gathered all the household servants together and asked which of them would like to he trained as nursemaids to the twins.
When eight eager young women volunteered for the position, Kate selected two who were clean, hardworking, and had come from large families.
Ellen and Jane, both young, eager, and biddable, were put into training immediately, learning how to do the babies" laundry and how to sterilize and fill bottles. Kate told them sternly that when they had mastered these elementary ch.o.r.es, they would graduate to rocking the twins to sleep and even bathing them.
As soon as word reached Maynooth that Emerald and her twins were home, half the FitzGerald clan descended upon Greystones. Maggie, who was already in residence, helping Tara in Mr. Burke"s absence, refused to let her daughter, Nan, return to Maynooth in her advanced state of pregnancy. It turned out to be a wise decision. Late in the afternoon Nan went into labor and gave her husband a son.
Johnny was beside himself, carrying the child about for all to admire.
With three babies at Greystones there was never a dull moment. Even Shamus gave up his watchtower and moved back into the lovely Georgian mansion, so that he could be part of the family again and share in all the happiness.
The two new fathers sat sharing a quiet drink after the household had retired.
"John, I only just arrived in time. When I got there, my little girl was at death"s door and Emerald was gravely ill. Thanks, it took courage to come and bully me into returning for them."
"You would have gone back for her without my urging," Johnny insisted.
"Yes, but it might have taken me a while. If you hadn"t spurred me to action, I would never have been in time."
"Emerald looks marvelous, compared to the last time I saw her."
"Yes, she"s gaining strength every day. Another week and we"ll have her walking again."
"Kathleen is so tiny, do you think she"s out of danger?"