Soon chatter and laughter filled the room, ale flowed generously along with food. Odran couldn’t recall the last time such enjoyment was had in the Great Hall. It felt good and he hoped it would become commonplace. He hoped that the curse had been beaten or perhaps Annis had found a way to see it fulfilled.
“Tell me why I found this in your stitching basket, Elysia,” Fergus demanded upon entering the room, waving something in his hand.
Elysia’s stomach roiled. She knew what he held—the garment she was stitching for the bairn.
Anger rumbled in Odran. Whether the curse was to blame or his father, he didn’t care. He was angry that a pleasant time, the first in far too long, had been disrupted. He stopped his wife with a hand to her shoulder when she went to stand, letting her know to stay put. He stood instead.
“A garment for a bairn,” Fergus said, shaking it at his son. “Does she play you for a fool and get with child when you ordered her not to?”
Elysia wanted to jump up and tell Lord Fergus that it was all her fault that she had made a mistake, and what was done was done. But she remained where she sat and held her tongue, this was for her husband to see to.
“Elysia carries my bairn and I am proud and glad that she does,” Odran said with pride in his voice to prove it.
Fergus’s shoulders sagged. “You don’t know what you’ve done, son.”
“Aye, I know well what I have done. I’ve chosen to live in spite of the curse, Da.”
Fergus shook his head and stopped when his eyes caught on Berdina. “You know. You’ve seen it. Lived it. It has touched you. Tell my son of the suffering and see that Elysia does not bear this bairn.”
Elysia had had enough. No one would take her bairn from her and before she could hurry off the bench to toss angry words at Fergus, her husband spoke up.
“HEAR ME NOW!” Odran said, his powerful shout booming through the Great Hall. “I will kill anyone who tries to take my bairn from my wife. And it will not be an easy death. I will make him or her suffer ENDLESSLY.”
“It’s about time one of the MacBridan men grew a pair of balls.”
Everyone turned to look at Willa.
“What?” she said, turning a scowl on them all. “You can’t be spineless when it comes to a curse.”
“Berdina might disagree with you, Willa,” Fergus said with a nod to the woman.
Willa was quick to argue. “She has suffered just like all of us have, but we have Elysia now. She has brought to this clan something we haven’t had in a long time—she brought us hope. And I for one don’t intend to let it go. So quit your complaining, Fergus, and congratulate your son and his wife on the impending birth of your first, I pray among many, grandchild.”
“HERE! HERE!” Cadell shouted, raising his tankard.
Finch joined in with a shout and raised his tankard.
Rory hesitated but when he saw the happiness in Elysia’s smile, he joined in as well. Dugan shouted along with the men.
Elysia noticed that neither Berdina or Crissa cheered.
Fergus walked over to his son. “I want to be happy for you, Odran, I truly do, but I know what your bairn will face and I know one day you will regret giving him life.”
“Do you regret giving me life, Da?”
“You were already born when the curse was cast. I had no choice and after that I watched how your mum suffered losing bairn after bairn until we both chose never to have another child. I pray it isn’t the same for you.”
“Then let it be different from the start, Da. Raise a glass in celebration and hope,” Odran said and filled a tankard and handed it to his da.
Fergus took it, hesitated for a moment, then raised the tankard high. “Here’s to my grandchild. May he know more happiness than sorrow.”
Cheers were shouted and tankards raised and talk and laughter once again resumed.
A while later, Dorrit announced that a cottage was ready for Berdina and with seeing how tired the woman looked, Elysia suggested she take her there and see her settled.
Odran got up to go with his wife but she stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. “No, you stay and talk with your da. I won’t be long.” She could see the worry in his eyes about letting her go alone, especially after the unexpected announcement that she was with child.
“I’ll see Lady Elysia returned to the keep safely. You have my word on it, Lord Odran,” Rory said.
Odran expected to see Rory stumbling around from too much drink and was surprised to see that he had tempered his drinking. He was a skilled warrior, far more skilled than Tavish had been, and Bram as well.