Summary: This story is a sequel to “From This Day Forward” and “Blessed Are the Children”. It’s January 1881 and Adam and Bronwen are awaiting the birth of their fourth child.
Rating: K+ WC 11,400
Bronwen in Nevada Series:
From This Day Forward
Blessed are the Children
Angelic Affection
Over the Hill and Through the Woods
Precious Ties
I want to thank my friend Lis for once again letting me make use of her editing skills. I also want to thank welch, who provided the inspiration for this story set in the Bronwen in Nevada universe.
Finally, I wish to acknowledge that Ben, Adam, Hoss, Joe, Hop Sing, Dr. Paul Martin and Josh are not my creations and I intend no copyright infringement by using them in this story.
Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely
angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there
is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which
there are no words to express.
Joseph Addison
Angelic Affection
A sudden movement in the dark jerked Adam awake. He could see nothing in the inky blackness that surrounded him but he felt the movement again and heard the sound of someone gasping in pain. He turned toward the sound and asked urgently, “Is it time to get Paul?”
“No, I’m not in labor,” Bronwen replied quietly. “I’ve got cramps in my legs and the baby is restless. Sorry I woke you up.”
He felt his tense muscles relax and said dryly, “It’s all right. I got you in this condition so why should I sleep if you can’t?”
Even though she couldn’t see in the dark room, she could imagine him winking. “I’ll certainly be happy when Adam Jr. decides to make his appearance,” she said decisively. She gave a little gasp as the baby began kicking her energetically.
“You mean Benjamin Llywelyn,” he said firmly, adding, “although it’s more likely Penelope Jane.”
“Surely after three daughters the odds favor a son this time,” she replied, and he heard the hint of frustration in her tone.
“I haven’t actually calculated the odds,” he replied, “I’m just going by personal observation.” He decided it would be best to change the subject so he said, “I wish this baby wasn’t due in the middle of winter. When Gwyneth was born, I didn’t have to worry about a blizzard preventing Paul from being here for her birth.”
“You did just fine when Miranda was born,” she said soothingly because she knew how anxious he was about her upcoming childbirth.
“Delivering my own child is not an experience that I want to repeat,” he said. “I’m thankful there were no complications.” He reached for her hand and when he found it, he enfolded it in his own. “Even if I hope I won’t need to deliver this baby, I’m glad Joe offered to stay with us until the baby arrives and to go for Paul so I can stay here with you.”
Bronwen smiled and said, “Betsy and Miranda are delighted to have him here. He’s always ready to play jackstraws or Old Bachelor with them. They’ve even talked him into playing jacks.”
“I think they’re good for Joe,” Adam commented thoughtfully. “I’ve noticed that when he’s playing with them, his grief doesn’t seem as overwhelming.”
“Yes,” she agreed. The she yawned. “The cramps are gone and the baby is quiet so let’s see if we can get back to sleep.”
They had almost drifted off when they heard a quavering little voice calling, “Mama! Daddy! Gwyth scared.”
Adam sighed. Two months earlier they had moved Gwyneth from the nursery to her own room. If the new baby turned out to be Penelope Jane, then she and Gwyneth would share the room just as Betsy and Miranda shared one. However, Gwyneth was having difficulty adjusting to her new room and her ‘big girl’s bed’. She frequently had nightmares, spending the remainder of the night sleeping between her parents.
“Daddy’ll be there in just a minute, Punkin,” Adam called as he pushed back the bed curtain on his side of the bed. He found his flint and steel on his bedside table and quickly lit the candle he kept there. Sticking his feet in his slippers and picking up the candlestick, he hurried to open the bedroom door. Even in the candle’s dim illumination he could see the tearstains on his littlest girl’s cheeks and the tears pooling in the large hazel eyes she’d inherited from him. He leaned over and scooped her up in his free arm and she trustingly rested her curly head on his broad shoulder as he carried her to the bed. He set her down carefully and she hurriedly crawled to her mama’s outstretched arms.
“There, there, Gwyneth fach,” Bronwen said soothingly as she gently rubbed her baby’s back. “Did you have a bad dream?” The not-quite-three-year-old nodded her head, and put her thumb in her mouth.
“You’ll be safe here with Mama and me,” Adam said, ruffling the thick black curls that were exactly like his own, and then blowing out the candle and getting back into bed.
When Adam woke at dawn as usual, he noted Bronwen and Gwyneth were sleeping soundly so he got up and dressed as quietly as he could and silently closed the bedroom door behind him. Betsy and Miranda were just coming out of their room, dressed in the knickerbockers and shirts they wore for their barn chores, and before they could tell him good morning he put his finger to his lips.
“Mama is still sleeping and we don’t want to wake her up,” he said softly. The girls nodded their understanding and the three of them walked silently down the circular staircase. As they reached the bottom, Joe emerged from the drawing room, carrying sheets, blankets and a pillow. (Since there were no unoccupied bedrooms, he was sleeping on the Chesterfield sofa in the drawing room.)
“Good morning, Uncle Joe,” the girls chorused.
“Good morning, ladies,” Joe replied with a warm smile.
“I hope you slept well,” Adam said as the girls hurried down the hall to the mudroom where their coats were kept. “I still feel guilty that I can’t offer you a bed.”
“Don’t worry about it, Older Brother. The Chesterfield is a lot more comfortable than sleeping in a bedroll on the hard ground,” Joe said. “I do wonder what you’re gonna do if this new baby is Adam, Jr.,” he added with a wink.
“Benjamin Llywelyn,” Adam corrected automatically. “We’ll turn the attic into his bedroom. It’ll be a place where he can escape from his sisters.”
“Good idea since you’ll be the only males in a sea of femininity,” Joe said a laugh and Adam smiled. He hadn’t heard Joe laugh much in the two years since his bride’s tragic death. Slowly he was learning to live with his grief and Adam admired him for that. If he ever lost Bronwen . . . He wouldn’t let himself finish the thought.
When the brothers reached the mudroom after storing Joe’s bedding in the linen closet, they found Betsy and Miranda ready to head to the barn and care for their ponies. Each girl had received a Welsh Mountain Pony that summer. Adam had purchased them from a man in Illinois who had recently imported several ponies. Adam had chosen the breed because they were under 12 hands and known for being good natured. Beth’s pony, Daisy, was a mahogany bay and Miranda’s Honey was a golden bay. Adam had also purchased a stallion and some additional mares because he planned on breeding them and selling the ponies to other families in the area with young children. Hoss had already requested one for his twenty-two month old son, Josh, when he was old enough for a pony and Todd McKaren had also expressed interest.
“It snowed last night, Daddy,” Betsy said excitedly. “Will you and Uncle Joe help us make a snowman?”
Normally their daddy was at the lumber camp during the day and was only available to play with them in the evening. Uncle Joe they saw on Sundays. It was only because their mama was going to have a baby brother or baby sister that Daddy and Uncle Joe were available to play with them all day so they were going to take full advantage of the situation.
“Please,” Miranda begged.
“After your lessons, then Uncle Joe and I would be happy to help you build a snowman. Won’t we, Uncle Joe?”
“Sure. I like making snowmen,” Joe said, smiling at his nieces. They were such pretty little girls with their dark hair and large hazel eyes, and each was as cute as a button dressed in little boys’ knickerbockers. If Alice had lived, we would have had pretty daughters, he thought sadly. Maybe with Alice’s big brown eyes.
Adam saw Joe’s happy expression fade and said in an exaggeratedly cheerful tone, “We’d better hurry and feed our hungry animals.”
The sisters hurried outside into the bitter cold. Adam and Joe hastily put on their coats and hats before following the girls out the door.
When the four Cartwrights returned to the house, they found Kerra Chynoweth, who had worked for Adam and Bronwen since a few months before six-year-old Betsy’s birth, putting a batch of biscuits in the oven. Bronwen, who was dressed a grey serge wrapper that barely fit around her very pregnant belly, was frying sausage on one of the front two burners of the kitchen range while a pan of oatmeal simmered on one of the back burners. Joe had to smile at the sight of his sister-in-law, who was barely five feet in her stocking feet and normally weighed about one hundred pounds, but who now looked as though she’d swallowed a watermelon whole.
After exchanging good mornings, Adam asked where Gwyneth was.
“She’s in the dining room watching Miss Brooks set the table,” Bronwen replied, then added, “Hurry and change your clothes, girls,” and they scampered off.
Hope Brooks was the newest addition to the Cartwright household. Since the distance from their home near Crystal Bay was too great for the girls to attend school in Carson City, Virginia City, Genoa or Reno, Adam and Bronwen decided to hire a tutor. They chose Miss Brooks, a graduate of Elmira College with ten years experience teaching at Linden Hall, the oldest girls’ boarding school in the United States.
Miss Brooks was a plain woman in her mid thirties. She’d enjoyed teaching at Linden Hall but she found her life there was too pedestrian. She wanted to see more of the world than New York and Pennsylvania so when she came across the Cartwrights’ advertisement, she applied for the position. She felt an immediate rapport with the Cartwright family and was enraptured with the beautiful setting of their home. She’d only been with them two months and was still adjusting to her new position. Living in a private home was very different from the years she’d lived at Linden Hall.
She got along very well with her two pupils. The younger, five-year-old Miranda, was a very bright child and eager to learn. Six-year-old Betsy required more motivation, but once motivated, she did well enough. Miss Brooks also spent time getting to know Gwyneth, who would be her pupil in a couple of years. While the two older girls were outgoing, Gwyneth was shy and Miss Brooks had to put more effort into winning her trust, but now she accepted her sisters’ tutor as part of her family.
It wasn’t long before the entire household assembled in the dining room for breakfast. Betsy and Miranda were now wearing long-sleeved flannel dresses and calico aprons with sleeves and Joe could only smile at their transformation.
After Adam blessed the food, he asked Bronwen what her plans were that morning.
“First I’m going to catch up on my mending and then Gwyneth and I will go for a little walk,” she replied.
“It’s pretty cold,” Joe said. “I’d skip the walk if I were you.”
“Just a short walk. Gwyneth and I need a little exercise and fresh air,” Bronwen said with a smile.
Seeing his brother start to respond, Adam said with a chuckle, “You may as well give up trying to change her mind, buddy. I did years ago.”
Bronwen grinned and then asked, “How are you gentlemen going to occupy yourselves this morning?”
“While you’re busy with your mending, I thought I’d spend some time with Gwyneth. Would you like to read Mother Goose, Punkin?” Adam asked and Gwyneth dimpled as she said enthusiastically, “Muver Goose!”
“I’ve finished the accounts for the sawmill and the lumber camp so while you’re going for a walk, I’ll work on the accounts for the ranch,” Adam continued. “What about you, Joe?”
“I’m going to shovel a better path to the barn and outhouse and clean off the steps to the front porch and shovel a path from there to the yard. After that, I think I’ll look for some work I can do inside,” he said with a wink.
“Don’t forget you said you’d help us build a snowman,” Betsy interjected.
“After your lessons,” Adam reminded her firmly.
“Dumb old lessons,” Betsy pouted.
“I think you’d better change your attitude, young lady, or you’ll be spending the afternoon in your room while Uncle Joe and I help Miranda build a snowman,” Adam said sternly.
Betsy knew her daddy meant what he said so she pouted and then concentrated on eating her oatmeal. Miranda spoke up then.
“Miss Brooks is teaching us how to add, Uncle Joe. One plus one is two. Two plus one is three.”
“That’s very good,” Joe said.
“Do you know what three plus two is?” Adam asked her.
She wrinkled her nose as she concentrated and then she replied with a dimpled grin, “Five!”
“Very good, Angel,” Adam said, smiling at her while Betsy’s eyes began to fill with tears. Miranda always did better than she did on their lessons and Daddy was always proud of her.
Miss Brooks was sitting across from Betsy, saw her sad expression, and spoke up. “Mr. Cartwright, I must show you the drawing Betsy made of her family. She’s quite the little artist.”
“I’d like to see it,” Adam said and then smiled at his first-born and saw her face light up.
As soon as they finished breakfast, Betsy, Miranda and Miss Brooks headed to the library that served as their classroom. Adam and Gwyneth went with them so they could get the illustrated Mother Goose Tales that Bronwen’s parents had sent Betsy for her third birthday, and so Adam could see Betsy’s picture.
“Here’s my picture, Daddy,” Betsy said proudly as she handed it to him, and he took it with a smile.
“Yes, this is a beautiful picture, Princess,” he said and she glowed with pleasure at her daddy’s praise. Gwyneth tugged at his hand, saying, “Muver Goose.”
“All right, Punkin,” he said then, handing Betsy the picture and ruffling Gwyneth’s curls.
Once they had the book, Adam lifted Gwyneth to his shoulders and carried her piggyback to the drawing room, giggling all the way. When Bronwen arrived, bringing her sewing basket and a couple of Adam’s shirts missing buttons plus socks and stockings that needed darning, she smiled at the two of them sitting together, remembering Pa saying that Gwyneth looked so much like her daddy at that age.
When Gwyneth tired of Mother Goose, Adam got down on all fours and pretended to be a wolf and chased a squealing, giggling Gwyneth around the room. When the wolf tired, he asked Gwyneth if she’d like to hear a story and she asked for Little Red Riding Hood. She climbed back up in her daddy’s lap to hear the story.
“. . . and Little Red Riding Hood thought to herself, “I’ll never disobey Mother again and leave the path and go into the forest,” Adam finished.
“Three Little Pigs, Daddy,” Gwyneth commanded, but Bronwen said, “Not now. Daddy has some work to do but you and I are going for a walk in the snow.”
“Snow!” Gwyneth said and dimpled. She and Bronwen left and Adam took the account books to the dining room to work on that table since Miss Brooks and the girls were using his desk. A few minutes later, Gwyneth ran into the dining room, dressed in her coat, scarf, mittens and an extra pair of stockings. Adam had to smile because in her extra layers of clothing, she looked almost as round as her mama.
“Bye-bye, Daddy,” Gwyneth said and he replied, “Bye-bye, Punkin,” as Bronwen appeared in the doorway, wearing her sealskin cape and the matching sealskin toque and muff.
It was a short walk, but even so, Bronwen’s and Gwyneth’s cheeks and noses were red from the cold when they came inside, and Gwyneth’s nose was badly in need of a handkerchief.
“No, no, Gwyneth,” Bronwen scolded as they walked into the foyer. “You mustn’t wipe your nose on your sleeve.”
Adam heard them come in and hurried into the foyer. He pulled out his handkerchief and held it to Gwyneth’s little nose. “Blow,” he commanded and when she finished, he cleaned her face.
“Cold, Daddy,” Gwyneth said and he gently pinched her red cheeks.
“You feel half frozen, Punkin. Let’s take your coat, scarf and mittens to the mudroom and then you can come sit with Daddy and warm up.” He smiled at Bronwen and gave her a quick kiss. “I think Mama is half frozen, too.”
“I’ll warm up in the kitchen,” she said with a grin. “I need to help Kerra with dinner.”
Joe walked up the hallway from the mudroom just in time to hear Bronwen. “What’s for dinner?” he asked.
“Cottage pie, Teisen Nionod, and Pwdin Efa,” Bronwen replied.
“Good. I like your cottage pie. Now, that tie-sen nod—is that the potatoes and onion cake?” Joe asked. “I hope so cuz I sure like that.”
“I remembered that you did,” she replied with a smile, “so that’s why we’re having it.”
“And poodin . . . ?” Joe couldn’t wrap his tongue around the Welsh word.
“I know this one,” Adam said. “It’s Eve’s Pudding.”
“I remember now,” Joe said, smiling down at Gwyneth, who grinned up at him. “It’s the apple pudding.”
“Dinner should be ready in about an hour and a half,” Bronwen said as she hurried to the mudroom.
“I’ll take your things to the mudroom, Punkin, while you and Uncle Joe warm up in the drawing room,” Adam said.
“Tell Gwyth Three Pigs?” Gwyneth asked Joe.
“Uh, why don’t we wait and let your daddy tell both of us the story,” Joe suggested quickly.
Adam grinned crookedly at his brother’s alarm at the idea of telling Gwyneth a story. As he removed Gwyneth’s thick scarf, he said, “You know, when your Uncle Joe was about the same age as you, he liked me to tell him stories.”
“I did?” Joe had only a few fuzzy memories of his older brother before he’d left for Harvard.
“That’s right,” Adam replied, managing to wait while Gwyneth slowly unbuttoned her coat. “Your favorite was Puss in Boots.”
“Gwyth want Three Pigs,” she insisted and the brothers smiled.
“Then The Three Little Pigs it will be,” Adam said, gently tweaking her nose before he carried her things to the mudroom.
“Let’s go warm up,” Joe said to Gwyneth, and taking her hand, he led her into the drawing room.
In a few minutes, Adam joined them on the Chesterfield that faced the Franklin stove. Gwyneth immediately climbed up on her daddy’s lap and he began the story. When each little pig answered, “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin,” Adam moved his voice into the falsetto range. For the wolf’s lines, especially “Let me in, Let me in, little pig or I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!” he deepened his voice. Joe could see why Gwyneth enjoyed the story so much and could easily believe he had enjoyed Adam’s storytelling when he been that age.
Once the story was over, Gwyneth looked at her daddy hopefully with her big hazel eyes and asked, “Play wolf?”
“Sorry, Punkin, but this ol’ wolf is worn out.”
Seeing his niece’s lower lip come out in a pout, Joe said quickly, “Maybe I could be the wolf.”
“I’m sure you’ll make an excellent wolf,” Adam said with a big dimpled grin. “All you have to do is get down on all fours just like a wolf and chase this little piggy,” and he tickled Gwyneth, causing her to shriek with laughter. He paused in the doorway connecting the drawing and dining rooms and smiled at the sight of his brother on all fours and growling as he chased the giggling Gwyneth.
Time truly does heal all wounds, he thought as he watched. Still I pray that I never have to suffer the loss of my Bronwen as Joe has had to suffer the loss of his Alice. How Pa endured the loss first of my mother, then Mama and finally Belle-mère is beyond my comprehension.
As they were all together eating dinner, Miss Brooks said, “Betsy and Miranda worked so hard this morning that I think they deserve a reward, so I thought we’d cancel this afternoon’s lessons.”
“Oh thank you, Miss Brooks!” Betsy exclaimed joyfully and Miranda added her thanks, although with less enthusiasm because she enjoyed her lessons. However, she was as eager her older sister to build a snowman. “Daddy,” Betsy asked then, “may we build the snowman after dinner?”
“I don’t see why not,” Adam replied with a wink.
Miss Brooks then asked, “May I help build the snowman?”
“Of course,” Adam replied.
Joe was clearly taken aback by her request, but added with a friendly grin, “The more the merrier.”
She saw his surprise and said with a little smile, “I loved to make snowmen when I was a little girl.”
“So did I,” Kerra said. “We didn’t have snow very often in the village in Cornwall where I grew up and that made it special on the rare occasions when it did snow.”
“Did you like making snowmen when you was a little girl, Mama?” Betsy asked.
“I’m sure I would have, but I’d never seen snow until I married Daddy and moved here,” Bronwen replied.
“Never seen snow!” Miranda said and she and Betsy looked at each other in disbelief.
“It never got cold enough for snow in New South Wales,” Bronwen explained. “I think there is snow high up in the mountains, but that’s all.”
The girls were obviously struggling with concept of a place where it never snowed so Adam said, “I think in a couple of years when the new baby is old enough, we need to pay another visit to your tad-cu and mam-gu.”
“That’s grandfather and grandmother in Welsh,” Bronwen quietly explained to Miss Brooks, who was seated by her.
“They’ve never seen Gwyneth and you two weren’t much more than babies the last time we visited,” Adam continued.
“I want to see Tad-cu and Mam-gu,” Betsy said excitedly and Miranda echoed, “Me, too!”
“Whoa, girls,” Adam said firmly. “We won’t be going for at least two years.” He said to Miss Brooks, “I hope you meant it when you said you wanted to see more of the world.”
“Indeed I did, Mr. Cartwright,” she said with a smile. “Visiting New South Wales should be a fascinating experience.”
Joe was uncomfortable with the idea of Adam’s family being absent for months even though he knew it was right that Dr. and Mrs. Davies have the opportunity to spend time with their daughter and granddaughters, so he said, “I’m really eager to make a snowman. Maybe even two.”
“Hurrah!” Betsy and Miranda shouted, earning a reproof from their mama.
As they were eating their apple pudding, Bronwen noticed Miranda had her elbows on the table and said firmly, “Miranda, it’s not polite to put your elbows on the table.”
“Daddy does,” Miranda retorted stubbornly, and Bronwen couldn’t stop her grin when she saw her husband’s cheeks turn red as he hastily removed his elbows from the table. Kerra and Miss Brooks, who were sitting across from each other, exchanged quick smiles. Joe realized his elbows were on the table as well and jerked them down.
“Daddy shouldn’t do it either,” Adam said. He added sternly, “and you are not to contradict your mama, young lady. Take your elbows off the table and apologize to your mama, or we’ll have a necessary talk. ”
For a moment, Miranda’s expression was sulky, but she saw her daddy’s frown and hurriedly removed her elbows and said, “I’m sorry, Mama.”
“Apology accepted,” Bronwen replied, smiling warmly at her second born. Then she added, “If you’ll excuse us, Gwyneth and I are going upstairs and take a nap.”
As they left the dining room, Betsy and Miranda began to wolf down their pudding. They finished at the same time and Betsy begged, “May we be excused?”
“Have you both finished your milk?” Adam asked.
“I have,” Betsy answered.
“As soon as Miranda finishes hers, you may both be excused,” he said.
Betsy squirmed with impatience as Miranda gulped down the rest of her glass of milk. They both jumped down from their chairs and ran from the room, slowing only when they heard their daddy call, “No running in the house, girls!” When they reached their bedroom, they took off their boots and put on an extra pair of woolen stockings to help keep their feet warm, and then, with some difficulty, got their boots back on and buttoned up. That accomplished, they ran down the stairs and headed for the mudroom. There they wrapped their scarves around their necks before putting on their long heavy coats and wool tam-o’-shanters. They were buttoning up their coats when the adults arrived and waited impatiently for them to put on their coats and hats.
Once they were outside, they divided into two teams: Betsy teamed up with Joe and Miss Brooks while Miranda and Adam worked together. Five and six year olds don’t have very long attention spans so when the snowmen were about half finished, the girls decided to make snow angels instead. The three adults finished the snowmen and sent the girls inside to get carrots for the snowmen’s noses, the old pipe their grandpa had given them for snowmen, their daddy’s old muffler, and buttons for eyes.
Kerra had everything ready so the girls were back after only a few minutes. Adam and Joe lifted them up so they could put on the faces and give one snowman the pipe and the other the muffler.
“These are handsome snowmen,” Joe said, smiling at his nieces, “but I’m frozen now and I want to go inside and warm up.”
“I second that idea,” Miss Brooks said, rubbing her gloved hands together.
“Kerra is making us hot cocoa,” Miranda said happily.
“Hot cocoa sounds wonderful!” Adam exclaimed.
They all hurried inside, stamped the snow from their boots, and quickly hung up their coats, scarves and hats so they could gather in the big warm kitchen for their hot cocoa.
As they gathered around the kitchen table, drinking their cocoa, Kerra took a pan from the oven.
“Cornish pasties!” Joe exclaimed in delight as he recognized what was on the pan.
“They’re for supper. There are fresh scones in the pantry as well,” Kerra said. “I didn’t want Bronwen to have to worry about fixing supper.” She removed her apron, saying, “Loveday and Frank will be here soon so I must get ready.” She started to leave and stopped abruptly. “No. I can’t leave Bronwen here to cook breakfast and dinner for all of you tomorrow. I’ll tell Loveday I can’t come this weekend.”
“Wait, Kerra,” Joe said. “I have a surprise. I was going to share it at supper but I guess I’d better do it now.” They all looked at him expectantly and he continued. “Pa said he’s coming to take the girls to church tomorrow, and Claire wants to visit Bronwen. Last Sunday Pa invited Dr. Martin to dinner so Hop Sing is coming to cook for everyone.”
Kerra smiled. “If Hop Sing is going to be here, then you’ll be in good hands.”
As she was leaving, Bronwen and Gwyneth appeared in the doorway. “So here you all are,” Bronwen said with a smile and Gwyneth dimpled.
“Kerra made us cocoa,” Miranda announced and Kerra said, “Yours and Gwyneth’s is in the pan.”
“Guess what, Mama. Grandpa is coming to take me and Miranda to church,” Betsy said before her sister could blurt out the news.
“Gwyth go church wiv Ganpa,” Gwyneth said, surprising her parents since she tended to cling to Bronwen.
“Too right you may go,” Bronwen said, smiling down at her baby. “Now, let’s get our cocoa.”
When they finished their cocoa, Betsy asked Adam and Joe to play a game with them, but before either man could open his mouth, Bronwen reminded the girls that they hadn’t practiced on the piano yet. (The year before Adam had given Bronwen a Steinway upright piano for her birthday and she was giving the girls lessons.) The girls were normally diligent about practicing but in the excitement of having their daddy and uncle home to play with, they’d forgotten.
Seeing their rebellious looks, Adam said quickly, “Uncle Joe and I will be happy to play a game with you after you practice. Won’t we, Uncle Joe?”
“Sure,” Joe replied, smiling at the girls. When they left to practice, he said, “Adam and I will wash the dishes. Then maybe we could play a game of checkers while the girls practice. I miss playin’ checkers with you.”
“I miss our checker games, too,” Adam said with a little grin.
That evening after supper, everyone gathered in the drawing room to sing. Adam accompanied some songs on his guitar while Bronwen accompanied others on the piano. Gwyneth fell asleep first so Adam carried her upstairs and Bronwen and the other girls came up the stairs behind him.
He and Bronwen got Gwyneth out of her clothes and into her nightgown and then tucked her into bed. Bronwen went back downstairs while Adam went to perform his nightly ritual of reading to Betsy and Miranda
He smiled as walked into Betsy and Miranda’s room. He could recall vividly how much fun he and Bronwen had had decorating the room. They’d chosen wallpaper with a white background and a repeated pattern of country scenes of children playing in pink. “It’s called toile,” Bronwen had informed him. She had bought pink dimity, and together she and Kerra had made curtains, bedspreads and the canopies for the beds. He had made the wardrobe, chest of drawers and toy chest and painted them white. Before assembling the beds, he’d painted them white as well.
“This is the room little girls dream of,” Bronwen had told him with shining eyes. Betsy’s and Miranda’s reactions when they saw their room for the first time bore out her words. Betsy clapped her hands and exclaimed, “Pitty!”; Miranda’s eyes grew big and round and her mouth formed an ‘O’.
When it was time to decorate Gwyneth’s room, they’d decided they wanted to use a different color scheme. They were having trouble deciding until Bronwen found a wallpaper pattern she fell in love with. It had a pale green background with a design of seashells. When she showed it to Adam, he approved. Bronwen and Kerra made the curtains, bedspread and canopy from green dimity a shade darker than the wallpaper. Instead of painting Gwyneth’s furniture, Adam stained it. It wasn’t as feminine a room as her sisters’, but it was lovely and Gwyneth was pleased with it. (She just didn’t like sleeping in the canopy bed by herself in the dark room.)
He sat in the rocking chair between the two beds with their ruffled pink canopies and smiled at his little girls. Their dark hair was neatly braided and each had her linen nightcap tied under her chin in a bow. He opened the book and read:
Little Pilgrim at Aunt Lou’s
Chapter 1
It was a long time after Christmas, and the snow and ice had all melted, and the trees were green again, and the flowers and birds had all come back.
Summer was just beginning again; and on the very day that she was five years old the little pilgrim started on a long journey with papa and mamma and Aunt Lillie.
They were going into the country to Aunt Lou’s, to stay for a great many weeks—mamma and Aunt Lillie and Bessie; and papa was going to take them there and stay one night, and then go home again, because he had to attend to his business.
He stopped and saw with a smile that both little girls were sound asleep. Using a bookmark to mark his place, he stood up and then carefully tucked the blankets around each girl and dropped a kiss on her rosy cheek. Then he put the book on top of the chest of drawers, picked up the lamp and quietly exited the room.
He found Bronwen and Joe in the library playing checkers, or draughts as Bronwen called the game. Miss Brooks had apparently retired to her room.
“Girls all tucked in?” Joe asked. Adam nodded and then Joe asked if he’d like to play the winner.
“No, I’ll just read the latest Harper’s,” Adam replied.
Joe and Bronwen played one more game and then Joe declared he was going to turn in.
“I’ve got the latest issue of Beadle’s Dime Library and I know Adam doesn’t want me polluting his library with it so I’ll just read a bit in the drawing room.”
“Beadle’s Dime Library?” Bronwen asked, arching her eyebrows, after Joe left.
“It’s full of sensationalism and poor writing, and he knows I despise it,” Adam replied. Abruptly his mood changed and he asked with a smile, “Would you like to hear a chapter of The Duke’s Children or go to bed?”
She returned his smile and replied, “If you wouldn’t mind bringing me the footstool so I could put my feet up, I’d like to hear a chapter. Once the baby is here, we won’t have the time or energy to read in the evenings.”
“No doubt about that,” Adam said with one of his crooked grins as he got the footstool and gently set her swollen feet on it.
As they walked upstairs after finishing their chapter, she said, “It’s so good of Hop Sing to come and prepare dinner for everyone. I think Kerra was feeling guilty leaving me on my own, but I don’t want her to miss one of her Sundays with Loveday.”
“And the girls are excited to be going to church with their grandpa and uncles,” Adam said. “Or at least Betsy and Miranda are. If Gwyneth changes her mind and starts to fuss, I think we should just let her stay home,” he added and Bronwen nodded. “I am very glad Paul is coming to dinner. It would be wonderful if the baby decided to be born while he’s here.”
“Somehow I doubt we’ll be so lucky,” she said with a little grin.
Before they retired, he massaged her back, which left her feeling very relaxed, and she fell asleep almost immediately. An hour before dawn, she was awakened by a contraction. She said nothing to Adam and fell back to sleep before the next one woke her. Since they were so far apart and relatively mild, she knew the birth wasn’t imminent and decided to say nothing yet.
All during breakfast she continued having mild contractions and said nothing about it.
“Adam and I will do the dishes,” Joe said when they’d all finished eating.
Bronwen smiled her thanks and said to Gwyneth, “Mama will help you get ready for church. Betsy and Miranda, you need to get ready now.”
They all headed upstairs while Adam and Joe began to gather up the dishes.
“It can’t be too much longer before the baby’s born,” Joe commented as he watched Bronwen waddle after her girls.
“I hope so. In fact, I hope the baby decides to be born this afternoon while Paul is here,” Adam said.
“I’m sure everything will be just fine,” Joe said reassuringly. “Bronwen has already been through it three times and didn’t have any problems.”
“I keep telling myself that,” Adam said, but Joe heard the worry in his voice and saw it in his eyes. He put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze.
Meanwhile upstairs, Bronwen was letting Gwyneth dress herself as much as she could. She had recently graduated from diapers to knickers and could pull them up. She could also pull up her petticoat on her own. She needed help pulling her camisole and dress over her head and getting her arms in the sleeves. Gwyneth had inherited the pretty red velvet dress with its elaborate smocking and the ruffled white linen pinafore from Miranda, who had inherited them from Betsy. Gwyneth was taller than both older sisters so at almost three, she was wearing dresses they had worn at almost four. The little buttons were in the back so Bronwen took care of them. Next came the part of dressing that mother and daughter dreaded: getting a comb through Gwyneth’s thick mop of curls. Bronwen’s nerves were frayed and Gwyneth was in tears by the time a satisfactory result was achieved.
“Don’t cry, Gwyneth fach. Mama didn’t mean to hurt you,” Bronwen said softly, kissing her littlest girl’s cheek. “You look very pretty and we’ll put your bonnet on and you’ll be all ready for church.” She put the red velvet bonnet with its white silk lining on Gwyneth and tied a pretty bow under her dimpled chin. “Now, let’s see if your sisters are ready yet.”
Betsy was buttoning Miranda’s dress when Bronwen and Gwyneth entered their room. Betsy’s dress was dark blue velvet and Miranda’s was dark green. Betsy was wearing her ruffled pinafore, but the strings were tied in a lopsided bow.
“Put your pinafore on, Miranda,” Bronwen instructed, “and I’ll fix Betsy’s bow.”
Once she’d tied both girls’ bows, she arranged Miranda’s curly dark hair into ringlets while Betsy, who had inherited her mama’s fine straight dark hair, brushed hers. When Bronwen finished with Miranda’s hair, she pulled Betsy’s front hair up to her crown and secured it with a ribbon. Meanwhile Gwyneth sat in one of her sisters’ little rocking chairs and watched.
“Put your bonnets on, girls,” Bronwen said, and stopped as she felt a contraction. They were still mild and far apart so she was sure she wouldn’t go into labor until Dr. Martin arrived for dinner. She didn’t intend to say anything about the contractions before then.
Betsy and Miranda each had a bonnet that matched her dress. Betsy could tie her own bow but Miranda still needed help. When they exited the girls’ room, Miss Brooks was leaving hers. She was wearing a skirt and jacket of bottle green delaine and a simple white blouse.
“I see we’re all ready for church,” she commented with a smile and they walked down the circular staircase together. Joe was waiting for them in the foyer along with Adam. They’d brought everyone’s coats and scarves from the mudroom and placed them on the Chesterfield so they could put them on quickly.
It was only a minute or two after they were downstairs that they heard the sound of approaching sleigh bells and hurried to put on their coats so the horses wouldn’t have to stand in the cold. Joe was ready first and went outside to help his sister-in-law, Claire, down from the sleigh. Hop Sing got out after her and they walked quickly up the path Joe had shoveled through the snow to the house. Then Joe helped Miss Brooks and his older nieces into the sleigh.
“Come sit with me and Uncle Hoss and Josh,” Ben said coaxingly to Gwyneth, who had come out holding onto Adam’s hand and now looked as though she was going to change her mind about being separated from her parents.
“C’mon, Sweetpea,” Hoss said with a big grin. “Me ‘n’ Josh would really enjoy havin’ you ride with us.”
“You’ll have fun, Punkin,” Adam said as he lifted her up, set her on Ben’s lap and tucked the buffalo robe around them. Hoss slid over by them with Josh on his lap so Joe could drive the sleigh and he started the team before Gwyneth could change her mind.
Adam waved goodbye to his family and then turned to go back inside. He grinned just a little as he saw Maegan, Bronwen’s black and orange tortoiseshell cat, sitting in the drawing room’s front window, watching him. Like her mistress, Maegan was in the family way but her kittens weren’t due for a few weeks. As he headed down the hallway to hang up his coat in the mudroom, he paused as he heard Claire say, “You must do more than just walk to get your figure back. It’s helped but I’m still fatter than I was before I had Josh.”
“I also reach down and touch my toes thirty times every day,” he heard Bronwen reply, and grinned crookedly. His wife and Hoss’s were opposites in many ways. Bronwen was short and slender while Claire was tall and had a much shapelier figure. Bronwen and Claire both had brown hair but Bronwen’s was dark and straight and Claire’s was a lighter shade and curly. Claire had a pair of sparkling brown eyes; Bronwen’s eyes were larger and the color of violets but their beauty was partially obscured by the gold-rimmed spectacles she wore to correct her nearsightedness.
Not wanting to eavesdrop on any additional female confidences, Adam continued down the hallway.
“Oh, I must thank you for your teething tea recipe,” Claire said then. “Poor Josh is having a terrible time and it’s been a godsend.”
“I’m glad it helped,” Bronwen said. “Gwyneth’s last molars came in about three months ago, and I think they must have been the most painful. She didn’t sleep well and neither did we.” Just then she experienced a contraction—the most severe so far—and she grimaced slightly.
“Baby kicking?” Claire asked and continued without waiting for a response. “I expect the nursery is all ready. I remember how I fussed about getting everything just so a few days before Josh was born.”
“Yes, the cradle has clean sheets and the lamb’s wool blankets my oldest brother and his wife sent us before Betsy was born, so it’s ready,” Bronwen said. “All the gowns and bonnets and diapers are in the nursery’s chest of drawers. I’m thankful we got Gwyneth out of diapers before this baby is born. I remember what it was like with Betsy and Miranda both being in diapers at the same time. It seemed as though all Kerra and I did all day was wash diapers.”
“I can imagine!” Claire exclaimed.
“Now that they’re older I’m glad they’re so close in age since they have no one but each other to play with.” Her expression grew wistful as she added, “I love our house, but sometimes I do wish we lived in a town where the girls could go to school and have friends to play with. I could visit friends or invite them to tea more often than I can now since we live so far apart.” She added hurriedly, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m very happy here.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Claire reassured her, adding, “I feel the same. At least you have Kerra. Sometimes I really miss having another woman to talk with.”
“You have me, even if we can’t visit as often as we’d like,” Bronwen said with a smile.
After dropping Miss Brooks off at St. Paul’s, Joe drove to the Methodist church. The other members of the congregation grinned when Ben arrived with his two younger sons and all his grandchildren. Josh toddled along at his daddy’s side, his little hand enveloped in Hoss’s large one. Joe followed, holding hands with Betsy and Miranda, while Ben and Gwyneth brought up the rear. The men helped the children take off their coats and then piled everyone’s at the end of the pew. The children behaved reasonably well. Adam had given all three girls some money to put in the collection basket, which they enjoyed because it made them feel grown up. Ben had brought pencils and paper in one of his frock coat’s pockets and gave them to the older girls when they grew restless. Gwyneth was always fascinated by his pocket watch and Hoss would gently jiggle Josh on his knee, shushing him if he began to giggle. Before the service was over, the two youngest Cartwrights had fallen asleep. They woke up startled when the congregation began to sing the closing hymn.
Before the service had begun, Reverend Jordan had welcomed a new family that had moved to the area from Sedalia, Missouri. Ben wanted to introduce himself and his family to the Pedersons and help them feel at home in their new surroundings. When the service was over, he hustled everyone over to where the Pedersons were, but several other families had the same idea so they had to wait and the children were starting to get restless. Finally it was their turn.
Ben introduced his family and Mr. Pederson introduced his wife and four children. The two oldest were several years older than Betsy and Miranda but one of the boys was only seven and the youngest was three. The seven-year-old couldn’t take his eyes off Betsy. The adults all noticed it and smiled.
“You mustn’t mind Johnny staring at you, Miss Betsy,” Mrs. Pederson said. “He knows it’s rude but you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen.”
“You certainly are!” Mr. Pederson agreed emphatically.
Betsy felt her grandpa’s nudge and, dropping a curtsey, said, “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Pederson.”
“You’re very welcome,” Mr. Pederson said. “Your mama and daddy are sure lucky to have such pretty daughters.”
There were others waiting to meet the Pedersons so the Cartwrights headed for their sleigh then.
When Adam heard the sound of approaching sleigh bells, he grabbed his coat and hat from the mudroom and then hurried out the backdoor. He helped Miss Brooks down first and then she took Gwyneth from Ben so Adam could give him a steadying hand. Hoss handed Josh to Ben while Dr. Martin got out and Adam helped Betsy and Miranda down. The three brothers went to take care of the team and everyone else rushed inside out of the cold, except for Miranda, Gwyneth and Miss Brooks who needed to visit the outhouse first.
Hearing sounds coming from down the hall, Bronwen and Claire hurried from the drawing room to greet the family. Actually, Claire hurried; Bronwen moved with the distinctive gait peculiar to women in the last months of pregnancy. Her contractions were growing more severe so she wanted to speak with Dr. Martin.
As soon as Josh saw Claire, he shouted “Mama!” and ran to her as fast as his short legs would go. She picked him up and kissed his cheek. “Mama missed you,” she said.
“Did Mama miss me?” Hoss asked with a grin as he joined them.
“She certainly did,” Claire replied and they kissed.
Ben and Paul went into the drawing room and Hoss and his family followed. Betsy came running up the hall behind them. “Mama! Mama!” she shouted excitedly. “A man and a lady at church said I was the prettiest little girl they’d ever seen!”
“You and your sisters are all very pretty,” Bronwen said firmly.
“Miranda may be the smartest, but I’m the prettiest,” Betsy said, smiling smugly.
“Your daddy and I don’t think there is one prettiest or one smartest. You are all three pretty and smart, and we love you all just the same. Do you understand, Betsy fach?”
“I still think I’m prettiest,” Betsy said stubbornly.
All their friends knew she and Adam didn’t want Betsy spoiled by praise of her beauty so this man and woman must be newcomers. She knew they meant well but they obviously didn’t realize the damage their flattery could do.
“You’re starting to sound like the wicked queen in Snow White. Is that what you want?” Bronwen asked her first-born.
“No,” Betsy said slowly.
“Then don’t be worrying who’s the fairest of them all.” Bronwen smiled to soften her rebuke and said, “Dinner is almost ready, so go wash your hands.”
As soon as Betsy started down the hall to the washhouse, Bronwen joined Ben and Paul in the drawing room.
“You’re looking well, my dear,” Ben said. “It can’t be too much longer.”
“I certainly hope not. I’m tired of looking like a beached whale.” Both men smiled and she said, “Could I speak with you for minute, Paul?”
“Of course,” he replied and they excused themselves.
“I’m very glad to see you, Paul,” she said quietly, “because I’m sure I’m in labor. I’ve been having contractions since a little before dawn.” She felt a contraction then but she was able to talk through it, saying, “They were mild at first but they’re becoming more severe and more frequent.”
Paul asked, “Has your water broken?” and she shook her head. “It may be a while yet.” He smiled, adding, “Adam is certainly calmer than I’ve ever seen him during one of your childbirths.”
“I knew it might be some time yet, so I haven’t told him that I’m in labor,” she said, smiling faintly. “I’ll tell him after my water breaks.” Paul nodded to show he understood.
Hop Sing had fixed two chicken potpies plus pickled beets, mashed turnips and plenty of sourdough bread. Everyone was enjoying the meal but while they were eating Hop Sing’s dried apple pie, Bronwen felt a sudden gush of wetness and knew her water had broken.
Miss Brooks had been talking with Bronwen and seeing her expression asked, “Are you all right, Mrs. Cartwright?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Bronwen replied, smiling warmly at Adam, sitting at the other end of the table. “It seems the baby has decided to be born today.” Adam jumped to his feet at those words. “Excuse me,” she said as Adam pulled back her chair and helped her to stand.
“Paul,” he said anxiously over his shoulder but Bronwen called back, “There’s no need to hurry. Please finish your dessert.”
“Are Mama and Daddy going to get the new baby?” Miranda asked Ben.
“That’s right, Sugar,” Ben replied, “and Dr. Martin is going to help.”
Betsy turned to Joe, who was sitting on her left, and asked, “Will you play jackstraws with us?”
“Uh, sure,” he replied, a bit nonplused by her lack of interest in the baby. “Maybe your grandpa or Uncle Hoss would like to play too.”
“Count me in,” Hoss said. “Josh always takes a nap after dinner so I need someone else to play with.”
“He and Gwyneth can take a nap together on the Chesterfield,” Claire said.
“Gwyth take nap in Gwyth’s room,” Gwyneth announced.
“Not today, Sweetie,” Claire said gently. “Your mama and daddy won’t want you to go upstairs until the baby is here. I’ll go up and get your pillow.”
“Josh can use mine,” Joe said, “and they can use my blanket.
They both left and Paul went upstairs after Claire. Miss Brooks said to Betsy and Miranda, “I’d like to play jackstraws if I may.”
“Sure,” they responded.
“Let’s go to the library and get the game,” she suggested and they left.
“It’s time for your nap, Buckaroo,” Hoss said as he lifted Josh out of Gwyneth’s old highchair. “And you, too, Sweet Pea,” he added, holding out his free hand to Gwyneth.
“No. Want Mama,” Gwyneth said, her lower lip sticking out while her chin quivered and her eyes began to fill with tears.
Ben gestured for Hoss to take Josh to the drawing room and he picked Gwyneth up, holding her comfortingly as she continued to cry for her mama. She began crying so hard that she had to gasp for breath so he began to pace the dining room, patting her back gently to calm her.
Upstairs Bronwen had changed out of her soaking wet knickers and petticoat and damp wrapper into an old flannel nightgown while Adam looked on anxiously. Paul knocked on the door just as she was buttoning the nightgown, and Adam opened it.
“Your water broke?” Paul asked as he walked into the room, and she nodded. “And your contractions?”
“Fairly mild and not too frequent yet,” she replied.
Paul nodded and said, “I’d like to examine you.” Moving aside the bed curtain, she lay down at the foot of the large bed while he washed his hands at the wash basin. When he completed the examination (with Adam hovering at his side), he announced, “The baby won’t be here until around suppertime from the looks of it. I suggest you try and rest now.” He smiled and added, “I’ll check back in about an hour,” before leaving Adam and Bronwen alone.
“Would you read to me?” she asked. “I don’t think I’ll sleep and I don’t want to just lie here.”
“Of course,” he said, leaning down and kissing her. “I’ll go down to the library and get the book.”
When he reached the foyer, Ben was quietly closing the door to the drawing room and he put his finger to his lips.
“Gwyneth cried herself to sleep so we don’t want to wake her,” he told Adam, speaking softly. Then he asked, “How’s Bronwen?
“Paul said the baby probably won’t be here until suppertime so Bronwen’s asked me to read to her,” Adam answered quietly. “I just have to get the book we’re reading from the library.”
In the library, they found the others all playing jackstraws with Betsy and Miranda.
“Daddy! Grandpa! Come play with us,” Betsy begged.
“I can’t play right now, Princess. Mama’s asked me to read to her,” Adam replied. “I’ll play a game later.”
“I’m happy to join the game,” Ben said, smiling broadly at his granddaughters, and sitting down by Paul.
When Paul came upstairs about an hour later, he found Bronwen walking around the room. “The contractions are getting worse, and they’re lasting longer,” she said as she continued to walk. Suddenly she stopped and leaned against the wall.
“Let me take another look,” Paul said when he could see the contraction had ended. When he was finished, he smiled warmly and said, “Everything is progressing nicely.”
Adam helped Bronwen to stand up and then she said, “Cariad, you know I love you, but I’d rather have Claire with me now.”
Adam was torn. Part of him wanted to be there with her but an equally strong part couldn’t bear to see her in pain, knowing he was responsible. “All right,” he said quietly, “I’ll ask Claire to come up and I’ll stay with the girls.”
“I’ll stay until Claire gets here,” Paul said and Adam left.
When he reached the library, he found everyone playing Old Bachelor.
“Bronwen would like you to stay with her,” he said to Claire and she jumped up and hurried toward the door. She stopped in the doorway and asked Adam to check on Gwyneth and Josh, so he followed her.
Someone had drawn the brown velvet drapes, darkening the room, so he opened them a little and sat down in one of the leather tub chairs. He gazed at his sleeping daughter and nephew, thinking how they reminded him of pictures he’d seen of cherubs. Their plump cheeks were rosy and their features soft and round. They both had curly hair but Gwyneth’s was darker and thicker. He could see she did resemble him but secretly he wished it was Bronwen she took after. Miranda resembled his mother, Elizabeth, while Betsy had inherited the best of his features and Bronwen’s. He loved each daughter and wouldn’t want to change them, but he couldn’t help wishing one of them looked like Bronwen. He particularly regretted that none of them had inherited her beautiful violet eyes.
As he was lost in thought, he heard the children begin to stir. Josh opened his eyes first and smiled at his uncle as he pushed back the blanket. That slight movement woke Gwyneth, who immediately said, “Daddy!” and jumped off the Chesterfield. She ran toward Adam saying, “Gwyth want Mama!”
“I’m sorry, Punkin, but you’ll have to wait until the new baby gets here to see Mama,” he said, scooping her up in one arm. He walked quickly to the Chesterfield and said, “Uncle Adam will help you down, Josh.” With his free arm, he set Josh on his feet, saying, “Let’s go see your daddy.”
As Josh trotted beside his uncle, Gwyneth repeated tearfully, “Gwyth want Mama.”
Adam kissed her cheek and trying to get her mind off Bronwen asked, “Would you like to play with your blocks?”
“Boks!” Josh exclaimed excitedly and Adam smiled down at him as he opened the library door. As soon as Josh saw Hoss, he squealed, “Daddy!” and ran to Hoss, who picked him up and tossed him overhead.
Adam asked Gwyneth again if she’d like to play with her blocks and she nodded so he set her down and headed for her room. As he went past the door to the master bedroom, he hesitated but forced himself to keep going.
It was about two hours later when they heard Claire call, “Paul, we need you now.” Adam found himself on his feet, but then he felt Hoss’s arm drape around his shoulders comfortingly.
“Claire’ll come git ya when the baby’s here,” he said gently to Adam, and reluctantly Adam rejoined the Old Bachelor game.
Paul found Bronwen sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking and shivering as she experienced the strong contractions.
“I want to push,” she got out between contractions and he asked her to lie back so he could examine her.
“All right,” he said after examining her, “if you want to push, go ahead.”
About twenty minutes after Paul left, Claire stood in library’s doorway, smiling broadly. “You can go up now, Adam.” She moved into the room as he hurried past her and took the stairs two at a time. Gwyneth, who’d been playing with her blocks, started to run after him but Hoss caught her up and swung her over his head, which made her giggle.
“So is it a boy or a girl?” Joe asked eagerly.
“A little girl,” Claire replied.
Joe grinned at Hoss and said, “I told you it’d be another girl. You owe me a beer.”
Ben, who’d been playing This Little Piggy with Josh, frowned at his sons and then smiled at his granddaughters. “You have a baby sister.”
Betsy nodded and Miranda said, “I wanna play more Old Bachelor.”
Claire had moved over to Hoss and the giggling Gwyneth and said quietly, “I suppose getting a baby sister is nothing new to Betsy and Miranda.”
“Nope, it sure ain’t,” Hoss agreed with a big grin.
Adam entered their bedroom and saw Paul handing Bronwen, who was propped up against their pillows, a little blanket wrapped bundle. As he sat down on the bed by Bronwen, she said quietly, “It’s Penelope Jane.”
Adam smiled at her before he leaned over, careful not to disturb the bundle, and kissed her. Then he pushed back the lamb’s wool blanket so he could have his first look at his newest daughter.
“She looks like you, Sweetheart!” he exclaimed, smiling in delight. “I always wished one of our daughters looked like you.” He smiled at the baby and gently stroked her dark hair. “You’re Daddy’s wish come true, Penelope.”
“That’s such a long name for such a tiny girl,” Bronwen said with a grin. “I think Penny suits her better.”
He chuckled softly. “Yes, Penny definitely suits her better.” He held out his arms, saying, “May I hold her?” She carefully placed the infant in his arms and he walked over to the bay window, talking softly to his little girl. Bronwen and Paul exchanged smiles at the sight.
“Her eyes are so enormous, like a kitten’s,” Adam commented as he walked back to the bed. He smiled down at Penny, saying, “You’re Daddy’s little Kitten, that’s what you are.”
As he gave Penny back to Bronwen, he turned to Paul and said, “The rest of the family is eager to meet Penny.”
“Let’s see if she’ll nurse, and then you can bring the others up,” Paul advised.
Bronwen got the baby in position and offered a breast. After a minute or two she said worriedly, “She’s not sucking, just licking.”
“That’s really not unusual the first time,” Paul said calmly.
“Her sisters all began to suck right away,” Bronwen insisted.
“But not all babies do,” Paul said. “You can try again in a few minutes.”
“I’ll bring up the girls first,” Adam said and headed to the library. Paul followed, giving the family privacy. Adam returned a few minutes later with Betsy, Miranda and Gwyneth.
“Would you like to see your baby sister?” Bronwen asked, holding Penny so her sisters could get a good look at her. They ran over to the bed and gazed at the baby. “This is Penny,” Bronwen said, smiling at her girls.
“Susannah is prettier,” Betsy announced, referring to her wax baby doll. “And so is Amy.” Amy was her wax child doll that had dark hair just like hers.
“Why is she so red?” Miranda asked.
“Because she was just born a few minutes ago,” Adam explained, deciding to ignore Betsy’s comments. He was holding Gwyneth, who began to wriggle.
“Gwyth want see baby,” Gwyneth said, continuing to wriggle.
“Your sister’s name is Penny. Can you say Penny?” Adam asked the squirming Gwyneth.
“Pen-ny. See Pen-ny,” Gwyneth commanded so Adam put her on the bed and she crawled over to her mama and baby sister.
Adam said to the older girls, “I’d like you to play quietly in your room until it’s time for supper. Okay?”
“Okay,” they chorused and left. He then said to Gwyneth, “Let’s go get your grandpa, uncles and aunt.”
Gwyneth shook her head and said, “No. Stay wiv Mama.”
“She’s fine,” Bronwen said to Adam as she put her free arm around Gwyneth and hugged her.
He smiled at them and went to get the rest of the family. As the others entered the room, he leaned against the doorjamb with his arms crossed and watched with a big dimpled grin.
“So this is my newest granddaughter,” Ben said with a smile. “May I hold her?”
“Too right!” Bronwen answered, carefully placing the baby in his arms.
“You look as much like your mama as Gwyneth looks like your daddy, Penelope,” he commented.
“Pen-ny,” Gwyneth corrected and her grandpa smiled at her.
“Penny,” he repeated with another smile for Gwyneth.
“She sure is a tiny thing,” Hoss said, peering over Ben’s shoulder as he held Josh so he could see his little cousin. “You was never that tiny,” he said to his little boy. Josh pointed to Penny and said excitedly, “Baby!”
“That’s right, Buckaroo. Your cousin Penny is a baby.”
“She really does look like you,” Joe said to Bronwen. He blinked back the tears that burned his eyes as he pictured Alice holding a daughter who took after her. He forced himself to smile as he turned toward Adam in the doorway. “You’ve got yourself a regular harem, older brother. Should be real interesting when the boys come courting.”
“That won’t happen for years,” Adam said firmly.
Ben had gently stroked the soft skin on Penny’s cheek and she turned toward his finger and began to suck on it.
“This little girl is hungry,” he announced as he gave Penny back to Bronwen. “And we should be heading home. There’s a full moon so we shouldn’t have any problems. Congratulations to you both on another beautiful little girl.”
Hoss, Joe and Claire offered their congratulations as they exited the bedroom. Adam picked up a protesting Gwyneth and followed them.
“Mama!” Gwyneth screamed, kicking her daddy.
“Mama and Penny need some time alone,” Adam said firmly as he tightened his hold on Gwyneth’s legs. “Now be a good girl and say goodbye to everyone.” But she kept sobbing for her mama. “I guess I’ll say goodbye for all of us.”
As they reached the foot of the stairs, Hop Sing came out of the kitchen, followed by Kerra, who’d just returned from visiting her daughter and son-in-law.
“Hop Sing said you have another little girl,” Kerra said with a big smile. “Congratulations!”
“Yes, congratulations, Mistah Adam,” Hop Sing said and Adam thanked them. Hop Sing continued. “I make soup for supper.”
“And I’ll make sandwiches to go with it,” Kerra added.
Hop Sing, Claire, Josh and Dr. Martin waited in the foyer while Ben, Hoss and Joe hitched the team to the sleigh. Kerra went back into the kitchen to make sandwiches and Adam took Gwyneth upstairs to get her big sisters.
Betsy and Miranda and their dolls were having a tea party, using the little table and chairs their daddy and uncles had made for them and the china tea set Bronwen’s parents had sent Betsy for her sixth birthday a couple of weeks earlier. Adam smiled as he watched Betsy mimic her mama when she had friends for tea.
“One lump or two, Amy?” she asked her doll, and then took imaginary sugar from the sugar bowl and put it in one of teacups. “And would you like a scone?”
“I’m afraid I have to break up your tea party, ladies,” he said with a little grin. “It’s time for supper.”
Supper was later than usual so Gwyneth fell asleep before she finished eating. As he took her up to her room, he told Betsy and Miranda to get ready for bed as soon as they finished eating. It wasn’t that long before all three girls were asleep. After making sure all the doors were locked and banking the fires, he was finally able to join Bronwen.
She was nursing Penny so he sat on the small settee and watched. The sight of Bronwen nursing one of their children always moved him. He thought there could be no more beautiful sight.
When Penny finished nursing and Bronwen burped her, he asked, “May I hold her?” Smiling she placed Penny in his arms.
Watching him smile sweetly at Penny, she asked softly, “You really don’t mind that we have another daughter?”
“I told you that I always wanted a little girl who looked like you.” He smiled tenderly and she asked what he was thinking.
“I was remembering something I read once about how the only pure or angelic affection a man feels is for his daughters.” He put the sleeping Penny in her cradle and then on sat on the bed beside Bronwen and held her close as he said softly, “I’m blessed to be able to experience that angelic affection with four precious daughters.”
She felt her eyes fill with tears as she heard the sincerity in his voice and knew he wasn’t disappointed to be the father of daughters. “And our girls are blessed to have you for a father,” she said quietly, and they kissed.
Next Story in the Bronwen in Nevada Series:
Over the Hill and Through the Woods
Precious Ties
Reference:
I found The Little Pilgrim at Aunt Lou’sat the following website:
http://readseries.com/auth-bc/litpilgrim.htm
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