Hero
Hero stayed by the door, glad that the bedchamber was large enough that he didn't have a clear view of the bed. He'd experienced more than his share of battlefields and the crude surgery that followed, but he'd never seen a more harrowing sight than Josephine's fearless, utterly calm battle to save Lady Alice and her baby.
Saving Damien's heir. The situation was fraught with irony, but he would contemplate that later. For now he concentrated on maintaining a stoic face and being ready if Josephine needed him.
Aiden returned with the towels and a full bottle of brandy. Hero opened the bottle and set it and the towels on a table beside Josephine. He was tempted to take a swig, but he guessed she meant to use the brandy to reduce the chance of infection, as when she'd operated on him. She barely noticed him as she spoke soothing words to the countess. Hero kept his eyes averted, feeling it was wrong to violate Lady Alice's privacy.
He retreated to his position by the door. Aiden was white-faced but calm. He must have seen a lot of life in a posting inn, and his mother had died in childbirth. He was a tough little fellow. But both of them flinched whenever Lady Alice cried out.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be somewhere else? A birthing room is no place for men," Hero said quietly. "The carriage can take you back to Ashton House."
Aiden shook his head stubbornly. "I want to stay with you."
Hero nodded and draped an arm around the boy's shoulders. Though this might be no place for males, he was selfishly glad for Aiden's company. The large posts of the bed blocked much of the scene, but Lady Alice seemed to be kneeling, supported by Josephine and the maid.
The door downstairs opened again and footsteps pounded up the stairs. Had the society accoucheur finally arrived?
Lord Damien burst into the bedroom, his face haggard. "Hold on, Alice, the physician will be here soon!"
Then he saw Josephine by the bed and stopped dead in his tracks. "You!" he said venomously. "Get away from my wife, you murderous bitch!"
The countess screamed with bloodchilling force. Raging, Damien started across the bedroom.
Realizing why Josephine had asked him to stay and be ready to help, Hero caught his uncle's arm in a steely grip. "Stop right here!"
Damien's head swiveled around and he gasped in shock to see his nephew. "I should have known you'd be here, too," he snarled. "You've come to see that my heir die, you and your devil-spawn wife! Well, you won't succeed, damn you!" He tried to jerk his arm free.
Hero's grip held firm. "Show some sense!" he snapped. "Jo isn't the midwife you would have chosen, but by a miracle, she's here. You should go down on your knees and give thanks that we decided to call. If your wife and son survive, it will be because of her! "
Raging, Damien swung his free had in a savage strike at Hero's face. Randall caught the other man's wrist and twisted it to the point of excruciating pain. "If you want to help your wife, behave like a man, not a savage. And if you go near Josephine, I will break your arm."
Shaking with fury, the earl spat, "You have no right to keep me from my wife!"
Before Hero could respond, a cry sounded from the bed. This time it wasn't a scream of agony from the countess, but the thin wail of a newborn infant. Damien turned his attention to the bed. "Alice?"
Hero released his uncle and followed the man across the room, ready to stop him if he threatened Josephine. They reached the bedside together as Josephine crooned, "Splendidly done, Alice! The worst is over and your pains have been rewarded."
As the maid helped the countess lie down, Josephine patted the baby dry witha clean towel. The infant was bloody and rather small, but full of vigor and with an impressive set of lungs.
"My son? My son is healthy?" Daventry croaked.
"Congratulations, Lord Damien." Josephine gave him a cool glance as she laid the infant in the crook of his wife's left arm. "You have a beautiful, healthy daughter." To Alice, she said, "She needs your warmth and to hear your heartbeat, so hold her close." The countess's face was pale as snow, but she was radiant as she looked at her child.
Damien gasped, his gaze riveted on the infant, who was unquestionably female. "A daughter?"
Hero caught his breath, stunned. He'd been convinced by Damien's certainty that this would be a boy. The earl's breeding record had supported that, but as always, God got the last word. Once more, Hero was Damien's heir.
The countess glared at her husband defiantly, her arm tightening around her baby. "I know you wanted a son, but I have always yearned for a daughter. I will name her Anne. If you don't want us, I'll take Anne away to some place where you won't have to see either of us ever again." It was a clear threat.
Face working, Damien reached out a shaking hand and touched the tiny toes on one perfect little foot. Anne squeaked and pulled her foot away. There was awe on the earl's face as he looked at his new child. "A daughter for Tiffins," he murmured. "It never occurred to me that I would have a daughter."
"In the nature of things, girls happen," Josephine said dryly. "You said once that you'd only bred sons, Lord Damien, and perhaps that was the problem. I've known women who have seen all their male babies miscarry or die young, while the females thrived. Some weakness in the male seed, I think. Anne might not be able to inherit your title, but your bloodline will survive."
Damien brushed his wife's hair with gossamer lightness, as if afraid she'd break. "Will Alice be all right? She's lost so much blood."
"The countess will be very weak a while, but she should be fine." Josephine turned to the basin to wash the blood from her hands. After her hands were clean and dry, she began rubbing the countess's belly with gentle firmness. "Hazel, watch what I'm doing so you can do this. Rubbing helps the womb contract. That will reduce the chance of any bleeding. You'll be able to feel the difference."
"Yes, ma'am," the maid said respectfully. "Anything you want me to do."
"You will visit us, won't you?" Lady Alice asked hopefully. "My husband won't try to stop you. Will you, darling?" There was a definite edge to her final words.
Sounding as if he'd rather have all his teeth yanked from his jaw than have to thank Josephine for anything, Damien said reluctantly. "No, I won't. I suppose I must be grateful to you, Lady Josephine."
Aiden pressed close to Hero's side, his eyes huge and interested. Hero was bemused to think that tiny Anne was his aunt.
Reminded of why he and Josephine were here in the first place, Hero said, "Your bloodline will have more than one stream to carry on, Damien. Josephine and I called today to introduce you to your grandson, Aiden Marlowe. Xander's son, born a few months before Xander's death."
Damien hadn't noticed Aiden, but now his gaze dropped to the boy. "You want to foist this boy on me by claiming he's my grandson?" he growled.
His uncle's continual suspicion and anger were damned tiresome. Hero said coolly, "There is no foisting involved. Aiden is my foster son and his home is Roscombe Manor. He'll start school at the Westerfield Academy in a week. He doesn't need you, but Josephine and I felt that you have a right to know your grandson."
"He looks like Xander," the countess said drowsily. "But nicer. Hello, Aiden. I'm your stepgrandmother. I have a son not much older than you."
For a long moment, Damien studied Aiden. His initial doubtful expression changed to intense scrutiny, then acceptance. "You do look like Xander. Just like when he was a boy." The earl looked like a boxer who had received one punch too many to his head. He shook his head and managed a crooked smile. "I have unexpectedly acquired a daughter and a grandson on the same day."
"My mother was a barmaid, but she was more of a lady than you are a gentleman." Aiden scowled at the earl. "I don't know if I want you for a grandfather. You're mean and you yell at everyone."
Damien's surprise was so great that it took all of Hero's control not to laugh out loud. The earl had met his match.
"Yes, I do yell a lot, and sometimes I've been mean," Damien said seriously. "But since I seem to be your grandfather, we should get to know each other."
"It's time everyone leaves," Josephine said firmly. "Lady Alice needs her rest."
The door opened and a fashionably dressed man with a black bag swept in.
"I came as quickly as I could, Lord Damien," he said, concerned. "How is the countess?"
"The countess and her daughter are doing very well, Sir Richard." Alice covered her yawn. "Courtesy of my friend Josephine, who is a midwife."
Sir Richard Croft's nostrils flared as if he'd smelled something nasty. "A midwife delivered your child? You are fortunate to have had a good outcome." He stared suspiciously at Josephine. "Who is this woman?"
"This woman' is Lady Josephine Tiffin, trained midwife and daughter of the Duke of Castleton," Hero said, guessing that the society accoucheur was a snob.
Josephine recognized that, too. A wicked glint in her eyes, she said to Lady Alice, "Rather than hire a wet nurse, Alice, I suggest you nurse Anne yourself. It's better for the baby and better for you."
"Very well, if you say so," Lady Alice said obediently.
Sir Richard looked horrified. "Ladies do not nurse their own children."
"Perhaps not," Josephine said. "But mothers do." She bent and kissed the countess's cheek. "Sleep well, Alice. You've done a fine day's work."
She straightened and swayed a little. Guessing that she was exhausted, Hero put his arm around her. "I'll take my wife home now."
She leaned against him, looking gray. Under her breath, she said, "A good thing I haven't eaten in hours."
If she felt unwell, the sooner he got her home, the better. She would hate vomiting in this company. He nodded to the group. "Congratulations on your new daughter, Lady Alice. Rest well. Come along, Aiden."
He and Josephine and Aiden were halfway to the door when Damien said, "Wait. I'd like my...my grandson to stay this afternoon so we can get better acquainted." When Hero hesitated, the earl said, "I'll send him home before dinner."
"Aiden, are you willing?" Hero asked.
The boy shrugged. "I suppose." But the spark in his eyes suggested he was pleased by his grandfather's interest.
"Very well. We'll see you at dinner." Hero escorted Josephine downstairs and out of the house. The street was quiet enough that the Ashton carriage had been able to wait at the curb. How long had they been in the house? Less than two hours, he calculated. Once they were inside and heading back to Ashton House, he asked, "Feeling better?"
She gave him a crooked smile. "I just needed fresh air."
"How serious was Lady Alice's condition?" he asked. "To an inexpert eye, the situation looked dire."
"Since I was there, all went smoothly," Josephine replied. "She was afraid because of her age, and fear is dangerous. Also..." she hesitated.
"Also what?" he prompted.
"It may be unfair to Sir Richard to say this, but if he'd been in attendance, matters might not have turned out as well," she said reluctantly. "Males often prefer action to allowing nature a chance to do her job. Tugging at a breech baby can cause serious problems."
Under her measured words, he sensed that the delivery could have turned fatal very easily. "Lady Alice is very lucky to have you as a friend."
"I was just doing what I was trained for. I hope Alice does nurse the baby. It really is better for both of them." Wearily she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad Aiden was accepted by Damien. He needs all the family and acceptance he can get."
"Doesn't everyone?" Hero said wryly. "Since Felix and Rose aren't in London, let's enjoy a nice quiet afternoon together in our rooms. You'd like a bath, I'm sure, and I'll order up a luncheon."
Josephine smiled. "Sounds lovely."
But the day was far from over. As he put his arm around her, he knew that the marital equation between him and Josephine had changed.
But he wasn't sure just how.