I'm about to burst! Diana thought as she knelt on hands and knees on the massive bed. She was panting through the contractions now, actually trying to keep the baby inside, waiting for the midwife to finally arrive. Laura stood valiantly at her side, rubbing her back and whispering words of encouragement to Diana, but with little effect.

Diana didn't know how much longer she would last. Her arms and legs trembled from the strain of holding up her heavy body, but every other position she had tried had been unbearable. With every new wave of labor pain she could feel the need to push become stronger and stronger. Soon this baby would come, one way or another.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Tuckner, stood on the other side of the bed, occasionally dabbing Diana's forehead with a damp cloth. Although Diana appreciated the efforts the women were making to help her, both women were noticeably inexperienced in the field of childbearing. Diana groaned as a sudden pang of fear ran up her spine. She didn't want to do this alone. Where was the damn midwife!?

Abruptly, a knock sounded at the door. Mrs. Tuckner hurried to answer the call and a woman strode into the room.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Thorne, my name is Maria Ross, I'm your midwife. May I call you Diana?" Her voice was clear but quiet and calm, she finished her sentence with a genuine smile that put Diana immediately at ease. Tears of relief flooded her eyes. It was all she could do to nod.

"Very good! I am going to check how wide you are and then we can see about pushing this baby out, is that alright?"

Nod.

Suddenly, another contraction washed through Diana. She moaned and panted and bucked her hips down lower, swaying into the tension and pain that urged her to move and push. When the pain, finally, blessedly, mercifully ended, Diana moved her hips up again, filling her lungs with long slow breaths, trying for the life of her to relax her aching thighs. She was vaguely aware of the other woman walking up to the side of the bed, patting her hands dry with a clean cloth. "Beautiful," she heard the woman croon from behind her and felt a gentle hand rest upon the small of her back.

"Don't be alarmed," said the midwife, her voice light with amusement. Despite the warning, Diana jolted involuntarily as two fingers entered her. "Pardon," Mrs. Ross murmured with the hint of laughter. A few moments passed before the midwife slid her fingers out again and turned to wash her hands in the steaming basin beside the bed.

Diana looked up expectantly into the woman's gleaming eyes and wide smile. "I dare say, you are quite ready to have this baby."

***

Evan stood by his library window, smoking a rarely used pipe, and sighed. The window was cracked open, letting in a soft breeze and the fresh smell of rain. He could not retire before he received news of his cousin and her child, and he certainly wasn't going to leave the woman in question's husband, Jonathan Thorne, alone tonight. The man sat like a statue in one of the library's armchairs, his elbows braced on his thighs and his hands clasped firmly together in front of his blank, expressionless face. The man had been staring motionless at the same patterned section of the library's immaculate carpet for the last hour, perhaps longer.

Evan sighed again then grimaced at himself. He really must stop all this sighing.

There was a light knock on the door and Evan turned from his place by the window just in time to see Maria Ross, Mrs. Ross, he should say, enter the room.

Thorne shot up out of his chair and barked, "How is she?"

Mrs. Ross smiled. "Mrs. Thorne and the baby are well." Her smile turned a little wicked when she added, "It's a boy."

"Oh thank God," Thorne breathed before he barreled out of the room.

She grinned genuinely after the man before turning to face Evan. He inhaled slowly, lowering his pipe. "Thank you, for your assistance in aiding my cousin."

In response she inclined her head and took a step into the room. "There is one more matter I must discuss with you, my lord..." She began with a short pause and when he raised his eyebrows in curiosity she continued, "The baby is healthy, but since he was born unexpectedly early, he is small." She spread her hands out to the side, her palms facing upwards in a gesture of sincerity. "Normally in such a case I check in on the mother and child the first few days after the birth to make sure the baby is feeding well and the woman is recovering as she should. Since my home is so far from your estate however, I was wondering if-".

"Yes," he cut her off. He knew he shouldn't have interrupted her nor made himself out to sound so eager, but what she said made sense and a small part of him, a part that he had not known to be buried deep inside until now, was eager for her to stay. At least for a little bit longer. "You are welcome to stay at Granfell Manor for as long as my cousin is in need of your services." He bowed slightly, wincing at how much of a pompous ass he sounded, but it was imperative that he keep airs of polite indifference around her.

Her pleased smile in response hit him like a blow to the gut. "Very well," she breathed, clapping her hands together once in finality. "I will ask Mrs. Tuckner to show me to my room." She half turned as if to leave, when suddenly she stopped. She strode over beside him and gazed intently out the window, her eyes gleaming like dark pools in the moonlight, her lips slightly parted. "The rain. It stopped," she said.

Evan tore his gaze from her and followed her look out the window. She was right. The rain that had poured continuously for nearly a sennight had finally subsided, leaving only a cool, damp mist. The waxing moon shone brightly through the gap in the clouds, bathing the world in a gray glittering light.

"Let us hope it lasts," he muttered, his voice low and quiet. He frowned as his thoughts turned toward checking on his tenants to see how bad the flooding in the fields had become. There was also the issue of the flooding that had chased Jonathan and Diana out of their home.

He closed his eyes and sighed wearily. There would be days of work ahead of him and he wasn't sure if he would even sleep tonight.

All at once he was aware of her closeness; she stood next to him, near enough to touch. Although she was still turned toward the window, her eyes were now fixed on his face. Their eyes met and all went quiet and still in the room. Only the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece pierced the silence. The sound thickened as time slowed for several eternal seconds.

Even in the dim light he could see that the color in her cheeks had deepened. Abruptly she broke her gaze from his, looking instead around the room, shaking her head slightly.

"Goodnight, Lord Granfell," she whispered and fled the room, closing the door quietly behind her.