Thrilled, Niall pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He couldn’t have been happier, the woman he loved was going to give him a child. The woman he loved. In spite of everything preventing him from admitting it, he did love her, deeply and passionately. How could he have ever tried not to? Finally, he asked, “How long have ye known?”
“I have suspected it for a couple of weeks, but I spoke with Effie yesterday and she confirmed it. I wanted ye to know as soon as I did. But it’s still so early in my pregnancy, I was thinking perhaps we should not announce this news just yet. Maybe we could wait a little longer.”
“We will wait as long as ye wish, Katherine.”
~ * ~
After they attended Mass and broke their fast, Niall said to Tomas, “Are ye ready to see your gift now?” Tomas nodded eagerly. “Well, we will have to go outside to see it,” Niall said. Katherine laughed as Tomas grabbed her hand and dragged her to the door with them. Pulling their plaids over their heads to block the cold, Niall and Katherine led Tomas to the stable where he found his present, a sturdy Highland pony.
Tomas could barely contain himself. “Does he have a name?”
“Nay,” answered Katherine, “but your pony is not a ‘he’, ye will need to pick a lass’s name.”
He thought for a moment, looking very serious, “Then I want to call her Mab,” he finally said.
“Why Mab?” asked Niall.
“I think it’s a pretty name and Maura told me a story once about a fairy queen named Mab.”
“Then Mab it is,” said Katherine. Niall helped Tomas saddle the little pony, letting him ride in the courtyard. The tolerant pony seemed undaunted by Tomas’ youthful exuberance. Niall stayed close, giving Tomas instructions on how to hold the reins to control where the pony went. Niall had selected this pony carefully and, watching them together, Katherine knew he had made a good choice. Gentle enough to be safe, Mab also had enough pluck to be a worthy mount for an energetic lad.
As Katherine watched them, she remembered the pure joy she had felt when her father had given her Stormy. Giving Tomas the pony had been Niall’s idea, but she wholeheartedly agreed. In this moment, Katherine felt truly and completely happy. She did not want to break the spell, but she had responsibilities she could not ignore, and the wind also grew fierce and cold. “I am going to freeze solid if I stay out here any longer, besides there is still much to do.”
“Please, can I ride longer, Mama?” Tomas asked.
Niall answered, “We will let your mama go inside before she freezes, but ye can ride a few more minutes before we see Mab tucked in.”
Katherine walked over to give them each a kiss before she went inside. She whispered softly in Niall’s ear, “I think it would be a good idea for Tomas to have a rest this afternoon before the feast.”
Niall grinned and said, “That could be a challenge. I seem to remember unsuccessfully ordering his mother to ‘rest’ once.”
Katherine laughed. “Do what ye can.”
“Speaking of his mother resting, I know I cannot order ye to sleep, but I want ye to lie down, in bed, and close your eyes for a while this afternoon. The evening will be long for ye, too. Was that specific enough?”
“Aye, Laird,” she said, grinning at him. She turned to reenter the keep, thinking “a while” still left a lot of room for interpretation.
~ * ~
Much too excited to sleep, Tomas laid down on the bed that afternoon as his da had told him to do. Only babies took naps. He frowned and stared at the bed’s canopy, thinking about his new pony. Finally, he decided if he could just check on Mab one more time and make sure she didn’t need him, he could try to sleep then. He got out of bed and peeked out the chamber door into the hall, looking for anyone who might object. Seeing no one, he slipped very quietly into the corridor and down the stairs. He made it all the way past the second floor without meeting a soul, but before getting to the armory, he heard voices whispering at the bottom of the stairs. He crouched down so whoever was there wouldn’t see him, listening impatiently for them to leave. At first he couldn’t understand what they were saying, but as he listened more closely, he heard something that terrified him.
“Everything has been arranged as ye required. It can only end in Niall’s death this time, and Duncurra will finally be yours.”
“I am ready to be done with this mockery. I have pretended to be jovial and devoted for too long. I am just sorry I won’t be the one to kill him, part of me wants him to know it was me.”
As quietly as he could, Tomas slipped back up the stairs. He wanted to stop at his mother’s room, but afraid whoever was at the bottom of the stairs would hear him, he went to his own room and shut the door. He didn’t know what to do. They had been talking about killing his da. He needed to tell someone, but was so afraid of running into the bad people he couldn’t leave his room. He sat crouched by the fire for what seemed like hours when Fineen finally tapped on his door and entered. “Tomas, your mother sent me to bring ye down to the feast.”