After I left the warrior and stormed into the cottage, I did not see him again until I was in bed, as he had not been present for the evening meal. The door to my room opened, as it did every night, and the warrior, without a word, plucked me out of bed and carried me to his room.

"I will come get you every night until you accept your new sleeping arrangements, my lady wife. I have told you we will be sharing a bedchamber from now on, so I do not know why you persist in your stubbornness."

"Perhaps if you were not so thick-headed, you would heed my message and leave me where I lay myself down to sleep."

"Never again will we sleep apart. I like having you next to me all night, Calissande."

He kissed my forehead as he set me down carefully on the bed, and I silently chastised myself for missing his strong arms holding me. Once he had the bed clothes pulled up around me properly, he stripped off his clothes and joined me under the covers. Pulling me close to him, his beard tickled my neck as his large hand smoothed over my belly. The babe kicked a few times and I felt him smile against my neck.

"Our child has great energy," he murmured to me. "And I wish you to know that he is married, Calissande."

What? That had me twisting my head to stare at the warrior in the dim light of the room. "Our child is married?"

The warrior shook his head at me solemnly. "Not our child -- the blacksmith. I spoke with him this afternoon. He is happily married, and his wife is expecting their second babe."

"I have found," I told him in icy tones, "that being married matters not to a man. He will do what he wills, regardless."

"But you will not," he told me. "I also walked through the town looking for these lusty, strapping men you threatened me with and talked to all who were of an age to catch your eye."

I struggled to sit up but he held me down. "You would shame me in such a way?"

He scoffed at me. "There was no shaming. The men and I merely talked of village happenings and in the course of the conversation, I relayed an amusing story of how I once killed a man for looking at you too long."

"You never did such a thing!" I protested his lie.

"The men here do not know that. And now they will not dare to look at you, much less try anything else with my lady wife."

As I opened my mouth to speak, he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me roughly at first, until he felt my own lips soften under his ministrations.

"No more arguing and threatening me, Calissande. We are starting anew, my lady, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will settle into place and find happiness again."

Once again, I opened my mouth, and once again, he kissed me until I started to melt against him.

Weak, weak, weak!

"You are not weak," the warrior whispered to me in my ear, and I realized with horror that I had spoken my words aloud. "You have a courage I have rarely seen, even in all of the battles I have fought. You waged war against me, and you defeated me, Calissande. You are a strong, beautiful woman and I admire and respect your strength."

And those words of his shut me up more effectively than his mouth. They meant more to me than they should, and coming on his admission today that he was besotted by me, my feelings were confused.

My mother had insisted he had feelings for me when he stayed with us in our home for a month prior to our wedding, but I always felt it was a mother's wishful thinking. Even if our marriage was arranged by two kings to further unify their countries, a mother still wanted her child to be in a happy, loving marriage.

"Lord Carrington watches you, Calissande," my mother had whispered to me during an evening's entertainment. "I vow his eyes never leave you when you are in the same room."

The warrior had never been one for compliments or telling me if he even had feelings for me, so my senses were now overflowing with a strange mixture of wanting and anger. I forced myself to focus on the anger, but at odd moments I would hear his voice say besotted or hear him telling me he admired my strength.

As much as he kept me close at night, he began keeping me just as close during the day. For the next three weeks, I was shadowed either by the warrior or one of the midwives. The warrior had insisted that Maggie and Ruthal move into the cottage until my time came, so Mrs. Timmon and I had lovely times together with them, taking walks along the river, sitting outside in the gardens to have our tea, and sewing baby garments.

The warrior himself would not stray far from my side. He would go out and train every morning with his men who had joined him at Fernwick, but he insisted that when he was gone, the midwives not let me out of their sight for one moment. He met with all three of my midwives daily to get updates on how I was progressing, behaving as if the nearing of my time were a battle to be fought.

Mrs. Timmon would smile when I complained that he was treating me as a child.

"I have found, my lady, that a man is at his most vulnerable when his lady's time nears. Many fathers become more nervous than their wives when they are anticipating the birth of their child. The more they care, the more amusing they become as they run around after their ladies, worrying like a fussy pot."

She leaned close to me and grinned conspiratorially. "Many a lady has sent her husband on a fool's errand just to have a few moments of peace from his attentions."

I shot her a look as the warrior came up to me, trying not to laugh.

"I was wondering, warrior, if you think the bakery in town has any of those hot cross buns left. I find myself craving one right this moment." I made sure I was rubbing my belly the entire time I spoke.

"I shall find out if there are any left, Calissande."

And normally, where he would send his squire on such a menial errand, he spun around and ran for his horse. In under a minute, he was on his massive steed, thundering toward town.

It was more than an hour before he returned with some hot cross buns. The midwives and I were sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine and the bird song, and he hurried to me. "I was delayed, my lady wife, because they did not have any left and the baker had to make a fresh batch for you. But here they are, the hot cross buns you desire."

He handed me the basket with the still-warm buns, nodded to me, and then walked his horse back to the stable.

When he was safely out of hearing, the midwives and I burst into laughter as I passed the basket around to my friends.

"Fool's errands," Mrs. Timmon nodded wisely, which only served to set us all off again.

But now, two days later, the four of us were not laughing although we may have been tempted to do so. Four sets of eyes, including my own, watched the warrior pacing the room, looking around suspiciously as if there were enemies afoot in the bedchamber. His muscles were bunched, ready to battle, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"You should not be in here," I said to him as my pain eased, knowing it would not do any good. He had made up his stubborn warrior mind and nothing any of us had said, none of the protests we had made, could dissuade him.

"When I was inquiring for a midwife, I also was making inquiries about how best to protect my lady wife during the birth. Many people told me that my presence in this room could help scare away any spirits who may try to harm you while you are at your most vulnerable. So I will not be moved from here because I will not stand helplessly outside, away from you, when I could be in here protecting you with my sword, Calissande."

"Men do not belong in sight of a laboring woman," I gritted out as another pain started to grip me. "That is how things have always been done."

I panted as the pain left after some time, noting the look of determination in the warrior's pale brown eyes. Then he smiled suddenly, his look gentling.

"I would think, Calissande, that if any woman did not care about how things have always been done, it would be you."

I knew to what he was referring. "Very well," I snapped at him, "but you are not to interfere."

"I will not interfere, but rest assured that if any evil spirit tries to enter this room, my lady wife, it will have to get through me first and I will beat it back or die trying. You need not fear, Calissande, because I will do whatever is necessary to see you safely through your labors. I swear this on my sword."

And for the next many hours, he alternated between pacing the room and standing by my side, giving me encouraging words as the pains gripped me. At one point, lost in the excruciating pain, I grabbed for his hand and stared into his eyes.

"Carrick, help me," I begged him as my eyes squeezed shut as yet another pain came over me.

I did not see his face soften at my use of his name, the first time I had said it in a year.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to my sweating forehead. "My lady, you are working harder than any warrior I have ever seen in battle. You are doing well and I swear to you, your efforts will soon be rewarded."

And he was right. In another hour, our baby girl was born. She was howling her displeasure at leaving her warm home in my belly, and the warrior and I shared a look of amusement.

Mrs. Timmon cleaned up the babe, rubbing her briskly, then she wrapped her in a blanket and put her in my arms.

"Well done, my lady," she said to me with a soft smile. "Your little girl is as perfect and beautiful as her mother."

She showed me how to hold the baby to nurse her, and after a few moment of suckling, she fell asleep. Mrs. Timmon and the other midwives left us alone once the baby and I, and the bedding, were handled.

The warrior had remained silent since the baby was born, but he was right by my side and he leaned over to peer at his daughter. That giant hand of his gently ran over the top of her fuzzy, feather-soft hair.

"I have seen many things in my life as a warrior, Calissande," he said in a low voice, finally tearing his eyes away from our child to look into mine, "but never have I seen something so miraculous as you bringing our daughter into this world. How you have not yet fallen asleep, I do not know."

"I am weary," I admitted. "Would you like to hold the baby?"

A look of discomfort passed over his face. "You will have to tell me how. I have never held a baby before."

I had him sit beside me on the bed, and I passed our girl to him, instructing him on how to hold her properly.

He looked magnificent cradling her in his massive arms, making her appear even tinier than she was. He lowered his head to drop a kiss on her little cheek, and then he did the same to me.

"Now, Calissande, I want you to sleep. When you awake, you will tell me her name. And while you rest, know that I will stay and watch over my two ladies so you need not worry. I promise I shall keep you both safe."

Knowing he would, I was able to drift off to sleep, happy and feeling safe nestled close to my warrior and daughter.