“What happened?”
Gabriel reached out and curled his fingers into the rough fabric as he pulled the object to him.
“Poison…Vincent… Darragh, dead.”
“Come, M’Laird,” Jacob said as he curled his arm around Gabriel’s limp body and moved him to the horse. “Ye must hold on. Lady Elena is nae doin’ so well,” Jacob said. The very sound of Elena’s name perked Gabriel’s ears. He swallowed hard, forcing some moisture down his throat.
“What?”
“The Lady,” Jacob explained as he shoved Gabriel into the saddle. “She’s in labor. But there are whispers the bairn is stuck. They daenae think they’ll make it.”
“Nay,” Gabriel gasped. In all his suffering, there was one thing he knew that would get him through it all. “Elena. My Love.”
“Can ye ride?” Jacob asked.
“Aye,” Gabriel said with his head bobbing. Although he had no clue if he would be able to, he refused to let doubt seep into him.
“Then daenae wait for me, M’Laird, the Lady needs ye.”
Gabriel dug his heel into the horse’s flank and took off. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as his mind raced and skipped through all the scenarios he’d find once he got back. Although he knew there was no way of stopping what was coming, he prayed with every ounce he had left.
The sun kissed his face and eased him for a moment, but there was no time to enjoy such things as the memory of Elena resting so soundly in his bed flashed before his eyes. He pulled in a sharp breath hoping that wasn’t the last time he would see her.
As the castle came into view, he pushed his horse harder. In the back of his mind, he wondered where Jacob had gone off to. He wasn’t behind Gabriel. Then it dawned on him. Jacob was probably bringing Darragh and Vincent back to the castle.
With his side aching, Gabriel jerked the reins, stopping the horse in front of the main door to his castle. Slipping from the saddle, he found his knees weak and body trembling. He was so close to seeing Elena again that he knew if he didn’t pull himself together, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
The guards minding the castle gates scrambled to his aid the instant they saw him. Throwing one arm around each of their shoulders, they dragged him to the main entrance.
“M’Laird,” Emily cried as she scrambled down the steps to aid him.
“Did Jacob find ye?”
“Elena? Where is she?”
“The Lady is in Anna’s room, M’Laird,” Emily said as she helped him up the steps. “But ye shouldnae go there now. Ye need help.”
“What I need is to see my wife,” Gabriel growled as he glared at Emily. He hated himself for the ire he released on her, yet, he didn’t have time to apologize.
“Think of Elena,” Emily said. “Yer in nay condition to be helpin’ her. If she sees ye, she might think yer dead and nae want to fight.”
“Please,” Gabriel pleaded as he tried to push Emily away. But with his strength failing him, he knew there was no way he’d win. “I need to see my wife.”
“Elena’s fallin’ under. She closed her eyes about half an hour ago,” Isobel’s voice was like an angel coming from heaven. Gabriel’s eyes shifted to the top of the stairs where he saw her race down to him.
“What is wrong wit’ her? What happened?” Gabriel demanded as other servants rushed to him. Their arms curled around him and steadied him.
“The bairn is nae turned. It’ll be comin’ feet first,” Emily answered. “Elena’s body is nae ready for that. She’s slippin’ from us.”
“All the more reason for ye to take me to her,” he demanded.
“Yer hurt, ye need a healer.”
“What I need is my wife,” Gabriel argued as he pulled strength from the love that he had for Elena. Shoving the servants off him, he stumbled for the steps and grabbed the post. “And I’ll see her whether ye want me to or nae. I am the Laird.”
“Aye,” Emily said with a nudge of her head. Isobel and Emily locked their arms around Gabriel and helped him up the stairs. With each step he took, he found it harder to breathe. It was as if he was underwater, struggling with the current and the waves. Each time he breached the surface gulping the air, he had to expel it from his lungs.
Gabriel gasped as they stopped at the threshold of Anna’s room. Elena was on the bed, passed out, just as he left her. Only she wasn’t alone like she was before. Her whole family was there beside her. The stained linen caught Gabriel’s eye as his heart stopped and his blood ran cold.