Free A Maxwell Mourned by Gwen Kirkwood Page A

“things”.’ He shivered. ‘Could only wait outside. They wouldn’t let me in. She’s sleeping.’
    ‘Sleep is the best cure, Mr Sedgeman,’ Mrs Jenkins assured him. ‘Now you drink this cup of tea – hot, sweet and strong. It’ll put new life into you.’
    ‘The minister is going …’ Peter sipped the tea, then drank thirstily. ‘He’s going to the hospital first thing,’
    ‘You’ve chosen names?’ Rachel asked. Peter shook his head and brushed away the tears with a shamefaced glance. ‘Don’t know. I must get back to Meg …’
    ‘Not before you’ve had an hour or two of sleep,’ Mrs Jenkins said firmly.
    ‘I’ll make some toast,’ Rachel offered, ‘For all of us. Mrs Jenkins is right. You must have a rest so that you’ll be strong for Meg. I’ll waken you as soon as it’s dawn.’

Chapter Seven
    M EG WAS BARELY CONSCIOUS when the minister visited her in the little hospital room. Peter had to choose the names alone. He named the stronger twin Maxwell, after Meg’s family. The smaller baby he named Ruairidh, after Doctor Gill.
    ‘If he lives long enough to go to school he will not thank you for it,’ Doctor Gill grimaced, ‘Though I am known as Rory to all except my lawyer now.’
    ‘He will live, and he’ll thank you for both your name and your skill, Doctor,’ the matron vowed. ‘He may be a wee mite, but he’s a fighter. Isn’t that so, Nurse Laine?’
    ‘Indeed he is. In fact he may be a better feeder than his big brother, who’s showing signs of being a sleepy, lazy infant.’
    ‘Is he now? We must watch for signs of jaundice when they are born early.’ Doctor Gill frowned, but he summoned a reassuring smile as he turned to Peter. ‘I believe your wife was aware of the christening. She seems more at peace now. Her pulse is settling nicely.’
    ‘That’s the best news yet, Doctor.’ Peter breathed a huge sigh of relief. ‘Meg is the most important person in the world to me.’
    ‘I trust you mean that, because she will require a longer spell of nursing than usual after such a difficult birth. Can you afford to keep her here, at the hospital? It would be the best place for her. She will need to rest.’
    ‘We will work out the most favourable terms we can, Mr Sedgeman,’ the matron promised. ‘My two nurses and I would like to see your little family well on the road to good health after being so near to losing them.’
    ‘Even if it costs me my business and everything I have, Meg must have whatever she needs to make her well,’ Peter declared with feeling.
    Rachel had written to Ross the day after the birth of Meg’s babies. He replied by return. She was dismayed to hear he was expecting her to travel to Lochandee immediately. She thought she had explained Meg’s critical condition and the smaller of the two babies was hanging to life by a mere thread. She wished she had not sent him news of the birth so promptly.
    It was nearly three weeks before Meg was pronounced well enough to return home. During that time Ross had written several letters, each more impatient and exasperated than the last, demanding to know when Rachel would be at Lochandee.
    ‘An important matter has arisen. Mistress Beattie and the Factor insist you should be consulted,’ he wrote. Rachel felt torn in two. She sensed Ross was piqued that she should need to be consulted on anything to do with his work at Lochandee, while she could not think of anything more important than Meg’s recovery.
    Eventually Alice Beattie wrote to Rachel. The tone was kind and understanding of her dilemma:
    “ The matter which has arisen affects you, even more than Ross. I feel you must be free to express an opinion. However there is no necessity to tear yourself away from Mrs Sedgeman until you feel she is well enough to manage without you.
    Mr Shaw has agreed to my request to make Ross a joint tenant. However the Laird’s health is deteriorating more rapidly than we expected and he has advised me to bring