Between breaths, she turned to Lucy, who was watching on in shock. “Lucy, darling, run for the housekeeper. Tell her the baby is coming this minute.”

  The girl sprinted off, something she’d never have done before Amelia came into her life.

  “What can I do?”

  “Your coat, put it under me—and remember your promise,” Amelia ground out around another cry of pain. “You’ll have to catch him.”

  Milo gulped, but he’d been present for Amelia’s last delivery, so he knew what was expected of a midwife’s replacement. “When have I ever broken my promises to you?”

  “Just once.” Amelia panted, then grinned. “But this one is still important. You must not mourn for long if the worst⁠—”

  “Nothing will ever happen to you,” he said firmly, cutting her off. Amelia always worried that she might die in childbirth, as many women her age did. She wasn’t worried about her own death, but what the loss would do to him and the children. “Help is on the way.”

  “Yes, but not soon enough, I suspect.”

  He removed his coat as Amelia labored, raised her skirts above her knees, and saw the crown of the baby’s head between her legs.

  He gulped again as he realized how far along she was with this delivery. “When did you feel the first contraction?”

  “Only now.”

  “She is too close for that to be true.” He steadied his own breathing, but inside, he was trying not to panic.

  “The baby is a he,” Amelia insisted, fighting to steady her breathing, but she was loud and obviously in great pain as another contraction tore through her. “And Westfalls do things in their own time.”

  He chose not to respond to that. “That’s it. That’s it. As easy as last time.”

  “Easy?” she gasped. “You think this is easy?”

  He’d been told any distraction could help a mother during labor. Although last time the distraction had been a roomful of his sisters clucking their tongues about him being in the room.

  He heard shouts and the stampede of dozens of feet running toward them. He was rudely swept aside by the housekeeper, with no thought to his dignity or title. He scrambled to Amelia’s side and caught hold of her hand, then he heard Lucy’s loud sob.

  “Take Lucy back to the house,” Milo ordered.

  However, Amelia gestured for Lucy to come closer, then turned the child’s back on what was going on under her skirts. “Stay here by me, darling, and don’t peek. You can be the first to hold the baby when he arrives.”

  “Yes, Mama.” But the girl’s bottom lip quavered with panic. “I love you, and I promise to love my brother, no matter that I asked for a sister.”

  “That’s my girl,” Amelia whispered. “Now, put your fingers in your ears and don’t listen to another sound until we tap your shoulder. Sing if you must.”

  If Lucy answered, he never heard it, as Amelia let out the loudest roar he’d ever heard from her. But there were excited rumblings from the servants, then she cried out again but it seemed softer. He clutched Amelia’s hand tightly, waiting to be told good news, watching only Amelia’s sweat-covered face as she labored to deliver their child.

  “You’ve done it, my lady!” the housekeeper crowed finally. “It’s another precious bundle of joy, but one more push. That’s it. Good!”

  Milo kept his eyes on Amelia, and his daughter facing the other way with her fingers in her ears. Amelia’s smile grew radiant as the babe cried, and the housekeeper declared the birthing complete and without any complications. Amelia nodded to the housekeeper and then smiled at him.

  He risked a peek behind him and saw their new child for the first time, already swaddled in cloth that hid their sex. The babe appeared healthy and had a good set of lungs and he smiled in relief.

  He turned back to Amelia, pleased it was over so quickly this time. He wiped the sweat from her brow. “How do you feel?”

  “Wonderful,” she promised. “I always do afterward.”

  He loosened his grip on her hand when the housekeeper attempted to hand him the baby. “Lucy was given the honor by her mother.”

  Amelia tapped Lucy’s shoulder, and the girl spun around so fast, she wobbled. “Is it over? Is he here?”

  The housekeeper handed Lucy the baby, and she beamed with sisterly pride. She had such a look of adoration on her face that Milo was forced to wipe away a tear. “Is it the boy you wanted, Mama?”

  Amelia shook her head. “I was so wrong this time.”

  Lucy let out a little squeal of delight. “Do I have a sister at last?”

  Amelia nodded, then beamed a smile at him. “You were both right.”

  “About you, about everything that matters,” he said, as wriggled closer to hold his wife in his arms, marveling that her smile was so bright after the shock of a sudden arrival.

  The servants began to stand up and talk of returning her to the manor.

  But Amelia shook her head. “I want to stay here in the garden a bit longer. Can we?”

  “Yes, darling,” he said, as he kissed her brow and snuggled her closer. He loved her even more for being constant but unpredictable in the best ways. “I will carry you back though.”

  He asked Lucy to hand the child to her mother at last. When the baby was settled in Amelia’s arms, he noticed his brother-in-law standing in the distance with his sons, grinning like a loon.

  His brother saluted him, and called out to Lucy to join them.

  Milo gazed at those he loved most and fought back tears of joy and pride.

  Amelia tugged on his cravat. “We made love all night early last spring in this garden, which would line up with her arrival perfectly.”

  “Well, we’ll never know for sure, will we?”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “But it’s fitting she was born here. After all, that’s where our love truly began to grow, didn’t it?” He brushed a damp lock of hair back from her face. “In a garden that you made out of love for someone who didn’t deserve it.”

  Amelia shook her head. “Oh, Milo. You deserved to be loved, and so did I. I’m so glad you believed me a necessary wife then.”

  “Essential,” he corrected, making her laugh, and him marvel at how Amelia had changed them all. She’d made their family complete. “Utterly and completely the only woman I will ever need.”

  Milo lay his head against Amelia’s and gazed down at his daughter, grateful beyond words for the miracles of his marriage. “What are we going to name her?”

  “Well, what about Hyacinth? I was just planting them in the new garden bed.”

  He laughed and laughed and agreed with her decision, as he found he always did in the end.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for taking the time to read A Necessary Wife. I truly hope you enjoyed the story.

  If you’re able to write a review on retailer sites, I would be very grateful.

  Heather B

  ALSO BY HEATHER BOYD

  Explore my series! You’ll find lots of steamy historical romances listed below:

  DISTINGUISHED ROGUES SERIES

  Chills

  Broken

  Charity

  An Accidental Affair

  Keepsake

  An Improper Proposal

  Reason to Wed

  The Trouble with Love

  Married by Moonlight

  Lord of Sin

  The Duke’s Heart

  Romancing the Earl

  One Enchanted Christmas

  Desire by Design

  His Perfect Bride

  Pleasures of the Night

  Silver Bells

  Seduced in Secret

  Yours Until Dawn

  No Ordinary Lady

  ENTANGLED SERIES

  Miss Kimble Bites Back

  Miss Ellis Unleashed

  SCANDALOUS BRIDES SERIES

  Wicked with Him

  Desperately Seeking Seduction

  Love and Other Disasters

  Surrender Becomes Her

  No Duke of Mine

  SAINTS AND SINNERS SERIES

  The Duke and I

  A Gentleman’s Vow

  An Earl of Her Own

  The Lady Tamed

  A Necessary Wife

  WILD RANDALLS SERIES

  Engaging the Enemy

  Forsaking the Prize

  Guarding the Spoils

  Hunting the Hero

  REBEL HEARTS SERIES

  The Wedding Affair

  An Affair of Honor

  The Christmas Affair

  An Affair so Right

  If that’s not enough, there’s lots more!

  See Heather’s full book list on the website…

  ABOUT HEATHER

  USA Today Bestselling Author Heather Boyd believes every character she creates deserves their own happily-ever-after—no matter how much trouble she puts them through. With that goal in mind, she writes steamy romances that skirt the boundaries of propriety to keep readers enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. Heather has published over sixty regency romance novels and shorter works full of daring seductions and distinguished rogues. She lives north of Sydney, Australia, with her husband, sons, and a four-legged overlord.

  Learn more about Heather at:

  www.Heather-Boyd.com

  Join the newsletter or follow on social media for the latest updates from Heather

 

 

  Heather Boyd, A Necessary Wife (Saints and Sinners Book 5)

 

 

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