He took her other arm. “Allow me to assist as well. I have some knowledge of twins. They can be a bit heavy before they make an appearance.”
Giff wished he could be as glib right now. “Ah, here is the first footman with something for you to taste.” He picked up one of the offerings on the tray. “Cheese on toasted bread.”
He held it to her lips, and she bit into it. “That is heavenly. Is there another?”
“There is.” She managed to eat four of them. Giff and Kenilworth finished off the rest. “Shall we see what is around the corner?” They turned into the other corridor and a footman held a plate with apple slices, and grapes from the hot house. “What shall you have, my love?”
“The grapes, please.” Once again, Giff fed them to her. She stopped once, and he wished he could take the pain from her.
“Open my watch and tell me the time.”
“It is one-fifteen.”
“That one was only seven minutes from the last.”
His brother-in-law caught his eye and motioned his head back toward their rooms. “Let us wander this way.”
Giff wished he had more experience with births. Any kind of birth. They continued to walk.
The midwife came up to them. How had she arrived so soon? An appointment. Giff had forgotten. “How are you doing, my lady?”
“It was seven minutes from the last contraction to the most recent one.” She stopped again, and the pain was obvious.
He opened the watch. “Five minutes.”
“Not long now, my lady,” the midwife said “Keep walking for a while longer while I set up.”
Alice was leaning on them more heavily than before. He was glad Kenilworth was here to help. “Another footman stood waiting. Shall we see what he has?”
The servant held tiny strawberry tarts in puff pastry. Giff gave one to Alice, and she moaned.
“Was that the babies?”
“No, the tart.”
Kenilworth barked a laugh. “Good girl. Take joy where you find it.”
Alice scowled at him. “That is why I am in so much pain.”
“Please forgive me,” he said. “But trust me when I tell you that it will be over soon.”
The pain struck again, and Giff pulled out the watch. “Three minutes.”
“Time to take me to my birthing room.”
Alice had no sooner been seated in the strange-looking thing they called a birthing chair then she screamed. Giff took her hand, and pain radiated through his as she squeezed. “You have an excellent grip.”
The midwife was on the floor. “I see the first head. Push, my lady.”
His wife gathered herself and groaned.
“Once more.”
This time a baby dropped out. One of the maids rushed forward to take it, and Alice groaned again.
“Almost there with the second one. Push again.”
Alice panted and groaned, and their second child was born. Her head dropped back. “Did you mark the first one?”
“Yes,” Grace said. “He has been marked.”
“My lady,” the midwife said. “Once more.”
Alice groaned a third time and something, Giff wasn’t sure what, came out.
“Excellent. It looks to be whole,” the midwife said.
“Giff, get her up. We need to clean her,” Charlotte said.
He lifted Alice in his arms, and she smiled at him. “What do we have?”
“Two apparently healthy children.”
“Boys,” Grace informed him. “Two boys.”
“We are in for it now.” He grinned at his wife.
Mamma rushed into the room and stopped. “Boys?”
