White Nights by Susan Edwards Read Free Book Online Page A

disbelief, then absolute joy.
    “I haven’t paid it much attention out here, traveling each day. It’s been a couple of months, I think.” She paused, grabbing Eirica’s fingers tightly. “Oh, Eirica,” she breathed, “you don’t suppose—could I be with child?” Her hushed voice tingled with suppressed excitement.
    Laughing, Eirica hugged her. “Don’t think there’s any supposing about it. Looks like you’re going to be a mama.”
    As sudden as it had come, Coralie’s joy fled and a look of horror washed over her features. “I can’t be with child. I don’t know how to be a mother. I’ve never even tended a baby. How will I know what to do? I can’t do this.” Her voice rose and ended in a panicked squeak.
    Eirica rolled her eyes. This was the Coralie Eirica knew well. Overemotional and melodramatic. “Calm down, Coralie. You’ll do just fine.”
    Seeing that her words didn’t reassure her, Eirica put her hand on the other woman’s shoulders. “Look, my baby is due in a month. You’ll have plenty of time to learn how to diaper, bathe, hold and care for an infant. I’ll show you everything and you can help me and practice.” She lifted the lid of the trunk. “By the time yours is born, you’ll be a pro, and I even have lots of baby clothes for you to use—”
    Eirica’s voice trailed off abruptly. An odor of rot filled the air and made her gag. “Oh no,” she moaned, staring at the mildew-covered baby things in disbelief. She lifted out what had once been a tiny white gown. It was now black with a hole through it where the material had rotted.
    “The dampness from all those storms got into the trunk.” Eirica pulled out layer after layer of moldering cotton. “They’re all ruined.” Even the tiny blankets and quilts on the bottom were covered with holes and black dots of mold.
    Coralie covered her mouth, obviously fighting the urge to gag. She moved away. “Oh, Eirica, how terrible. What are you going to do? Will you have time to sew more before the baby comes?”
    Feeling the weight of responsibility return to sag on her shoulders, Eirica blinked back tears of helplessness. “I don’t have any material. Birk wouldn’t let me buy any to bring. I was counting on these lasting until I reached Oregon.” She bit her lip and just stared at the ruined layette.
    Coralie patted Eirica on the arm. “We’ll figure out something. I have some material from Pa’s store that he insisted I bring, even though he knows I can’t sew. We can see if there’s anything there you can use.”
    Hearing a shout across the way, Coralie glanced over her shoulder and grimaced when Jessie motioned her over. “Guess it’s time to start cooking. Those hired hands of Wolf’s are worse than a swarm of locusts. I swear, they’d eat their tin plates if they could.”
    Standing, she awkwardly patted Eirica on the shoulder then hurried over to where Jessie and Rook were busy preparing supper.
    Eirica closed her eyes, unable to face the prospect of sorting through the ruined clothing. She thought of Coralie’s offer of material and just as quickly rejected it. Even if she paid for it—not that she could afford to do so—she wouldn’t take it. Coralie would need her supply for her own dresses and baby things in Oregon. Eirica would just have to cut up one of her woolen blankets for nappies and infant-size blankets. As for clothing, she’d have to do the same with one of her old dresses or use Birk’s old shirts, which she’d saved to reuse the material.
    With frustration coursing through her, she slammed the trunk lid closed and stood. She’d deal with this later. She just couldn’t think about it now.
    Alone once again, she faced the enormity of her situation. Anxiety churned in her stomach and a chill ran through her. Her palms were slick with sweat. She wiped her hands on her apron, then wiped the moisture from her eyes, feeling scared and overwhelmed by the knowledge that the survival of her