Gemma reached into her bag and pulled out a long iron rod wrapped tightly in waxed linen. It was as slender as a pencil and tapered at one end. She'd prepared it as instructed in Childbirth and the Practices of Midwifery, even boiling it twice before sealing it in the impervious linen — and sincerely hoped she wouldn't have to use it. When Attie came back with the next boiling pot, Gemma threw the tool into the steaming water. Better safe than sorry. "I need you two to pin Jennie down. Attie, you hold her head in your lap. Lysander, you must tie her up as well. She's out of her head. Sit on her if you have to. If she moves even a fraction of an inch, I could kill the baby."

Attie climbed to the head of the bed and pulled Jennie's sweat-soaked head onto her lap. Gemma glanced at Lysander. He shrugged. "She's exceedingly strong."

Gemma had no time to protect Lysander's peculiar sister from what she meant to do. When Lysander had used strips of the bed sheet to fasten Jennie tightly to the bedrails, with the primary pressure being exerted just above the mound of her pregnant belly, he lay across the bottom of the bed and pinned Jennie's legs down.

"No, pull her knees up."

Gemma went on one knee at the end of the bed and took a breath. She couldn't falter. She couldn't fail. The only way to save Jennie and the baby was something she'd never done, nor ever seen done. She'd read it in a book. I might be wrong. I'm not a doctor. What if I'm wrong?

Firming her jaw against those doubts, she reached uncaring into the blistering water and withdrew the tool. "Hold her. Don't let her move."

She held her breath as she inserted the rod and, mostly by feel and guesswork, got it through the cervix. The tip of the thing was actually rounded into a tiny hook. It shouldn't hurt, the book has assured her. Gemma bit her lip. With a twist of her wrist, she snagged the placenta on the hook and ripped.

The gush of birth waters soaked the bed and Jennie let out an animal wail as the first contraction swept her. Gemma tossed the tool aside.

"Release her now!"

Lysander eased Jennie's legs down and untied the binding sheet. He used it to drape over Jennie's lower body for some privacy. It was a kindly thought, but Jennie was far past caring.

Bing and Lysander got the head of the bed raised to Gemma's satisfaction. It was the last thing she could think of to aid the birth, letting the baby's own weight assist, like with an ewe, who gave birth standing more often than not.

"Atalanta, stay where you are. It's your duty to get as much water down her gullet as you can without drowning her." Water to cleanse Jennie's systems, and fight dehydration.