Lysander absorbed a weary glance of outrage from his brother and shrugged. "Not my call."

Gemma ignored them all. She plunged her hands into the pail of scalding water and scrubbed quickly with harsh soap.

Attie narrowed her eyes. "What does cleanliness matter? She's already made a mess."

"Cleanliness always matters," Gemma snapped her. "Dr. Oakes taught me that if cleanliness is next to godliness, then soap is at least as important as prayer."

Attie knelt at the steaming pail. "I don't feel like praying."

"Then you'd best wash," Gemma said bluntly as she knelt at the foot of the bed.

Taking the hint, Cabot and Button washed as well. Lysander stayed where he was, keeping up the pressure on Jennie's belly until her next contraction. Shepherd Gosling bathed his wife's face and kept up a steady stream of encouraging whispers.

It wasn't long. The contractions were coming so close together now, but also seemed to be getting weaker.

Gemma reached for the baby, but the contraction wasn't making much progress. "Push!" She shouted at Lysander.

The fear in her voice drove him to new strength. Then Poll appeared on one side of him and Cabot on the other.

"Its head is out," Attie reported calmly. "It's not as pointy as Aurora's."

Gemma was gently turning and coaxing the baby out. The next contraction began and her gaze flew to meet Lysander's.

"Now," she whispered.

It had to be now, she meant. Now or it would no longer matter.

They threw their strength behind the contraction and Gemma gasped as the long-awaited tiniest Gosling slid into her hands.

Everyone held their breath. There was no sound but the ragged gasps of Shepherd Gosling behind them.

Then the newborn's thin, cat-like wail filled the room. The weight of the last several hours of exhaustion and tension fell from them all like a stone. Gemma looked at Lysander with such naked joy her face that he could not breathe for the tightness in his throat.

Then Gemma unwrapped a small knife from a protective square of linen and used it to cut the cord.

Behind them, however, Shepherd Gosling wheezed. "Oh Jen. Oh, my flower, my pretty Jen." He looked up at them when they turned to him. "I lost my Jen."

At once Gemma handed the naked squalling baby over to Attie. Poll made a stuffed sound of shock, but Attie hefted the little thing to one arm and calmly wrapped it in some swaddling left to warm by the fireplace. She began to walk the room, soothing the baby with a competent touch.

Poll blinked at his little sister. Then he looked at Lysander. "What else have I missed?"

Lysander let out a deep sigh. "Plenty."

Then he turned to confront what no one wanted to face.