The next few days passed in a whirlwind as the household got ready - Roisin had taken the bait, hook, line and sinker. Mrs Doyle confessed to a grim sense of satisfaction at facing her sister for the first time in almost twenty-one years, and Calum couldn't blame his mother-in-law in the slightest. He felt the same way himself, but there was worry too as he bade Jenny farewell that bright summer morning. He didn't want to leave her behind, but Mrs Doyle had wisely pointed out Jenny needed to relax, and being in a stressful courtroom, being forced to face her aunt, was not going to do her or her baby any favours. The staff had their orders; Jenny was not to be taken from the house except by trusted friends or family. Fergus had come up to provide an additional guard for his niece-in-law, and Grainne's eldest son, LIam, was also ready to lend a hand to aid his cousin. All of them had promised Jenny would not leave their sight, and Calum told himself to be content with that as he and Mrs Doyle got in the car waiting to take them to the courthouse.
"Whist, stop your fretting," Mrs Doyle admonished her son-in-law as the car pulled out of the driveway. "My daughter is in the best hands in God's creation, and not a one of them will shirk their duty in protecting her from anything her aunty might try and throw at her out of spite."
Calum had to laugh. "You've got a point," he agreed. "Thankee kindly. My head's half fallin' out of its skull from worry, to be fair."
"Mine too," Mrs Doyle confessed, and for no reason under sky that he could name, Calum suddenly felt much better.
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Jenny let out a long sigh as she paddled across the lake. The sun was warm on her skin, the water pleasantly cold on her feet, and she smiled as the baby moved in her womb. Like her, her unborn son or daughter loved the water, and Jenny felt her smile widen. "Soon," she murmured. "Soon your nasty great-aunty will be a pain no more, and then you, I, and your da can relax and be a family."
She was looking forward to going out on the squidding boat when all the legal mess was over; the thought of giving birth to her son or daughter at sea was an intoxicating one, and she wondered if perhaps she could convince her husband to buy them a houseboat. She loved her home, but all the recent pain Roisin was causing her had soured that love somewhat, and she was very keen on the idea of living out at sea for a few months, maybe even longer. She knew, of course, that Calum still wanted to make a business out of his squidding, and she was very eager to see his dream come to life. A man with a name as unique as his really only ever had two options; to change either his first name or surname, or to embrace it and make it his own. She was very glad her husband had chosen to do the latter.
When she grew tired of paddling, she set the paddle down, took off her hat and sunglasses, and slipped gratefully into the water, sighing as the increasingly awkward bulk of her growing belly was instantly eased. She loved her baby, but really couldn't wait to give birth so she could stop feeling like a bloated whale half the time. "Why'd ye get me pregnant in autumn, you eejit?" she muttered to her late husband's ghost, and almost fancied she heard him chuckle.
The water was very soothing, and she closed her eyes as she held onto her paddleboard. It was nice to forget the world for a little while, and as she floated there, she hoped the legal brangle could be sorted sooner rather than later; she really didn't want her aunt hovering over her like the proverbial sword of Damocles all throughout the remainder of her pregnancy. Seeing her sister alive and well after almost twenty-one years would probably scare some sense into Roisin; that was the hope Jenny held, at any rate, as she took a deep breath and went under. She couldn't hold her breath for too long, but it still was nice to dunk below the surface and let her cares go for a little while.
And it was nice to let out a slow stream of bubbles as she sank, before coming up for air and resting before going under again. Her baby moved even more excitedly in her womb every time she went under, and Jenny giggled to herself when she came to the surface. It was almost as if her unborn child was enjoying being underwater as much as she was, and Jenny took full advtange of it, enjoying the freedom she got every time she sank below the surface, taking pleasure in the simple actions of sinking, surfacing, and going under again.
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Finally, as the sun started moving towards the west, Jenny came up for air for the last time before climbing back on her paddleboard. She was pleasantly tired, and content to sit for a while with her legs dangling in the water. Her uncle and cousin knew she'd be coming out to the lake, and they'd assured her they'd patrol the shores to make sure no men in dark suits came to take her away. She could see them and some of the staff keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings in the distance, and smiled as she picked up her paddle to begin the trek back to shore. It was nice knowing she had a family ready to look after her, and a staff ready to defend her to their dying breath. And, for the first time in a while, Jenny felt more at peace than she had ever since the whole debacle began.
"You watch yourself, aunty," she said, as she paddled slowly towards the shore where her people were waiting for her. "If you want to try and pursue, good luck; there won't be a hole you can hide in once my people get their hands on you, and rip you to shreds like the slimy, disgusting being you truly are."
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