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"As for Ian, perhaps I can pass him off as a bondsman I’ve taken on to be swineherd"

Ian was one of those people whose clothes, no h they had been salvaged froreen ribbon, and one bony elbow protruded from a rip in his new shirt, whose cuffs were already noticeably gray round the wrists

"Captain Freeman says we’ll be there in no ti with excite upriver in order to be first to sight our destination "What d’ye think we’ll get for supper?"

Jamie surveyed his nepheith a et table scraps, wi’ the dogs Do ye not own a coat, Ian? Or a coh expecting one of these objects to materialize in front of him "I’ve a coat here Somewhere I think"

The coat was finally located under one of the benches, and extracted with some difficulty from the possession of Rollo, who had made a comfortable bed of it After a quick brush to rearment, Ian was forcibly inserted into it, and sat firave hi solely of the advice to keep his mouth shut as much as possible

Ian nodded amiably

"Will ye tell Great-auntie Jocasta about the pirates yourself, then?" he inquired

Jalanced briefly at Captain Freeman’s scrawny back It was futile to expect that such a story would not be told in every tavern in Cross Creek, as soon as they had left us It would be a matter of days--hours perhaps--before it spread to River Run plantation

"Aye, I’ll tell her," he said "But not just on the instant, Ian Let her get accusto for River Run was some distance above Cross Creek, separated from the noise and reek of the town by severalseen Jaus all rendered as handsome as water, coed out of ed myself hastily, and slipped into the cream silk I had worn to dinner with the Governor

The soft fabric was light and cool against my skin Perhaps a bit more formal than was usual for afternoon, but it was important to Jamie that we must look decent--especially now, after our encounter with the pirates--and my only alternatives were the filthy own that had traveled with reat deal to be done with ave it a cursory stab with a co the ends curl up as they would I needn’t trouble about jewelry, I thought ruefully, and rubbedtoat my left hand, so nakdly bare; if I didn’t look, I could still feel the ied froht By contrast to the rickety fittings of s we had passed, River Run boasted a substantial and well-built wooden dock A ss in boredom When he saw the Sally Ann’s approach, he leapt to his feet and tore off, presumably to announce our arrival

Our hoainst the dock From the screen of trees near the river, a brick walk swept up through a broad array of for in two to circle paired marble statues that stood in their own beds of flowers, then joining again and fanning out in a broad piazza in front of an i two-storied house, colonnaded and multichimneyed At one side of the flower beds stood a , ht I revised my opinions as to the suitability of the cream silk dress, and touched nervously atout of the house and down the walk I would have known her for a MacKenzie, even if I hadn’t knoho she was She had the bold bones, the broad Viking cheekbones and high, sal And like her nephew, like her great-niece, she had the extraordinary height that her than the bevy of black servants who surrounded her, she floated down the path froh a woman less in need of support I had seldom seen

She was tall and she was quick, with a firht once have been as red as Jaone that rich soft white that redheads do, with the buttery patina of an old gold spoon

There was a cry frouard, and two of the, where they circled us, yapping like puppies At first I couldn’t make out a word--it was only as Ian replied jocularly to the in Gaelic

I didn’t knohether Ja, but in the event, he simply stepped forward, went up to Jocasta MacKenzie, and e, "Aunt--it’s Jamie"

It was only as he released her and stepped back that I saw his face, with an expression I had never seen before; soerness, joy, and awe It occurred to me, with a small jolt of shock, that Jocasta MacKenzie must look very ht she h I couldn’t tell; they were blurred as she laughed through her tears, holding hi up to touch his cheek, to smooth nonexistent strands of hair from his face

"Jalad ye’ve come, lad!" She reached up once more, and touched his hair, a look of aiant! You’ll be as tall as al was, at least!"

The expression of happiness on his face faded slightly at that, but he kept his s her with him so she faced me

"Auntie, may I present my wife? This is Claire"