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"Your mother?" Sie "What? You’re thinking of bloody Ja historian--ye reat passion, as she did for him, and you think I’llof Ja of my father!" She shoved her hands deep in the pockets of her jacket, and sed hard She’d stopped crying, but there were tears on her lashes, clotting them in spikes

"She meant it when she ave me She said ‘better or worse, richer, poorer’--and she meant it And then…and then she met Jamie Fraser, and she didn’t mean it any for words

"I--I don’t blaht about it She couldn’t help it, and I--when she talked about hier? She lovedhappened She didn’t expect it, and it wasn’t her fault--but it "

She wiped a hand under her nose, and he gave her back the handkerchief, silently She blinked back the tears and looked at hiether You can’t leave Oxford; I can’t leave Boston, not till I’ve got n, that she should quit her schooling--but kept quiet She was right; neither of them would be happy with such a solution

"So what if I say yes now, and so happens? What if--if I ain, and one ran down her cheek "I won’t take the chance of hurting you I won’t"

"But you love ently to her cheek "Bree, do ye love , reached to undo the fastenings of her coat

"What the hell are you doing?" Blank astonishment was added to thepale fingers grasped the zip of his jacket and pulled it down

The sudden whiff of cold was obliterated by the warainst his from throat to knees

His ar hiht, arms locked round him under his jacket Her hair smelled cold and sweet, with the last traces of incense trapped in the heavy strands, blending with the fragrance of grass and jasleam of a hairpin, bronze metal in the copper loops of her hair

She didn’t say a thing, nor did he He could feel her body through the thin layers of cloth between thes, as though he were standing on an electric grid He tilted up her chin, and set his mouth on hers

"…see that Jackie Martin, and her with a new fur collar to her coat?"

"Och, and where’s she found the , wi’ her husband oot o’ his work this six month past? I tell ye, Jessie, yon woman…ooh!"

The click of French-heeled shoes on the pave cleared with sufficient resonance to wake the dead

Roger tightened his grip on Brianna, and didn’t htened her arms around him in response, and he felt the curve of her mouth under his

"MMPHM!"

"Ah, now, Chrissie," came a hissed whisper froetting engaged?"

"Metting soer Still…" A long sigh, tinged with nostalgia "Ah, weel, it’s nice to be young, isn’t it?"

The twin tap of heels came on,

He stood for a o of her But once a man has touched the o An old kelpie-rhyh his head,

And sit weel, Janetie

And ride weel, Davie

And your first stop will be

The bottoo He held her hands and looked into her eyes, now soft and clear as rain pools

"Hear h," he said softly "I will have you all--or not at all"

Let htly, he had said in wordless prayer And hadn’t he been told often enough by Mrs Grahaet it?"

He cupped her breast, soft through her juh God knows, I want it badly But I’ll have you as my wife…or I will not have you Your choice"

She reached up and touched hiers so cold, they burned like dry ice