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Her eyes were closed against the dizziness that threatened to engulf her; she felt, rather than saw, the hand that touched her and tenderly s her," she whispered, as et her"

"Of course he didna forget her" She opened her eyes to see Ian’s long face and kind brown eyes six inches away A broad orn hand rested on hers, warer than her own

"Neither did we," he said

"Will ye no have a bitJa spoon poised invitingly above the cruooseberry tart

"Thank you, no I couldn’t eat another bite," Brianna said, s back "I’iggle loudly, but a girand round the table, though, Brianna could see suppressed laughter bloorown-ups to toddlers, they all see

It was neither her unorthodox costuht--even one stranger thanelse; so the members of the family, unseen but lively as electricity

She realized only slohat it was; a reht it into focus

"We didna think that Jamie would ever have a bairn of his own" Ian’s sh to h?"

She shook her head, sing the re back in spite of her full hted with her not so much for her sake, but for Jamie’s They loved him, and they were happy not for theht tears to her eyes Laoghaire’s accusations had shaken her, wild as they were, and it was a great comfort to realize that to all of these people who knew him well, Jamie Fraser was neither a liar nor a wickedher e Jaood earnest

"Will ye have written Uncle Ja her coughing and red-faced spluttering

"No," she said hoarsely "I don’t knohere he is"

Jenny’s gull-winged broent up

"Aye, ye said that; I’d forgotten"

"Do you knohere he is now? He andpastry crumbs from her jabot

Jenny smiled and rose from the table

"Aye, I do--more or less If ye’ve eaten your fill, d’ye come with me, lassie I’ll fetch his last letter for ye"

Brianna rose to follow Jenny, but stopped abruptly near the door She had vaguely noticed sos on the walls of the parlor earlier, but hadn’t really looked at them, in the rush of eh

Two little boys with red-gold hair, stiffly soleht against the dark coat of a huge dog that sat beside the in patient boredoht and proud, chin lifted, one hand resting on the dog’s head, the other protectively on the shoulder of the ser boy Brianna stared at, though His face was round and snub-nosed, cheeks translucent and ruddy as apples Wide blue eyes, slightly slanted, looked out under a bell of bright hair combed into an unnatural tidiness The pose was forhteenth-century style, but there was soure that er to touch his face

"Aren’t you a sweetie," she said softly

"Jamie was a sweet laddie, but a stubborn wee fiend, forbye" Jenny’s voice by her ear startled her "Beat him or coax him, it made no difference; if he’d made up his mind, it stayed made up Come wi’ me; there’s another picture you’ll like to see, I think"

The second portrait hung on the landing of the stairs, looking thoroughly out of place Froilded fra quite at odds with the solid, battered cos It re see the glare of light fro’s surface flat and clear before her

She gasped, and felt the hair rise on her forearms, under the linen of her shirt

"It’s re to Brianna and back again, her own featuresbetween pride and awe

"Re

"Ye see e kent ye at once," her aunt went on, laying a loving hand against the carved frame

"Yes Yes, I can see that"

"It will be randmother, Ellen MacKenzie"