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Janored the arguit was still true "She wanted to come with us, but of course we couldn’t let her do that"

"She wanted to cohted up, joy and relief plain to see, even through the hair and filth "Then she didn’t--" He stopped abruptly, and glanced from me to Jamie and back "When I met…Mr Fraser on the mountainside, he seemed to think that she--er--had said--"

"A terrible ," I put in hastily "She hadn’t told us about the handfasting, so when she turned up pregnant, we, er…assuer with no particular favor, but jerked into awareness when I nudged hily "A ies and told his to think of now Have ye seen Ian, Sassenach?"

"No" I became aware for the first time that Ian was not with them, and felt a sriht, Sassenach?"

"I ith--oh, Jesus!"

I ignored his question for a er’s foot The flesh ollen and reddened over half his foot, with a severe ulceration on the outer in of the sole I pressed firive of small pockets of pus under the skin

"What happened here?"

"I cut it, trying to get away They bound it and put things on it, but it’s been infected on and off It gets better, and then it gets worse" He shrugged; his attention wasn’t on his foot, ugly as it was He looked up at Ja come to a decision

"Brianna didn’t send you to et rid of me?"

"No," Jamie said, taken by surprise He smiled briefly, his features suffused with sudden charer drew a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly

"Thank God," he said, and opened theuht ; that she’d decided she didn’t want to be married to me" There eat on his forehead, either fro of his foot He s me beaten to death or sold into slavery seeh, even for a wohtly flushed "I did say I was sorry for it"

"I know" Roger looked at hi He took a deep breath, then bent down and put htened up andto tell you What we fought over Has she told you what brought her here--to find you?"

"The death notice? Aye, she’s told us Ye dinna think I’d allow Claire to come with er’s eyes

"Ye canna have it both ways If she and I are to die at Fraser’s Ridge six years from noe canna very well be killed by the Iroquois any time before that, now can we?"

I stared at hiering; practical i--

"That’s assue the past--that we can’t, I er leaned forward a little, intent

"I will be daer said flatly "I do think the past can’t be changed That’s why I did it"

"Did what?"

He licked his lips, but went doggedly on

"I found that death notice long before Brianna did I thought, though, that it would be useless to try to change things So I--I kept it from her" He looked from me to Jamie "So now you know I didn’t want her to co I could to keep her away froerous And--I was afraid of losing her," he ended sier with sudden approval

"Ye tried to keep her safe, then? To protect her?"

Roger nodded, a certain relief lessening the tension in his shoulders

"So you understand?"

"Aye, I do That’s the first thing I’ve heard that gives ood opinion of ye, sir"

It wasn’t an opinion I shared at the --and didn’t tell her?" I could feel the blood clier saw the look on my face, and looked away

"No She…uht--well, she said I’d betrayed her, and--"