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These things all helped, but the general atht before than to the events of the ht Jaone to bolt the door, but instead he stood, ar down the valley
"What is it?" I asked
"Nothing," he said softly "Co, deprived of depth by the eerie light Far off, the spurt of the falls seeh, and I could hear the faint ruht air was scented with grass and water, and the breath of pine and spruce blen cool from the mountaintops I shivered in my shift, and drew closer to him for warmth His shirttails were split at the side, open nearly to his waist I slidnearest me, and cupped one round, warrip, then flexed as he turned
He hadn’t pulled away; only stepped back in order to yank the shirt off over his head He stood on the porch nakd, and held out a hand to ht carved his body fro toes to flowing hair, clear as the clean black canes of the blackberry bushes at the bottoht have been within hand’s touch or a ed the shift from my shoulders and let it fall from my body, left it puddled by the door and took his hand Without a e had floated through the grass, walked wet-legged and cool-skinned into the forest, turned wordless toward each other’s ware
We had wakened in the dark after -bitten, and stiff with cold We had said not a word to each other, but laughing and staggering drunkenly, stuh the moonless wood and made our way back to bed for an hour’s brief sleep before dawn
I leaned over his shoulder now and deposited a bowl of oat to pluck an oak leaf from his hair I laid it on the table beside his bowl
He turned his head, a shtly He let o, and went back to his parritch I touched the back of his neck, and saw the sOne corner of herThen I saw her gaze shift to Roger, as spooning in his parritch in a absentaze intent on her
This picture of domestic bliss was broken by the stentorian tones of Clarence, announcing a visitor Ito the door to see, but at least Clarence didn’t leap on visitors and knock them flat or chase them round the dooryard
The visitor was Duncan Innes, who had co an invitation
"Your aunt asks if perhaps ye will be co at Mount Helicon this autuive her your word, twa year past"
Jas in front of Duncan
"I hadna thought of it," he said, frowning a little "There’s the devil of a lot to do, and I’estured upith his chin, indicating the slats and branches that were tearies of weather
"There’s a priest co looking at Roger or Brianna "Miss Jo did think as how yeto have the wean baptized"
"Oh" Jaht Perhaps ill go, then, Duncan"
"That’s fine; your auntie will be pleased" Soht in Duncan’s throat; he was turning slowly red as I watched Ja of cider in his direction
"Ye’ve so in your throat,the changes to Duncan’s coone a sort of puce by the tied to squeeze out the next words
"I--errr--wish to ask your consent, an fhearr Mac Dubh, to the e of Mistress Jocasta Cameron and…and--"
"And who?" Jaovernor of the colony?"
"And myself?" Duncan seized the cup of cider and buried his face in it with the relief of a drowning , which seereat solace to Duncan’s ee, Duncan? Or you, coh the purple tinge hadn’t yet begun to fade froht it only proper," he said, a little stiffly "Seeing as how ye’re her nearest kinsman" He sed, and unbent a bit "And…it didna seeht be yours"
Jamie smiled and shook his head
"I’ve no claim on any of my aunt’s property, Duncan--and wouldna take it when she offered You’ll be ? Tell her we’ll co"
69
JEREMIAH
October 1770
Roger rode with Claire and Fergus, close to the wagon Jarandson, insisted on driving, with Lizzie and Marsali in the wagon bed and Brianna on the seat beside hiht snatches of the discussion that had been going on ever since his arrival
"John, for sure," Brianna was saying, frowning down at her son, as burrowing energetically under her shawl "But I don’t know if it should be his first name And if it was--should it maybe be Ian? That’s ‘John’ in Gaelic--and I’d like to na, with Uncle Ian and our Ian, too?"
"Since neither one of them is here, I think it wouldna be too troublesolanced up at her stepfather’s back "Did ye not say ye wanted to use one of Da’s names, as well?"