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"The girls wanted to give ye the cap," she said, tactfully averting her gaze froift I thought perhaps I’d best bring thatto do with any ifts, but took the proffered parcel with asof oiled silk, pluhtly oily botanical scent about it A crude picture of a plant had been drawn on the front in brownish ink; soht stalk and what looked like umbels It looked faintly fa, and poured a small quantity of tiny dark-brown seeds out intoup at Polly in puzzlelish," she said "The Indians call therannie was a Catawba medicine woman, aye? That’s where she learnt the use of them"

"Was she really?" I wasseemed familiar; this must be the plant that Nayawenne had once shown h, I asked

"What is the use of thelanced round the clearing to be sure no one was close enough to hear before leaning forward to whisper towi’ child Ye take a teaspoonful each day, in a glass of water Each day, mind, and a man’s seed canna take hold in the woht of a more serious was there as well

"Grannie said ye were a conjure-woman, she could tell And that bein’ so, ye’d have cause often to help woe, stillbirth, or childbed fever, let alone thea live babe--she said I must tell ye that an ounce o’ prevention is worth a pound o’ cure"

"Tell your e woht have five or six children; she had the two girls, and lacked the drained look of a wo Evidently, the seeds worked

Polly nodded, the s out on her face

"Aye, I’ll tell her Oh--she said as how her grannie told her it ohtfully across the clearing, to where Ja sleepily in the crook of his arht take exception to old Grannie Bacon’sfarewell to Polly Bacon, I tookof seeds carefully away in it A very useful addition to rannie were correct It was also a singularly well-ti my earlier conversation with Bree

Even more valuable than the sh those were more than welcome Where had I put them? I looked round the scattered rubble of the ca to the men’s conversation behind e of the canvas I lifted the lid of one of the empty food hampers to put them away for the journey hoI glanced quickly round the ca distance Jamie’s back was turned to me, but it was he who had spoken

I pulled the wood branch, and went purposefully to join hi about, they stopped when they saw racefully once ical assistance, and took his leave, his bland round face revealing nothing

"What about Stephen Bonnet?" I said, as soon as the Lieutenant was out of earshot

"That’s what I was inquiring about, Sassenach Is the tea brewed yet?" Jamie made a move toward the fire, but I stopped hio rip, and he reluctantly turned to face me

"Because I wish to knohere he is," he said evenly Hehof Bonnet?"

He shook his head, silent He was telling ers loosened with relief, and he rily, but with a sense of quiet and definite detachesture I keptround to be sure that neither Bree nor Roger ithin hearing I didn’t see Roger; Bree was standing by the fire, absorbed in conversation with the Bugs, the elderly couple Jaed to help care for the far for that erat lanced back to see Fergus heading for the fire, rubbing a cold-reddened hand beneath his arm He waved cheerfully with his hook, and Jato join us

The cold feeling returned, sharp as though so with a sliver of ice

"Oh, of course," I said, as coolly as I could "You want to knohere he is, so that you can take pains not to go there, is that it?"

Soht have been a smile flickered across his face

"Oh, aye," he said "To be sure" Given the scarcity of population in North Carolina in general, and the ree in particular, the chances of our stuhly equivalent to walking out of the front door and stepping on a jellyfish--and Jamie bloody knew it

I narrowed my eyes at him The corner of his wide one back to seriousness There was precisely one good reason for his wanting to locate Stephen Bonnet--and I bloody knew that

"Jaain "Leave hi, but I felt no reassurance froesture

"Dinna fash yourself, Sassenach I’ve asked throughout the Gathering, all through the week, inquiring of men from Halifax to Charleston There’s nay report of the man anywhere in the colony"

"Good," I said It was, but the fact did not escapeBonnet with assiduity--and had toldof it Nor did it escape