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"He arrested Mr MacLennan? And you let hier in consternation Neither she nor Roger had been present when Abel MacLennan had told his story over breakfast, but both of theer pointed out mildly "I did call out to MacLennan to ask if he wanted help--I thought I’d fetch your Da or Farquard Cah I ave me an odd sort of so and beat up a sheriff, just on general principle But if you--"

"Not a sheriff," Ja, and he paused to cough explosively again

"A thief-taker," I told Roger "Soather" The tea wasn’t nearly brewed yet; I found a half-full stone bottle of ale and handed that to Ja Abel?" I asked "You said Hayes didn’t want prisoners"

Jamie shook his head, sed, and lowered the bottle, breathing a little easier

"He doesna No, Mr Boble--it istrate And if wee Roger saw hi, brows furrowed as he surveyed the mountainside around us

"It will be Farquard,a little "I ken four justices of the peace and three , and of the lot, Campbell’s the only one camped on this side"

"Oh, that’s good" I sighed in relief Farquard Campbell was a fair man; a stickler for the law, but not without compassion--and more importantly, perhaps, a very old friend of Jocasta Cameron

"Aye, we’ll ask my aunt to have a word--perhaps we’d best do it before the weddings" He turned to Roger "Will ye go, MacKenzie? I s"

Roger looked as though he, too, had just choked on a bit of fruitcake

"Erwell," he said, aardly "Perhaps I’ to Mrs Caled interest and exasperation

"Why not?"

Blushing fiercely, Roger recounted the substance of his conversation with Jocasta--lowering his voice nearly to the point of inaudibility at the conclusion

We heard it clearly enough, nonetheless Jaan to shake I felt the laughter bubble up under hed almost silently, but so hard that tears caasped at last He clutched his side, still wheezing faintly "God, I’ve sprung a rib, I think" He reached out and took one of the half-dried clean clouts froht," he said, recovering himself somewhat "Go and see Farquard, then If Abel’s there, tell Ca hier--puce with nity--departed at once Bree followed hilance of reproof at her father, whichhiulp of stearant I offered the cup to Jamie, but he waved it away, content with the rest of the ale

"My aunt," he observed, lowering the bottle at last, "kens verra well indeed what ht herself--and everyone else in the county--a good opinion of poor Roger, hasn’t she?" I replied, rather dryly

Jocasta Cameron was a MacKenzie of Leoch; a fa as the larks in the field--and sly as foxes, with it" Whether Jocasta had truly had any doubt herself of Roger’s ht to forestall idle gossip along the Cape Fear, her methods had been undeniably successful She was probably up in her tent chortling over her cleverness, looking forward to spreading the story of her offer and Roger’s response to it

"Poor Roger," Ja "Poor but virtuous" He tipped up the bottle of ale, drained it, and set it doith a brief sigh of satisfaction "Though coht the lad so of value as well, hasn’t she?"

"My son," I quoted softly, nodding "Do you think he realized it himself before he said it? That he really feels Jemmy is his son?"

Jamie made an indeter

"I canna say It’s as well he should have that fixed in his --one he kens for sure is his"

I thought ofwith Brianna, but decided it iser to say nothing--at least for now It was, after all, a er and Bree I only nodded, and turned to tidy away the tea things

I felt a slow in the pit of er had sworn an oath to take Jemmy as his own, no ht be; he was an honorable er, and he meant it But the speech of the heart is louder than the words of any oath spoken by lips alone

When I had gone back, pregnant, through the stones, Frank had sworn tochild as his oould love me as he had before All three of those vows his lips and mind had done his best to keep, but his heart, in the end, had sworn only one From the hter