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"Roger wasn’t being strictly ro how one wants to look at it"

Jaers locked and twined, hed with pleasure

"Aye?"

"Bree asked me about birth control, and I told her what ood, though better than nothing But old Grannie Bacon gave me some seeds that she says the Indians use for contraception; supposed to be very effective"

Jae, from drowsy pleasure to wide-eyed astonishment

"Birth con--what? She--ye mean he--those clatty weeds--"

"Well, yes Or at least I think they nancy"

"Mers slowed, and his brows drew together--ht Then he returned to the job of rasp with a decided ed me to yield to him

He was quiet for a few erssaddle soap into harness than one htly, and he see, then squeezed htly and let his face relax He lifted e, an, and stopped

"What?"

"Me to ye, Sassenach? That a young wo?"

"No, it doesn’t," I said, rather sharply "It seems entirely sensible to me And they aren’t all that need--they’ve beenI ot a child already"

His nostrils flared in soundless disagreement

"She has a child," he said "That’s what Iwo how not to bear his child Are ye sure all is well between the as I considered the notion

"I think so," I said at last, slowly "Remember, Jamie--Bree comes from a time where women can decide whether or when to have babies, with a fair aht"

The widewith the notion--one entirely contrary to his own experience

"That’s the way of it, then?" he asked, finally "A woman can say, I will, or I won’t--and the man has no say in it?" His voice was filled with astonishhed a little

"Well, it’s not exactly like that Or not all the tinorance and foolishness; a lot of wos happen And ht about it But yesI suppose if you cohtly

"But MacKenzie’s fro odd of it?"

"He picked the weeds for her," I pointed out

"So he did" The line stayed between his brows, but the frown eased so late, and thedown in the house below The growing quiet of the house was pierced suddenly by a baby’s wail Both of us stood still, listening--then relaxed as the h the closed door

"Besides, it’s not so unusual for a young wo--Marsali caus"

"Oh, did she?" One eyebroent up "Did ye not tell her, then?"

"Of course I did!"

"Whatever ye told her didna work all that well, did it?" One corner of his mouth curled up in a cynic s his parents’ nant with Joan within days of weaning hi works all the ti works at all if you don’t use it" In fact, Marsali had wanted contraception not because she didn’t want a baby--but only because she had feared that pregnancy would interfere with the intiet to the prick part, I want to like it had been her words on that memorable occasion, and uess was that she had liked it fine, and had decided that pregnancy was unlikely to dius’s finer points But that rather came back to Jaer ell established Still, that was hardly

One of Jamie’s hands reers and reached elsewhere--very lightly

"Oh," I said, beginning to lose ht