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"It’s not likely," I said, answering his thought, rather than his words "Bree will stay, certainly until Jeood" After all, how could one abandon a child, the possibility of grandchildren? And yet, I had done it I rubbed a finger absently over the s

"Aye But the lad?" He looked up at ht clear in his eyes, blue as sapphires cut and polished

"He wouldn’t," I said "He wouldn’t leave Bree and Jemmy" I spoke stoutly, but there was a thread of doubt in my heart, and it was reflected in my voice

"Not yet," Jamie said quietly

I took a deep breath, but did not reply I knew very hat he er seeers had healed; I had suggested to Brianna that perhaps he would find solace in his bodhran She had nodded, doubtfully I didn’t knohether she hadon the wall of their cabin, silent as its owner

He did still sly attentive to Brianna--but the shadow in his eyes never lessened, and when he was not required for some chore, he would disappear for hours, so after dark, exhausted, dirt-stained--and silent

"He hasna slept with her, has he? Since it happened?"

I sighed, brushing a strand of hair off uess would be that it hasn’t happened lately, though"

Bree was doing her best to keep hi depression--but it was clear tothe battle, and knew it She too was growing silent, and had shadows in her eyes

"If he wentbackht there be a cure for his voice? There in your own tier over the opal as he spoke, eyes following the spiral as his finger traced it

I sighed again, and sat down

"I don’t know There would be help--perhaps surgery, certainly speech therapy I can’t say how ht recover a good deal of his voice naturally, if he’d only work at it But he isn’t going to do that And of course," honesty coet it back, no ardless of the possibilities of er and Brianna failed, there was nothing whatever to keep hio back then

Jamie sat up in his chair, and blew the candle out

"Not yet," he said in the darkness, his voice firm "We’ve a feeeks yet before I ht contrive For noe’ll keep the stones"

Last night I drea to h and suddenly realize that I didn’t have any flour Then I’d put the bread in pans and put it in the oven and realize that it hadn’t risen, and take it back out I’d knead it and knead it and then I’d be carrying it around in a bowl under a cloth, looking for a warm place to put it, because you have to keep it war frantic because I couldn’t find a war and the boas heavy and slippery and I thought I was going to drop it;nuer had pulled all the covers off and rolled hi in under the door I nudged hiet them loose and I didn’t want to ot er got up beforeand went out; I don’t think he noticed that he’d left me in the cold

77

A PACKAGE FROM LONDON

THE PACKAGE ARRIVED in August, by the good offices of Jethro Wainwright, one of the few itinerant peddlers with sufficient enterprise to ascend the steep and winding paths that led to the Ridge Red-faced and wheezing fro his donkey’s pack-fraered gratefully off toward the kitchen at rass in the yard

It was a small parcel, a box of some sort, sewn up carefully in oilskin and tied with twine for good measure It was heavy I shook it, but the only sound was a soft clunking, as though whatever lay within was padded The label read sie, the Carolinas"