We ride into the front yard of what I guess to be Lallybroch. Chickens scatter and the penned goats start 'maaahing' in greeting to us. Jamie dismounts and leads Donas to the hitching post and ties him there. He raises a hand, full faced to me, telling me to wait there and he takes Blue and ties him to the post as well. There is a sudden flurry of activity by the house. The front door flies open and out comes a woman about my age, maybe a little older, with black hair pinned high up on her head, extremely pregnant and wiping her hands on her apron. A small brown haired boy, follows close behind, holding onto her skirts for dear life. He looks to be about two years old. The woman puts her hand to her forehead, almost like a salute, to shade her eyes from the sun so she can see who had ridden in.

"Jamie!" She screams and comes running down the steps, holding the lads hand so he does not fall since he will not relinquish his hold on her skirt. She practically leaps into Jamie's arms or rather would have if she had not been so heavy with child. She places her hand on his face when they separate and says, "it's good to finally see ya brathair. Did they not have paper and ink where ya were? Not a word in almost four years." And she cuffs him on the ear. She turns and screams "Murtagh, ya auld dog. Come here and give me a hug." Murtagh dismounts and kisses her briefly on the cheek and ruffles the hair on the lads head.

"Oh, wee Jamie," the woman says kneeling down to the boy, "this is your uncle, the one you are named after," and she turns and looks up at Jamie. "Jamie," she says standing and looking him straight in the eye, "this is my son, your name sake…" and the first of several loud volatile arguments ensues. Jamie and Jenny are in each others faces screaming and yelling and waving arms and flapping hands. I have quiet a view from up on Donas where I am safely still perched. The first night at Castle Leoch, while I tended to his shoulder wound, Jamie had told me the story of how Black Jack Randall had raped his sister when the British soldiers had come to pillage Lallybroch while their father had been away. Jamie's efforts to protect Jenny had earned him a one way trip to Fort Williams and two hundred lashes on his back with a 'cat o' nine tails'. He had been freed from Fort Williams by friends and placed on a ship to France where he had met up with a friend, Ian Murray, and they had worked as mercenaries for almost two years.

A pleasant looking man, with the same color hair as the little boy comes through the front entrance we had just ridden through and into the yard while Jamie and Jenny are still going at it pretty strong. He stops, watches and listens as the two sling insults back and forth then looks up at me. He smiled nods his head. As he walks forward I notice he is missing his right leg from just below the knee and has a prosthetic made of wood to replace it. It is wonderfully crafted. Someone has even carved an attached cane on the outside edge that extends up to his hip which allows him more support and easement while walking.

When he reaches Murtagh, he places a hand on Murtagh's shoulder and asks, "So how long have they been going at each other?"

Murtagh replies, "Not long. Neither has killed the other, which is a good sign, aye?"

Ian then walks back to Donas to stand by me, looks up and says, "Hello there. You are quite pretty. My name is Ian Murray. Who might you be?"

"Claire," I say. "Do they always fight like that?" nodding my head in Jamie and Jenny's direction.

"Well, yes and no," Ian replies. "They are brother and sister and love each other fiercely. They have not seen each other in quite awhile and I expect they are working out a few things. Do you ken what this particular discussion is about?"

"Well yes," I answer. "It seems Jamie is worried about Black Jack Randall fathering wee Jamie. Which, as anyone can plainly see, it is quite clear that Black Jack Randall is not little Jamie's father."

"Oh? Really? Quite clear how?" Ian asks. By this time Murtagh has come over and joined us.

"Well, Jenny is dark haired and so is Black Jack Randall." I state matter of factly. "One of wee Jamie's parents would have to have brown hair genes to produce wee Jamie's hair color. Clearly the child's father would have to have hair close to the same color as wee Jamie as we can see Jenny's is black. We are looking for a man with medium brown hair color with perhaps some blonde highlights. Like, say, you perhaps. You would not happen to be wee Jamie's father by any chance, would you?" I simply ask. Not needing to wait for an answer I say, "Jamie," and then nothing more...

Jenny turns her full attention to me, looking as if she had not noticed my presents until I spoke. She looks up at me, still perched on Donas, and stops screaming at Jamie mid sentence. She begins to look me over – from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Her eyes start at my face, linger and take it all in, so much so that I raise my hands to my face to feel for the worms and toads that certainly must be there. Her eyes then rest on my hair and my hands instinctively go there to try and smooth the chaotic birds nest with no luck. I do manage to remove several twigs and leaves while she watches. She clicks her teeth and then proceeds to scan downward until she gets to my bodice's neckline. "Oh shit," I whisper quietly and place an open hand over my well displayed bosom. Her eyes pop back up and our eyes lock. Not good, I think to myself. This is not a good first impression. Jamie will be furious with me. Her eyes narrow and she quickly shoots a look at Jamie then back to me. Starting back at my chest, she makes her way down to my exhibited lower calf and ankle and my extremely dirty and very bare feet. There is no hope. I can see it in her face, I have no hope of winning her over; her face clearly tells me there is no chance in hell I will ever have her brother, even as angry as she is with him at present. She then sees Ian standing next to me and her face softens for a microsecond the returns to staring daggers at me. Well, at least she is no longer mad at Jamie. Maybe.

Ian walks forward with his arm extended and says, "Ya still ken how to make an entrance mo brathair. Is Claire with you then?" he asks. "Bonnie, very bonnie indeed," he comments and smiles.

Jamie says, "Ian," smiles and grabs Ian's shoulder and gives it a shake. "It is wonderful to see ya. Ya've met Claire then have ya? Bonnie, aye that she is". He looks up at me, still smiling, raises his arms and helps me down from Donas. We turn to face Jenny. Jamie puts his arm around me and pulls me in close as I try desperately to smooth my hair and then wipe my sweating palms down the front of my dress, which I just notice is filthy. I grab at the dress's neckline and try desperately to make it cover more of my chest, which of course, it doesn't.

"Jenny," Jamie starts. "I'd like ya to meet Claire. My intended. Claire Beauchamp, I'd like you to meet my sister Janet Fraser Murray". And my wee idiot, Jamie, stands there beaming ear to ear expecting Jenny and I to run into each others arms, kiss, hug, cry and start chattering like we were old school chums. Instead we both stand there, stiffly, just staring at each other. Or rather I stare, Jenny glares.

I start to back up and step behind Jamie, never taking my eyes off Jenny. My hand slips behind his back and I finger for his belt. My fingers find it and slowly grasp it. Tightly.

Ian tries to break the ice by stating, "What were you and Jamie going on about then? Claire says it's about wee Jamie's father."

"Ohhh, Claire says," Jenny mimics Ian. "On a first name basis with the whore then are ya? She works a room fairly quick, I'll say that for her," and she shoots me a really dirty look.

Jamie steps up to Jenny and leans into her face and firmly and with as much control as he can muster says to her, "I'll ask ya to speak civil about Claire. She is to be my wife. 'Don't judge, least ye be judged', Jenny."

Jenny looks like she is about to explode.

"Don't be starting a new stramash when you have not even finished the first one, mo chridhe," Ian says calmly and walks next to Jenny, puts his arm around her and then says to Jamie, "I am wee Jamie's father, as your Claire can plainly tell you," and Ian winks at me. "I am also the father of this bairn and he rubs his wife's belly. Due almost any time now."

"And before you open your mouth, ya dolt of a brathair, we are properly wed," Jenny says. "Almost three years now" and shoots yet another dagger filled glare at Claire.

Jamie smiles one of his big beautiful smiles. Jamie shakes Ian's hand and claps him on the shoulder again. He then turns to Jenny and kicks at the dirt a little. "I am sorry. Truly." he starts. "it's just that I had heard that after Randall had..."

Jenny puts a hand to his mouth to stop him from finishing. "Aye, I clearly understand what you thought. Though why," she stops and glances around the yard and says, "I think we can finish this conversation another time, in a more private place, aye? Why don't we go inside? For refreshments. You look as though you could use a wash and a change of clothes before supper as well. That is, if you have a change of clothes" she adds looking directly at Claire.

Claire, makes a quiet groan and immediately steps completely behind me, grabbing my belt with both hands. Murtagh notices and grabs the saddlebags and hands me Claire's and mine and we head inside. Claire, with a death grip on the back of my belt and her forehead buried in my back, follows right behind me. This is not good.