As we entered the main hallway, the servants are lined up to pay their respects to their returning Laird. That would be me. Sadly, my lady, my intended, has her hands gripping my belt from behind and her face buried in my back making soft moaning noises all while dressed in a filthy whores dress, no shoes with twigs and leaves sticking from her hair. The servants will never stop talking about this, I can see it in their faces. I now realize what a mistake I have made. This is totally my fault and could have been prevented if I had only listened. Murtagh had suggested stopping in Broch Mordha for the night. Get cleaned up before arriving at Lallybroch.
"No" I had said. "We will press on and make Lallybroch before supper."
And here we are. Jenny madder than a wet cat at me and won't talk to Claire in a civil tone is all there is to show for my poor judgment. There is nothing I can do but hold my head up and muddle through this one servant at a time. I stop and remove my sword and sheath belt and place it on the table in the hall as is custom. Claire lets out a moan as she has to lift her head away from my back while I slip the strap off. I elect to keep my dirk and it's sheath in order to leave the belt; I don't want to distress Claire any more than I already have and taking off that belt would be a really bad idea right now. Little did I ken that not stopping in Broch Mordha would be the first of a long list of really bad ideas I would have before this days ended.
I walk down the short line of Lallybroch servants; the main house supports about half a dozen between the house, barn, animals and garden. I shake hands with the men, kiss some of the older staff, like Mrs. Crook that have been here since I was a bairn, and nod to the rest. Claire never lets go of my belt and never lifts her head to acknowledge any of them. At least she stops moaning while I talk. I keep walking until Claire and I are safely in the parlor and the door is closed. I walk to the fireplace and raise my arm. Claire comes around and buries her face in my chest and starts to sob. I can do nothing but hold her and stroke her hair. Finally she sighs. I ken she is worn out. What have I done?
I notice the room is silent. With Claire still in my arms I dance her around so that my back is to the fire and I can scan the room. I kiss the top of her head and look around. Murtagh is by the liquor table pouring himself a drink; I can safely guess it's not his first. I motion with my fingers for him to pour me one. I need it. Ian is sitting on the settee just watching Claire and I; our body language answers a great many of his questions, I ken. And Jenny, well, she is a Fraser working out a problem, so she is pacing. When she gets to the door, she stops and turns and her glare bores into Claire's back with such spite I almost want to turn Claire back around so that my body protects her from the look.
"Jenny," I start. "Jenny, you don't understand..." and I am cut off.
"Don't you dare 'Jenny' me, James Fraser," she starts and a new stramash begins or maybe it's an old one being continued. She starts walking toward me. I half turn to protect Claire and hold out my hand at arms length and point my finger at Jenny.
"Don't Jenny!" I say in a commanding tone. "That's enough on the subject for one day. Leave Claire alone. You've had your say. I clearly understand how you feel about My Sassenach." Claire starts to shake in my arms and I wrap one of my arms tightly around her and the other goes to the back of her head, turns her face away from Jenny and holds it against my chest as I begin to rock her. I look back at Jenny one more time and say "Enough!" Jenny stops in her tracks and looks to Ian for support. I look over at Ian as well. He looks from Jenny to me and back to Jenny. He then half turns to look at Murtagh, who is pouring himself another drink.
"I think maybe we could all use a dram or two as well," Ian says. "I think there is a bottle of one of Jared's in the cabinet above your head Murtagh. Why don't we all take a breath here. Relax and celebrate Jamie's return to Lallybroch with his intended and his godfather, aye? We can be cordial enough for that. We are family after all" and he raises an eyebrow a Jenny.
"Aye." is all she says in reply, lowers her glare at Claire and walks over to Murtagh to help with the drinks. When the four of us have one, Claire is quiet but not up to leaving the safety that my arms and chest provides her so does not have a drink, I raise my glass and say, "To Home and Family" and down my drink in one swallow.
'Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in' Claire whispers and nestles back into my chest. At least she has stopped shaking.
"I need another Murtagh," I say. "Would you pour me another?"
Murtagh walks over with the bottle and another glass. He fills mine to the rim and places a hand on Claire's back.
"Claire," He says as gently as I remember him speaking to my mother on her death bed. "Come lass. You are safe among friends and and family," and he turns and shoots Jenny a look. "I have a whiskey for you. Come and drink it. It will fortify you; help you feel better. Then perhaps Jamie can arrange a bath for you. You can get yourself cleaned up before supper, aye? Maybe someone can find you a clean dress to put on as well," and again he shoots Jenny a look.
Claire turns her head to look at Murtagh. And smiles at the mention of a bath. When did my godfather ken about my woman so well? If it was'na Murtagh, I'd be jealous.
Great. Another Stramash between Jenny and I when I tell Mrs. Crook that I want Claire's bath to be set up in the Laird's room; my bedroom. Claire needs a fire and her privacy, I try to explain. To say this upsets Jenny is like saying a storm is a mild breeze. I need to make this happen for Claire's sake. No one needs to see what Dougal has done to her body; she would have to explain and in her delicate condition right now, still healing from some of the damages, well I won't put her through that. The servants need to neither see or ken. It's like my back, only worse. No one here kens what Claire has been through, except Murtagh and I. And until Claire wants them to ken, they will ken nothing. Including Jenny.
I place Claire on the settee near Ian and turn to Jenny and we go at it again.
"I should na have to explain myself. Just make it happen." I say.
"I will'na have it and in our parent house! Father must be turn'n in his grave." Jenny says.
More shouting and arm waving and stomping and name calling until Jenny and I are nose to nose again. Everybody is trying to stop us from killing each other. No one notices Claire is gone; she is no longer sitting on the settee. It is only when wee Jamie pulled on his mam's skirt asking why the lady is sit'n on the floor in the corner that we stop shouting at each other.
"What lady? Where?" she asks as she kneels down to look wee Jamie in the eye.
"Over there," he replies and points by the big chair in the corner of the room.
I turn and notices Claire is no longer seated on the sofa where I left her to press my position with Jenny concerning Claire's bathing arrangements. I walk, following wee Jamie's finger, and find Claire behind the chair, sitting on the floor, curled into a ball, hands over her ears and shaking like a leaf. I look down at her, blow out air out of my lungs, place my hand on the back of my head and close my eyes. I need to calm down. I cannot approach Claire angry. It always scares her when I am upset. I take a couple of deep breaths and then kneel on the floor facing her. I slowly and gently reach out and stroke her nose with my index finger. She raises her head and turns it until her eyes rest on mine. She drops her hands and wraps them around her knees and I place my hand on her jaw.
"I'm so sorry Claire. I should not have yelled," I whisper to her. "Jenny and I just go at each other sometimes. That's the second time today, aye? I forget ya do not ken that. It won't happen again. Come to me," and I sit on the floor near her, lean against the wall and hold open my arms. Claire scoots across the floor the short distance and into my embrace. I spread my legs, pull her in close and wrap my arms around her. I started to rock her using my body to create the movement. I stroke her hair and whisper things to her in Gaelic. I am not really sure who is soothing who at this point. It is like there is no one else in the room but the two of us and we touch and calm each other.
Ian watches and then turns to Jenny and says "I've known you and Jamie since we were wee bairn, and I have never seen Jamie that gentle with anyone or anything, not even a new foal."
No one says a word. Jenny and Ian just stand there. Staring. Jenny, finally breaks the silence. Taking wee Jamie by the hand, she said "lets go find Mrs. Crook and see if she has a bannock for ya. You were such a big help finding the English lady for us. I need to tell Mrs. Crook to set up the English lady's bath in your Uncle Jamie's room. Would you like to ask her for me?" and they leave heading for the kitchen.
When my wife Jenny finally returns, I note that Claire is sitting in the chair by the window with a small dram of whiskey in her hand. When Claire sees Jenny, Claire places the glass on the table next to her and slowing rises from the chair, moves to Jamie and grabs his belt, never taking her eyes off my wife. Jamie and Murtagh are trying to explain something to to me but I am no longer listening. When Claire touches Jamie, Jamie stops mid sentence, turning all of his attention to Claire and her needs. Even Murtagh does it to a certain extent. I shake my head in disbelief. What I am seeing does not make sense but I choose not to say anything to Jamie at this time. That's twice today I have witnessed both men protect Claire. Why is she so fragile I wonder? Then Jamie takes his hand and tucks Claire's hair behind her ear and I see the bruising for the first time. I have never been this close to Claire since their arrival and her hair has always been loose about her face, never up like Jenny's, so her face is covered. Jamie moves his hand to her cheek and I see the marks on her neck. Knife wounds, several of them. And not just nicks, some are fairly deep cuts, and all in various stages of healing. One runs across her throat but up high under her chin so I never noticed it. When Claire raises her hand to place it on top of Jamie's, I notices what look like rope burns on her wrist. Jesus. What has happened to her? No wonder Jamie is so protective of her. Jamie will tell Jenny when he is ready. Or maybe when Claire is ready, aye?
The stramash starts up again when Claire will not let Jamie leave the room when she goes up to take a bath and Jamie supports Claire's decision. Claire absolutely refuses to let Jenny or any of the servants anywhere near her and when Jamie was made to leave the room, Claire hooked her hand in his belt and would not let go. Jamie stays or Claire will not bathe; she will stink and remain in the filthy whores dress my wife absolutely hates looking at by now. The issue is settled with compromise. Jamie ends up sitting in a chair right next to the tub, blindfolded. Jamie's hand must be on the tub at all times. My wife is livid. If Jamie is there then she is not leaving either. Her brothers honor will not be questioned. That is the compromise. Jenny, God love her, tells me Claire would not allow my wife anywhere near her. Jenny was made to sit in a chair by the door. When she started to get up to help Claire with her stays, Claire immediately went to Jamie, who put his arm protectively around Claire while she was in this state of undressed and in no uncertain terms told Jenny if she made a move toward Claire, without Claire's consent, he would remove the blindfold. And then Jamie proceeded to undo Claire's laces for her by feel. The look on Jenny's face when she told me the story that night in bed was of shock and disbelief. That is when Jenny confirmed my suspicions.
When Jenny saw the cuts. She said they were all over Claire's body but the odd ones were the ones on her lower back. Four lines and then a diagonal one over the four, a mark like you would make if you counting in groups of five. Almost two rows of them Jenny said and they were all in various stages of healing. She said some looked like burns on her arms and others on her wrists and ankles looked like she had been bound. And then there was her face...
Someone held Claire against her will, of that I am sure. Bound, beat and tortured her. Who? And why? What part did Jamie and Murtagh play in all of this? Claire is not afraid of either of them so they must have freed or found her. I ken Jamie too well; he would never harm Claire or any woman that way. I need to know if whoever did that to Claire is following them, and might find their way to Lallybroch and my family. Jamie, Murtagh and I would need to have a discussion. Sooner rather than later.
Jenny and I manage civility at dinner, though conversation was scarce and stays on neutral discussion topics. Mostly about how Lallybroch is faring. Jenny had borrowed a cleaner frock for Claire from one of the servants. I will give Jenny the benefit of the doubt on this one, that it is not a personal affront on Claire's character. Claire sits next to me and just sort of pushes her food around on her plate, not eating much and then finally just gave up pretending, sets her folk down and lays her head against my arm. She tries to put her hand on my leg but the ever watchful Jenny clicks her tongue and Claire sighs, removes her hand and places on the table where Jenny can see it.
And just as we are all head to bed for the night, the last stramach is the sleeping arrangements. I am unclear as to where Jamie thought my wife would allow Claire to sleep but I am quite sure Jamie should have ken it was not going to be in the Laird's room with him. We all came up the stairs to the second floor. Jamie, of course was in the Laird's room. Jenny had our things moved out once we ken Jamie was staying. There are four bedrooms on this floor. Murtagh was given the one right next to Jamie. Before Jenny could even say Claire's room would be on the third floor with the servants, which I knew was not going to end well, Jamie opened the door to his room and held it for Claire to enter first.
My wife went loon. And when my wife stops screaming long enough to take a breath, God love him, Jamie tries to explain.
"Jenny, Claire needs me..." was all Jamie got out before my wife was in his face and poking his chest with her finger and then she makes the mistake of grabbing Claire's arm and trying to pull her from her hiding spot behind Jamie. I have never heard a sound like the one that comes out of Claire; a dying animal is all that comes to mind. I never wish to hear it again. We all freeze. No one moves. Claire manages to free herself from Jenny's grip and runs down the stairs, still making that same sound. We hear fumbling with the front door, but the house is locked for the night. Without keys Claire would not be able to open any of the doors and Jenny has the keys. We hear the door to the kitchen open and Claire is now pounding on that outside door. Same thing. Jenny has the key. Then there is quiet. Not a sound. And then the patter of bare feet running across the floors. Various doors opening and closing. Then quiet again.
Jamie shoots Jenny a look and holds out his hand for the keys. Jenny reaches into her skirt pocket and hands them to him. He walks into the Laird's room and almost immediately comes right back out carrying the quilt and pillow from his bed. He walks right passed us. "Good Night Family," Jamie says as he walks down the stairs to the first floor to find Claire.
We find them the next morning, in the parlor on the floor in front of the fire with a quilt covering them. They are fully clothed, except Jamie has removed his boots, socks and jacket. They are sound asleep in each others arms.