27 November, 1769

Cross Creek, North Carolina

ARCHIE POV

Archie and Geordie were finishing up making Auntie Jocasta's purchases at Mr. McCullough's general store for a grand dinner that would be happening in a few days. As Archie was counting out money to pay Mr. McCullough, the fair-haired man cleared his throat. "How's yer sister?" he asked Archie, who glanced up at him with a perplexed expression.

"Maevis?" he asked him, knowing Auntie Jocasta had forced Maevis to speak with Mr. McCullough at the dinner.

"No, yer other sister," said Mr. McCullough.

"Brèagha?" Archie asked him, wondering when Mr. McCullough had had the chance to meet her. Brèagha hadn't been allowed out of the house in weeks, and Mr. McCullough hadn't been to River Run in some time.

"Er, no. Caoimhe," said Mr. McCullough.

"Caoimhe?" Archie asked her. "Oh, she's no' my sister, she's my cousin."

"Ah, her surname is 'Fowlis', isnae it, Mr. Fraser?" Mr. McCullough asked him.

"Aye," Archie replied. "Caoimhe's all right. She's been busy wi' my sisters, of course. Ye find her interestin'?"

"Huh? Oh…" said Mr. McCullough, clearly caught off guard, and Archie chuckled and patted the young man's shoulder.

"I wish ye luck, a charaid. Caoimhe's a tough one te catch," Archie told him with amusement. "Say, why dinnae ye come te dinner? It'll be three days from now, on the thirtieth. I'm sure Caoimhe would be glad te see ye."

"If-if yer aunt is all right wi' it," said Mr. McCullough a bit awkwardly.

"She'd invite Lucifer himself were he a potential suitor fer Caoimhe," Archie told him. "I'll be glad te see ye there, Mr. McCullough!" With that said, Archie left the store, meeting Geordie by the wagon.

"All's w-well, sir?" Geordie asked him as Archie counted the remaining money.

"Aye, all's set fer Thursday," said Archie. He glanced up briefly at the Underwood Bank, where Clara could be seen standing outside along with her parents, young Mr. Ainsley and George Underwood himself. The fool looked just shy of a dandy as he boasted loudly about the good fortune he had come into, and Archie scowled as he forced himself to turn away and face the wagon.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

"Oh, b-but I thought you said we could p-pay a visit to the cobbler! My shoe's gone all barmy!" said Geordie, looking down at his shoe and then uncontrollably kicking the wagon. "Agh!"

"Right, right, the cobbler. Hop up and we'll go and then we really need te be gettin' back te River Run," Archie told him, and they both climbed up onto the wagon and made their way to the cobbler. The cobbler's shop looked a bit run down, and inside the shop, it looked bare, as if the cobbler was going out of business.

"I'll be right wi' ye!" called the cobbler from the back when he heard the bell, and Geordie let out a soft sigh as he looked around him.

"Spiders all aboot," he said with a twitch. "'Tis a shame. My f-father said Mr. Abernath-nathy had come across hard times."

"Is he goin' out of business?" Archie asked him.

"Seems to be," Geordie replied. "He'll b-b-be out of here soon, I imagine. Mr. Underwood c-called in his debts, and it c-cost Mr. Abernathy everything."

"Called in his debts, aye? Te pay fer his big ostentatious weddin'? Who the hell does the man think he is? The prince of Persia?" Archie asked, looking around with anger now directed at Mr. Underwood.

"I do keep my opinions of Mr. Underwood te myself, but I dare say tha' I share yer sentiments, Mr. Fraser," said Mr. Abernathy, who was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper brown hair and spectacles resting on his nose. He was also a Scot, imprisoned after Culloden and sent over sometime in the 1750s. "How can I help ye, gentlemen?"

"Geordie's got a wonky shoe," Archie explained as Geordie removed his shoe and handed it to Mr. Abernathy.

"Wonky shoe! Wonky-wonky shoe! Aye, sir. The sole's come loose and my t-toes are freezing!" Geordie told him. "Ice for toes! Don't lose a toe!"

"Ah, so I see. I'll have tha' fixed right up fer ye, Geordie," said Mr. Abernathy. "Though ye'll have te find another cobbler te cater te yer needs. Not all of us have the patience fer a lad who uncontrollably kicks things." He was being sarcastic, and Geordie's cheeks turned pink.

"Have ye sold yer shop yet, Mr. Abernathy?" Geordie asked him.

"I must be out on the thirtieth," said Mr. Abernathy as he picked up a hammer and some small nails meant for mending a shoe. "Mr. Underwood intends te turn this buildin' into offices. Thirteen years, I've been here. My Maggie worked here wi' me, may God rest her soul. This shop has put food in the bellies of my girls fer all that time and now, it'll be offices fer bleedin' bankers."

"Aye, shoes are more important than bankers," said Archie

"Bleedin' bankers are wankers!" cried Geordie, and Archie chuckled softly.

"Couldnae have said it better myself, Geordie," he replied, and then an idea dawned on him. "Mr. Abernathy… Fraser's Ridge is in need of a cobbler."

"Aye?" asked Mr. Abernathy, pausing in his work as he looked up at Archie.

"Aye. We do the best we can, but we dinnae ken shoes as ye do, sir," Archie told him. "I'll be returnin' te the Ridge after Hogmanay wi' my cousin te check on the tenants. I'd be honoured if ye'd accompany us and consider settlin' on the Ridge."

"Farmin', is it? I'm no good at farmin', and I've heard of the corruption of tax collectors. 'Twas the taxes tha' made me sell te Underwood in the firs' place. I dinnae ken if such a plight is better te face than the devils here," Mr. Abernathy told him.

"We'd protect ye," Archie told him. "And no, ye wouldnae be farmin'. We've plenty of farmers. We've a… village, fer lack of a better word. We've got a baker, a blacksmith, carpenters… All tha' work and no cobbler te mend our shoes. Ye'd get ten acres, if ye'd like, or ye can settle in one of the cabins tha's already been built. Rent is affordable, and I promise ye'd make good coin servin' as our cobbler. As I've said, God kens we need a man who kens how te repair shoes."

"Aye… I am grateful fer yer offer. I dinnae ken how I'll support my girls now. I'd have te leave Cross Creek, otherwise… And if ye've need of a cobbler, well… I suppose I'd be a fool te refuse ye," said Mr. Abernathy, a small smile forming on his face. "I'll accept yer offer, sir, and be glad te accompany ye, though I dinnae ken how I shall afford te live here until then." Archie reached into the pocket of his coat and placed a small sack of coins on the counter, and Mr. Abernathy's eyes widened. "Oh, Mr. Fraser, I couldnae…"

"Yer a settler on the Ridge now, Mr. Abernathy, and our settlers are our kin. We take care of our kin. Ye can pay us back in yer services te the Ridge and we'll be glad of it," Archie told him.

"I dinnae ken how te thank ye fer yer kindness, Mr. Fraser," said Mr. Abernathy, clearly in awe of Archie's actions.

"A good pair of boots is thanks enough. I do love my mother dearly, but she couldnae repair shoes if her life depended on it," said Archie with a chuckle of amusement.


30 November, 1769

River Run, North Carolina

MAEVIS POV

"We'll have te really hide yer belly now, Miss Maevis," said Phaedra as she adjusted the dress over Maevis's growing belly. It was much bigger than it had been at the last gathering, which had been nearly a month before. Now, it was fairly obvious that Maevis was pregnant. She was five months pregnant at this point, and with every passing day, Maevis became more and more nervous for the birth - especially after learning some frightening news from Caoimhe.

"I hear… two heartbeats, I think?" Caoimhe had said when she had been examining Maevis earlier that morning.

"Are ye sure ye dinnae hear hers?" Brèagha asked a bit snidely, more poking fun at Caoimhe, but the sneer on her face held some amusement at the suffering Maevis would inevitably endure with two babies.

"No, this is a wee bit faster. Auntie Cat said a bairn's heartbeat in the womb is near… a hundred and ten and a hundred and sixty beats per minute, and I think I'm countin' somewhere between tha' fer this second one… I think it's twins, Maevis," Caoimhe told her, and Maevis felt faint.

"Twins," Maevis repeated quietly. "Twins?"

"Aye, twins," Caoimhe said with a soft smile. "I'm a twin, too. 'Tis good luck te have twins."

"Didn't your mother almost die having you and your brother?" Maevis asked her with a frightened tone.

"Well, yer mother saved her, but…" Caoimhe's face froze, and then fell a little when she realised what she was about to say. "Oh… Er… Dinnae fash, Maevis. I… I have plans fer everra situation. Auntie Cat gave me verra detailed instructions aboot what te do in case of a placental abruption or a prolapsed cord or-"

"Please stop!" Maevis exclaimed with fright. "Please, just… I-I can't listen to this right now." Maevis got up off the bed and nervously paced the room a bit, her hands resting on her belly. She had wondered why her belly was so much larger than Brèagha's, who apparently was just as far along as Maevis was, and she had also felt more fluttering in her belly, which was explained by two babies instead of one.

"Miss Maevis?" It was Phaedra's voice, drawing Maevis out of her mind and back into the present. "Are ye well, Miss Maevis?"

"Um… Yeah," Maevis said a bit meekly. "Yeah, I… I'm fine."

"Tha's good. Miss Jo's invited a Lord te dinner tonight. She'd not want ye unwell," said Phaedra, and Maevis scoffed a little.

"A Lord, huh?" she asked, a slightly irritated expression on her face. Who was Jocasta going to try and marry her off to now?

"Miss Ginnie! Miss Ginnie, come back!" exclaimed the nanny that Jocasta had hired - or rather, bought - to care for Ginnie while they were staying. Maevis looked at the door to find a giddy and giggling Ginnie running away from the nanny, who was called Mamie, and crawling under Maevis's skirts. "Misss Ginnie! That ain't polite!"

"It's all right, Mamie," said Maevis with an amused chuckle, and she lifted her skirts a little and bent down to pick up Ginnie, which was a struggle with her growing belly. "And how are you today, Ginnie?"

"Happy!" said Ginnie, clapping her little hands. 'Happy' had become her favourite word as of late.

"I'm glad! Now, are you giving poor Mamie a hard time?" Maevis asked her sister, and Ginnie's face fell a little.

"No," she said meekly, and Maevis giggled a little.

"You have to be nice to Mamie. She's taking excellent care of you," Maevis told her sister. "Mama wouldn't be very happy if she knew you were misbehaving, would she?"

"Mama? Where Mama?" asked Ginnie, looking around for her mother. At first, she had thought Maevis was their mother, but when she realised that the most stark difference between Maevis and Mama was Maevis's lack of glasses, she learned quickly that they were not the same person. Maevis's face fell a little when she remembered that Mama wasn't there, and it made the nervous butterflies come back.

"She… She'll be back soon, Ginnie. I promise," Maevis told her a bit sadly. "And we'll go home again soon, and then you'll be an aunt. Won't that be exciting?"

"No wanna be ant! Gross!" little Ginnie cried, referring to the insect, and Maevis laughed.

"Not an ant, silly. An aunt. An aunt is the sister of a mommy or a daddy," Maevis told her. "And you know that Bree and I have babies in our bellies, right?"

"Baby," repeated Ginnie, and Maevis took her little hand and rested it against her swollen belly.

"Yes, in there," Maevis told her, and little Ginnie's eyes widened.

"Baby," she said again, and then she looked up at Maevis. "I baby!"

"For now, yes, but soon, you're going to be a big girl," Maevis told her.

"No want," said Ginnie, crossing her arms and pouting.

"You don't want to be a big girl? But then you can never do big girl things like… like dance at parties, or join us for dinners while we're visiting Auntie Jo," Maevis told her.

"Want! Want!" Ginnie cried, and Maevis chuckled a little.

"That's what I thought," said Maevis. "For now, why don't you go with Mamie and she'll read to you like I do?"

"Oh… I can't read, Miss Maevis," said Mamie rather matter-of-factly, as it was supposed to be common knowledge that slaves couldn't read.

"Right," said Maevis with a soft sigh. "Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?"

"But Miss Maevis, it's illegal te teach a slave te read," Phaedra said to her with concern.

"If Mamie's to teach Ginnie anything, then she needs to know how to read," Maevis told her. "We just… won't tell anyone. Right?" She looked between Phaedra and Mamie, who exchanged an awkward look.

"Very well, but I want te learn te read, too," said Phaedra to Maevis, who smiled.

"Then starting tomorrow, our lessons begin," she said with pride.

"Come along, Miss Ginnie," said Mamie, and Maevis set Ginnie down so she could go off with Mamie, and Maevis sighed.

"It's horrible that you can't learn how to read. It should be a basic human right," she said to Phaedra.

"We aren't considered human, Miss," said Phaedra as she finished adjusting Maevis's dress, which was pretty and elegant, but only that. "There. Ye look beautiful, Miss Maevis."

"Beautiful enough for a Lord?" Maevis teased. She supposed she did look beautiful enough, but whether or not she looked prettier than Brèagha, well… That seemed impossible. When she met Brèagha at the top of the stairs, she was taken aback by Brèagha's beauty. She was glowing - it seemed that pregnancy glow was a real thing - and looked like a goddess. Her red curls were up in a beautiful Grecian style and her dress was what Maevis recognised as a robe à l'Anglaise, with a seamless pleated piece of fabric going down her back almost like a cape. The dress itself was a light seafoam colour with a golden leaf and vine pattern - much more beautiful than Maevis's simple yellow dress. Around her neck were the Scottish pearls that their father had given their mother on their wedding day. "Wow… You look… so beautiful, Brèagha. As always, of course."

"Thank ye," said Brèagha a bit softly, turning to look back down at the stairs. "Auntie Jocasta says she's invited a Lord…"

"So I've heard," said Maevis with a soft sigh. "She's dressed you up like a princess. I imagine she'll try to marry you off to him."

"I thought the same," said Brèagha, wringing her hands. "Can we switch dresses? I'd like te look plainer." Maevis scoffed a little.

"Bree, I have no boobs. You couldn't fit in my dress," she replied with slight amusement. "Just tell them you're married already."

"I tried tha'. It didnae deter Mr. Forbes," said Brèagha, and then she huffed. "Why cannae I just be left alone? Why must Auntie meddle so?"

"Because she's a Mackenzie, according to Murtagh," said Maevis. "Come on, it'll be all right. I'll make sure you're not alone with anyone." She offered her hand to Brèagha, who first looked at it with a strange expression before hesitantly taking her sister's hand. Maevis tucked Brèagha's hand against her arm and the two of them began to make their way down the stairs.

"Your nieces have come down the stairs, Mistress," Ulysses said to Jocasta, who had positioned herself by the stairs, and she smiled.

"Ah, wonderful," she said, holding out a hand to them. "Come, girls. I wish te introduce ye te our verra special guest." Maevis could see the man standing next to her, and he looked up at the two of them and seemed a bit taken aback by their appearances.

"Goodness," the man muttered in an English accent. "They certainly are the daughters of their parents."

"Indeed they are," said Jocasta proudly. "My Lord, may I introduce ye te my nieces, Brèagha and Maevis Fraser. Girls, may I present Lord John Grey."

"A pleasure to finally meet you both," said Lord Grey, approaching the two girls and kissing each of their hands. "My… You really do look exactly like your mother, Miss…"

"I'm Maevis, and this is Brèagha," said Maevis to Lord Grey.

"Lord Grey, I didnae ken it would be you," said Brèagha, smiling a little. "'Tis wonderful te see ye again."

"My goodness, Miss Fraser. You have grown into quite a beautiful woman, you have," said Lord John, seemingly charmed with Brèagha's appearance, as every man was, though somehow, this charm didn't seem the same as it did with others.

"Ye are acquainted with my niece, Lord Grey?" Jocasta asked him curiously.

"Indeed," said Lord Grey. "Miss Fraser and I met when she was just a child. I had gone to Barra to fetch Archie to his father in England. They were working as grooms on an estate. I had met Miss Fraser while I was there."

"I see," said Jocasta, clearly bothered by Da having worked as a groom in England.

"You truly are a beautiful young woman, Miss Fraser," said Lord Grey, and then he looked at Maevis. "You both are very beautiful young women."

"They are indeed," said Jocasta, already scheming.

"Ah. Mistress Cameron, may I introduce my companion, the Marquis Jean-Luc Beauchamp?" said Lord Grey, stepping aside to refer to a man standing behind Lord Grey, and he stepped forward to accept Jocasta's offered hand and kiss it.

"Bonsoir, Madame," said the man in French.

"Oh, good evenin' te ye as well, sir," said Jocasta to him kindly.

"My wife, Marchioness Nicolette Beauchamp," said Marquis Beuchamp, referring to the beautiful middle-aged woman beside him.

"Bonsoir, Madame," said Marchioness Beauchamp, curtsying to Jocasta.

"My daughters. Bernadette, Marielle and Aurélie," said the Marquis, referring to three beautiful girls. The oldest, dressed in teal, had reddish-brown hair and was referred to as Bernadette. The second was brown-haired like her mother and was dressed in violet, - this was Marielle. The third, fair-haired and dressed in pale pink, was Aurélie.

"Your niece and nephew, Mistress," Ulysses said softly to Jocasta, and Maevis turned to see Archie descending the stairs with Caoimhe on his arm.

"Lord John!" Archie exclaimed, letting out a jolly laugh and letting go of Caoimhe to greet Lord Grey with a firm handshake.

"Archie! How wonderful to see you! It has certainly been quite some time, hasn't it?" Lord Grey said with happy laughter.

"Aye, two years too long, a charaid," said Archie.

"Caoimhe, wonderful to see you again. You are looking much better since our last meeting," said Lord Grey to Caoimhe, who smiled.

"Aye, and ye are as well," said Caoimhe. "Upon our last meetin', we both had the measles."

"A vile illness. I had it when I was a lad," Archie, scrunching up his nose.

"Aye, I recall. I did, as well," said Brèagha, still feeling awkward, but feeling more comfortable now that Archie and Caoimhe had joined them.

"I can't say the same," said Maevis, who had been vaccinated against the measles when she was younger. Shit, would her babies have protection against the measles since she had been vaccinated? Brèagha elbowed her lightly, and Maevis realised that she had unconsciously rested her hand on her belly.

"Who're yer friends?" Archie asked, changing the tone of the conversation, and he offered a hand to the Marquis. "Archie Fraser, sir. I'm an auld friend of Lord John's."

"Marquis Jean-Luc Beauchamp," said the Marquis, shaking his hand. "Ma femme, Marchioness Nicolette Beauchamp, and mes filles, Bernadette, Marielle and Aurélie." Each of the three girls curtsied to Archie, and Archie bowed politely to him.

"A pleasure te meet ye all. Yer all verra bonny lassies," said Archie, and the two younger girls giggled behind their fans.

"Les filles, arrêtez," Marchioness Beauchamp said to her daughters, who stopped giggling. Maevis didn't speak French, but only guessed that the Marchioness had asked them to stop.

"Shall we join our other guests in the parlour?" Jocasta asked.


ARCHIE POV

Archie was enjoying a glass of port when he noticed Miss Bernadette Beauchamp standing off on her own, watching as her younger sisters were fawning over the young Mr. Ainsley, Oliver Severs and Mr. McCullough. They were the youngest bachelors that had been invited to Auntie Jocasta's gathering - Geordie, once again, was not present, likely due to his condition.

"Good evenin', Miss Beauchamp," said Archie, approaching Miss Beauchamp, who startled a little.

"Bonsoir, Monsieur Fraser," said Miss Beauchamp, curtsying a little to him.

"You don't have to do that to me. I am very casual," said Archie to her in French, and her cheeks turned a little pink, but she nodded. "Tell me, what is a French Marquis doing here in the middle of North Carolina?"

"It is a… long story," Miss Beauchamp replied. "My father was in King Louis XVI's court and was a trusted man. Another man, Viscount de LaVerne, envied my father's position. We believe he started a rumour about an affair between the Queen and my father. The King banned him from court and exiled our family. We have no home, but Lord Grey has offered us shelter in his."

"Christ," said Archie. "So you are a family of displaced Nobles. Lord John certainly is a good man who will always offer his hand in friendship."

"My mother says he is unmarried," said Bernadette.

"He's a widower," said Archie, sighing softly as he thought of poor Isobel. "Last year. She died at sea."

"Quelle horreur," said Miss Beauchamp. "He is a very kind man."

"Indeed he is," said Archie, pausing when he saw Clara walk into the parlour on the arm of Mr. Underwood. Miss Beauchamp spoke again, but Archie didn't hear her - he was too distracted by how beautiful she looked. Her olive skin glowed beneath the candlelight, and her dark brown hair was done up in a beautiful style with a single tendril of hair laying against her shoulder. She was dressed in a robe á l'Anglaise that was dark green with lace cuffs and a beautiful big floral pattern on it.

"I see," said Miss Beauchamp suddenly, drawing Archie's attention back to her. "You think she is beautiful."

"Huh?" Archie asked, and Miss Beauchamp referred to Clara.

"The English rose. You think she is beautiful," she repeated.

"Oh… Aye, I do," Archie said to her softly. "But she's engaged."

"I see. It is painful to see your love with another," said Miss Beauchamp. "You only hope he dies, and she becomes widowed."

"I most certainly would not wish something such as that on the man. It isn't kind," Archie told her a bit firmly, but she only chuckled.

"British are so… stoic. They are without passion," said Miss Beauchamp. "What is love without wishing harm on the one who took your love?"

"Begging your pardon, Miss, but I need to check on my sisters," Archie said to her, bowing as politely as he could, and then he walked away from her. "Bleedin' French," he muttered in English. Right, steer clear of Bernadette Beauchamp.

"Yer daughters are all near the ages of my three unmarrit nephews," he overheard Jocasta saying. "One fer each, perhaps?" The Marquis and Marchioness laughed, and Archie rolled his eyes as he continued on into the next room. In that room were his sisters, who were speaking to the Forbeses and the Alderdyces.

"Ah, Mr. Fraser!" said Miss Forbes, another woman who made Archie's skin crawl, and he smiled politely at her.

"Good evenin', Miss Forbes. Excuse me," he said, and he caught Maevis's curious eye as he left that room and went into the corridor. Shortly after, he was joined by Maevis.

"You look upset," she said to him, and Archie scoffed lightly.

"Is it obvious?" he asked, and Maevis laughed lightly.

"A bit," she said. "What's the matter?"

"Fer one, tha' Bernadette Beauchamp is a harlot," said Archie, still taken aback by what she had said. "And secondly… how can I not be? The love of my life will be marrit away te an awful excuse fer a man in less than three days."

"Oh, wow. Already?" Maevis asked, and Archie nodded. "I'm sorry, Archie… I'm sure it sucks so much."

"Sucks?" Archie asked, raising a brow.

"Is really bad," Maevis replied.

"Ah… Aye, it does 'suck'," he told her, and then he sighed heavily. He and Maevis looked over to see Clara come out of the parlour on the arm of her mother, speaking to another woman about wedding plans.

"She won't listen to reason?" Maevis asked him.

"She willnae listen te anyone but her father," Archie replied.

"That's a shame," said Maevis, looking at Clara. "Have you kissed her yet?"

"What?" Archie asked, his eyes widening a little.

"Have you kissed her?" Maevis asked again.

"No, I havenae," he told her. "Ye cannae just kiss a woman in this time, Maevis."

"You can't do that in any time. You should ask first," Maevis replied with amusement. "But seriously, why haven't you? Show her what's missing."

"If Miss Beauchamp wasnae French, I'd suspect she was from yer time," said Archie, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he sighed. "I… I cannae do that. No' now. I'm out of time, Maevis. I failed te convince her te change her mind."

"It's not too late," Maevis told him, and Archie scoffed.

"Aye, a phiuthar. It is," he replied.

"No, it's too late when she's said her vows," said Maevis, a somewhat cheeky grin on her face. "You have three days still.

"I've been tryin' te convince her te change her mind fer the last year, Maevis," Archie told her, and then he looked back at Clara and sighed softly. "I'd need a miracle te convince her now." He watched as Clara seemed to excuse herself, then watched as she went out onto the front porch of the house through the front door.

"Now's your chance. Go make that miracle happen," Maevis told him. Archie glanced at her briefly, then let out a soft sigh and adjusted his coat. Make that miracle happen… He might need God and Jesus and all of Mama's pagan gods and goddesses on his side for that. Morrígan, for some god fersaken reason, ye chose me te bestow yer gift on. Help me now…


CAOIMHE POV

Caoimhe was enjoying a fine glass of port when she found herself joined by the window by the fair-haired Mr. McCullough, who seemed rather bashful. "M-Miss Fowlis. How wonderful te see ye tonight," said Mr. McCullough as if he hadn't been expecting her.

"I've been livin' here fer some time, Mr. McCullough," Caoimhe reminded him.

"Oh, um… Aye, I kent that," said Mr. McCullough, and he cleared his throat. "Ye look… verra beautiful tonight."

"Thank ye," said Caoimhe. "Ye dinnae look so bad yerself." He nodded, his cheeks turning a bit pink. "Too much port?"

"No, I havenae had any," said Mr. McCullough to her. "So… Yer the daughter of the Laird of Cìosamul… Have ye… any siblings?"

"A brother and a sister, both of whom are still livin' in Scotland," Caoimhe told him. "And ye?"

"None," Mr. McCullough told her. "I had a wee brother, but he… he drowned in a wee pond."

"Tha's awful," Caoimhe replied. "Here? Or in Scotland?"

"In Scotland," said Mr. McCullough. "We were livin' happily on a farm near Inverness when the redcoats came and told us we had te leave. We had no coin, save fer what little we were given fer our land."

"The Clearances," Caoimhe said solemnly, and he nodded. "Tha's awful… I've heard of the Clearances in the isles, but they hadnae touched Barra yet. I imagine tha' willnae be forever. My grandsire did well keepin' the English away, and my father hasnae been approached yet, as far as I ken."

"As if we havenae been punished enough fer Culloden," said Mr. McCullough, forcing a small chuckle, but his face was solemn.

"I dinnae think we ever will be," said Caoimhe with a small scoff. "Bleedin' English… Even here, we're bein' punished wi' this ridiculous taxation."

"Dinnae even get me started on taxes," said Mr. McCullough, now slightly amused. "The tax collectors are harsh, and they're takin' their own shares. Demandin' more than they're owed so they can have their own coin."

"I've heard that quite a bit around these parts," Caoimhe said to him. "Have ye heard anythin' aboot the Regulators?"

"The Regulators?" Mr. McCullough asked her, a bit surprised. "Aye… I have. Doin' God's work, they claim."

"Do ye disagree?" Caoimhe asked him, and Mr. McCullough sighed a little.

"Bein' a shop owner, I cannae really have an opinion on them," Mr. McCullough replied. "I could lose my shop, my home… My mother cannae live on the streets. We've nowhere te go. No home in Scotland…"

"My uncle would protect ye," Caoimhe told him. "All Scots are welcome at Fraser's Ridge."

"Tha's verra kind, but I dinnae ken if my mother could make the journey," Mr. McCullough told her. "She… She hasnae been well, since my father died. So I shall bite my tongue and hope tha'… things will improve."

"If ye'll survive that long," Caoimhe reminded him. "The tax collectors could squeeze everra last penny out of ye, if they wanted te." She finished her port, and then set the glass down on a table. "If ye'll excuse me. I need te check on my cousins."

"Oh, of… of course, Miss Fowlis," said Mr. McCullough, watching as Caoimhe left him. She glanced over her shoulder to find him watching her, and then she disappeared around a corner.


ARCHIE POV

Archie quietly stepped out onto the porch, which wrapped around the sides. He crossed in front of the windows quickly to avoid catching any gazes, and then he came across her - there, in the garden, looking absolutely beautiful under the moonlight. Her dark hair glistened underneath the moonlight and her earbobs sparkled every time she moved. She was humming softly to herself, and then she sang:

"Freedom is a real treasure,

Love a dream, all false and vain;

Love a dream, all false and vain;

Short, uncertain is the pleasure,

Sure and lasting is the pain…

Sure and lasting is the pain…"

"'In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes'," Archie began, reciting a sonnet, and Clara gasped and whipped around to look at him with her brown eyes wide. "'For they in thee a thousand errors note, But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise, Who, in despite of view, is pleased to dote; Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted, Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone, Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited To any sensual feast with thee alone: But my five wits nor my five senses can Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee, Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man, Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be. Only my plague thus far I count my gain, That she makes me sin… awards me pain.'"

"S-Sonnet 141… I-I always… liked that one," Clara said to him meekly, wringing her hands in front of her.

"As have I," Archie told her softly.

"Perhaps I… should return to George," said Clara a bit awkwardly, but Archie stood in her way.

"Clara… Please… Reconsider this marriage," Archie begged her. "Clara… Ye are the brightest light on everra shore. Brighter than the sun in the afternoon sky or the moon in the midnight sky. Ye shine brighter than any star in the sky… but the more ye've spent time wi' George Underwood… the duller that light has become."

"Archie," Clara said, but Archie grasped her hand in his.

"That light is goin' out, Clara," he told her. "He will extinguish it… Ye'll shine bright no longer, and ye willnae be free."

"Sure and lasting is the pain, isn't it?" Clara asked him, pulling her hand from his.

"But it doesnae have te be, Clara!" Archie exclaimed. "Dinnae be this… slave te him!"

"Is that not what a wife is to her husband? His property? Barely above the slaves he owns in status?" Clara asked him. "How different would it be with you?"

"I would never lay a hand on ye," Archie told her. "I would encourage ye te sing as loudly and as often as ye wish. I wouldnae keep ye in a cage. Clara… I love you."

"Then you don't know what love is," she said to him, her voice cracking just a little.

"I do… I ken the truest, most honest love there is, and tha's what is betwixt my parents. Their love kens no bounds, nor conditions… I ken love, and that is the kind of love I wish te impart on you." Clara's mouth fell slightly open, and her eyes glistened beneath the stars. She cast her gaze down, sniffling just a little, and then she turned away from him, tucked into herself.

"I… Archie, I… I can't…" she said, trying hard to stifle tears. "You don't understand…"

"Yer right, I dinnae understand," he told her a bit firmly. "I dinnae understand how ye can be all right wi' the prospect of bein' miserable. I dinnae understand how ye dinnae see ye have a choice."

"I don't have a choice!" she snapped, whipping around to look at him.

"Aye, ye do!" Archie snapped back.

"My choices are to either marry George or be disowned by my family. Were you in my position, would you be all right with being disowned?" Clara demanded from him, and Archie scoffed lightly.

"They can forgive ye, but would ye forgive yerself if ye tied yerself te such a sorry excuse fer a man?" Archie asked her, and she turned around again, taking a few steps away from him.

"Of course I wouldn't," she said quietly after several moments. "But my father's approval is the one thing I've always strived for, but never achieved. You're lucky, Archie, that your parents love each other and love you so. My mother was forced to marry my father, and the only one of us that he loves is Henry."

"If ye couldnae get it before, then what makes ye think ye can get it now? He's lookin' te get rid of ye so ye arenae his problem anymore, Clara. He's using' ye as a tool te forge a connection between his bank and Underwood's. If ye marry Underwood… ye'll be givin' him what he wants, aye, but if ye think it's fer selfless reasons, yer wrong."

"And you know my father so well, don't you? The man who turns up his nose at every Scot who crosses his path?" Clara asked him irritably.

"I ken men like him," Archie told her.

"One man is not every man," Clara snapped back at him, and Archie sighed.

"Clara… Yer a lovin' daughter who's loyal te a father tha' doesnae love ye as his daughter. I ken that because my father does love his daughters, and he would never treat them the way tha' yer father treats you," Archie told her calmly. "But dinnae fool yerself by thinkin' everrathin' will be well if ye marry George Underwood. Ye ken fine that it willnae be. So I'll leave ye te make yer decision… but not before I give ye this." Curiously, she turned around to see what he had, and he bent forward, took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. Sparks flew between them immediately, and Archie felt what he could only imagine his parents felt when they kissed. Clara didn't protest at all and seemed to be stunned into silence, and soon, Archie felt her arms snaking around his neck as she returned his kiss. Before he could get carried away, he broke it, holding Clara in his arms as he rested his forehead against hers. She was breathless, and her eyes were cast down so she did not meet his eyes. "No matter what ye choose… ken that I will always love ye, Clara. Always." He bent forward one more time to kiss her forehead, and then he let go of her, forcing himself to walk away and leave her standing beneath the moonlight.


MAEVIS POV

"And the woman claimed to tell fortunes by holding a personal item," Lord Grey was saying with some amusement. It was now dinner, and the guests were all seated around a table. Maevis had been sat between one of the Miss Beauchamps, though she couldn't remember which, and Lord Grey, while Brèagha had been sat by Mr. Forbes and Judge Alderdyce. Archie was sitting opposite of Jocasta at the head of the table and he seemed completely disinterested in his food - as did Clara Ainsley, strangely enough.

"Oh, aye, I recall that," Caoimhe chimed in, who was seated beside Mr. McCullough and Henry Ainsley. "She grabbed my hand and said I'd fall fer a man 'cloaked in darkness' and I'll 'be his guidin' light back te good grace'."

"Indeed?" Lord Grey asked her. "Well, it was all rather amusing, I must admit, though… not the strangest thing that happened during my time in Jamaica. I had gone a few years before, as well, to put down a rebellion, and, well… Ah, another time. That is a story for another glass." He seemed amused, but still had a strange look on his face, as he raised his glass of wine and took a sip while masculine laughter ensued around him.

"Miss Fraser, have ye any stories for us?" Mr. Forbes asked Brèagha, who seemed a bit pale, and her eyes widened a bit when the attention was put on her.

"Er… Oh, no, no. Surely, I've embarrassed myself enough fer one evenin'," she said with a small chuckle, and then she looked up at Maevis. "But I imagine my sister has several anecdotes te entertain ye."

"Me?" Maevis asked, a bit surprised. "Um… I don't have any… anecdotes… half as entertaining as the ones we've heard already." She chuckled a bit awkwardly, glancing at Lord Grey out of the side of her eye. "Well, there is one thing. I'm no fortune teller, but I do know of a little mind game. It's a psychology trick - um, science of the soul, if you will."

"Sounds interesting," said Mr. Forbes, now intrigued.

"And it only works with strangers, so Bree, Archie, Caoimhe and Auntie, it… probably won't work with you, but you can try it," Maevis told her family.

"I'd give it a go," said Caoimhe.

"All right, so I'll ask a few questions, and I want you to picture whatever comes to mind first. Oh, and you… might want to close your eyes," Maevis told them all.

"Oh, this does sound interesting!" Miss Forbes exclaimed as she closed her eyes.

"Happy to oblige," said Lord Grey, also closing his eyes.

"Must I close my eyes when your lovely sister is before me?" Mr. Forbes asked, smiling at Brèagha, who's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

"Yes," Maevis told him, watching as he closed his eyes with disappointment. "Now, I want you to imagine that you're in a forest with someone. Can you picture that person?"

"Clear as day," said Mr. Forbes, who was clearly picturing Brèagha.

"Then you encounter an animal," Maevis instructed them.

"Should we tell you what it is?" asked Henry Ainsley.

"Not yet," Maevis answered him. "The animal does something - don't tell me what it is. Observe how big the animal is and whether or not it's fenced in."

"How frightening," said Miss Forbes with a bit of giddiness.

"This is silly," said Mr. Ainsley. "Leah, do not engage with this ridiculousness."

"Okay, next, you walk up to the door of a house and go inside of the home. You see a table - think about what's on the table, but don't say it aloud," Maevis told them.

"Now I'm quite hungry," said Mrs. Alderdyce.

"Once you know what's on the table, you go outside into a garden, and in the garden you find a cup. Don't answer out loud, but what is the cup made out of, and what do you do with it? Once you've finished looking at the cup, you walk to the end of the garden and find yourself at a body of water. What kind of body of water is it? A lake? A river? A pond? An ocean, even?" Maevis asked them.

"Does a beautiful body of water count?" asked Mr. Forbes with a chuckle of amusement.

"They all have their beauty, Mr. Forbes," Caoimhe chimed in.

"Right. Well, now you must cross this body of water in order to get home," Maevis told them. "And now, you may open your eyes."

"Is that it?" asked Judge Alderdyce.

"One at a time, you'll tell me what you saw, and I'll tell you what each answer represents. Symbolically speaking," Maevis told them. "Judge Alderdyce, why don't you go first? Who were you walking with?"

"Why, I was walking with Christ," said Judge Alderdyce.

"And the animal you saw?" Maevis asked him.

"A squirrel," Judge Alderdyce replied. "One very particular fellow, in fact. Frequents my mother's garden each morning. And he wasn't caged in at all, just… quite free."

"I see," said Maevis. "Well, when a person is walking with Christ, it can mean that they're seeking forgiveness, or reassurance for something."

"Ah, and given my occupation, it's no surprise that the notion of forgiveness is often on my mind," said Judge Alderdyce, now amused.

"Yes, but when walking with Christ yourself, coupled with the squirrel you saw in your mother's garden… You see, the animal you encounter represents life's problems, and given that squirrels tend to hoard things away, it would seem that your problems are secrets," Maevis explained to him, and his face seemed to change.

"Something that Mrs. Alderdyce doesn't know, then, since the squirrel was in her garden," said the elder Mr. Severs, and Mrs. Alderdyce scoffed.

"I assure you, I know everything there is to know about my son, Mr. Severs," she told him.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I… must take some air," said Judge Alderdyce with discomfort, getting up and leaving the dining room, and Mr. Forbes let out a laugh.

"Well, well. There may be something te this after all!" he said with amusement.

"Very entertainin', indeed," said Jocasta. "My niece is a clever lass, indeed."

"She is," said Henry Ainsley.

"Boy," said Mr. Ainsley a bit quietly, but firmly.

"What about you, Caoimhe? Who were you with?" Maevis asked her cousin.

"Someone no' many here are verra familiar with," said Caoimhe a bit sadly. "I was wi' my mother."

"Oh, dear," said Jocasta sympathetically. "Caoimhe lost her mother in childbirth when she was just a lass."

"Yes, thanks fer the reminder," said Caoimhe a bit quietly.

"What does walking with your mother represent?" Lord Grey asked Maevis, changing the subject.

"Seeking comfort and guidance," Maevis replied. "What animal did you see, Caoimhe?"

"A seagull," Caoimhe replied.

"A seagull? In the forest?" asked Mr. Forbes.

"I grew up surrounded by them. They were a verra large part of my life," Caoimhe replied.

"Aye, yer from the isles," Mr. McCullough chimed in. "Seagulls certainly do populate the isles."

"They do," Caoimhe told him.

"Well, I don't really know what a seagull itself represents, but seeing a bird represents seeking some sort of freedom from something. Seagulls are sea birds, so they could probably represent a sort of cleansing or a great journey, possibly both," Maevis replied. "What was the seagull doing?"

"Just flyin', really. As they do," Caoimhe told her.

"How big was the house? Do you recall what was on the table in the house?" Maevis asked her cousin.

"It was Cìosamul Castle, and I saw seashells," Caoimhe told her. "And driftwood… I used te collect seashells wi' my mother, so they… were probably shells we collected together."

"Seashells represent strength," Maevis told her. "They're often many, many years old, and the sand on beaches is made up of crushed up seashells. "But the fact that the table didn't have any food or flowers, it means that there's some sort of unhappiness." Caoimhe scoffed a little.

"No surprise there," she told her.

"What about the cup? What was it made of?" Maevis asked.

"It was a pewter tankard," Caoimhe replied.

"The durability of the cup represents the strength of your relationship with the person you first saw," Maevis explained. "Because pewter is a durable material, it means you have a very strong relationship and connection with your mother."

"We were verra close," said Caoimhe, smiling a little, and then her cheeks turned a little pink as she cleared her throat. "Um… I also saw an ocean at the end of the garden."

"The size of the body of water can represent your level of insecurity with yourself," Maevis explained. "So to sum it all up, you're seeking guidance because you want to be free, but you're not entirely sure that it's something you're capable of. You trust your mother to give you guidance, but… because she's deceased, you… feel alone in what you want to achieve. And because you saw a castle, your ambitions are very big." Caoimhe was a bit taken aback, but quite impressed.

"I'd say ye hit the nail on the head," Archie chimed in, sounding a little amused, and Caoimhe sent a small sharp glare at Archie.

"What aboot you? What did you see?" Caoimhe asked him.

"I didnae do it because Maevis said it wouldnae work on those ye ken, although seein' as she got ye so well, perhaps I should have," said Archie, and some at the table chuckled. "What aboot ye, Lord John? I want te hear what ye saw."

"Me?" asked Lord Grey, chucking a little. "Well… It was, um…"

"Ye don't have to think too hard about it," said Mr. Forbes with amusement. "Who did ye see?" Lord Grey seemed to have an awkward look on his face, and then he glanced briefly at Maevis, then Archie.

"I… I saw your father," he told the Frasers, and Archie seemed a bit perplexed by this.

"My father? Why would ye think of him?" Archie asked him curiously.

"Well… Brèagha is right across from me, and Maevis right beside me, and… he did ask me to look in on his daughters," Lord Grey told them, and Brèagha scoffed a little at this.

"And why would he need te do that?" she asked him in a bit of a demanding tone.

"Oh, he merely wrote to ask that I visit to ensure all is well," Lord Grey explained. "He mentioned he was about to embark on a long journey, some time ago. At the time the letter arrived, though, I could not come."

"And he gave no reason at all as te why all might not be well?" Brèagha asked him sharply.

"Bree," Archie said, but she ignored him as she sent a harsh look at Lord Grey.

"Um… No… But from your response, I… I'm beginning to suspect that… it might not be," said Lord Grey, glancing at Archie.

"Perhaps dinner isnae the best time te discuss this," Jocasta tried to interject.

"So he didnae tell ye the shameful news?" Brèagha demanded from him.

"Brèagha, enough," Archie snapped softly at his sister, but her Fraser-Fowlis rage was already shining through. Out of all of the Fraser-Fowlis siblings, it seemed that Brèagha had inherited the most heat out of all of them.

"Your father would never divulge anything that you yourself would not wish to tell me, Miss Fraser. He's an honourable man," Lord Grey told her, and Brèagha scoffed loudly.

"Dinnae talk te me aboot my father's honour," she snapped back at him.

"Brèagha," Archie snapped again, and she stood up quickly.

"If ye'll excuse me," she said as she stood.

"Ah, perhaps we could discuss what I saw? I am eager te tell ye who my forest companion was, Miss Fraser," said Mr. Forbes, pathetically begging her not to leave.

"I'm not feelin' well," Brèagha told him, wobbling a little when she stood up.

"Bree," said Caoimhe, now also standing up, and suddenly, all of the colour in Brèagha's face drained and she collapsed.

"Jesus Christ!" exclaimed Mr. Forbes.

"Brèagha!" Caoimhe shouted, running to Brèagha's side as Mr. Forbes stood up and laid her down on the floor, as she had fallen onto him.

"What's happened?" Jocasta demanded as chaos ensued. Archie, too, had jumped up and ran to his sister's side.

"Miss Brèagha has just fainted, Mistress," said Ulysses calmly.

"Take her te the parlour," Caoimhe ordered Mr. Forbes, Oliver Severs, Lord Grey and Archie, all of whom had come to Brèagha's aid.

"She is now being carried out of the room by Mr. Forbes, Mr. Severs, Lord Grey and Mr. Fraser," Ulysses narrated to Jocasta.

"Ulysses, more wine fer everraone," Jocasta ordered as Maevis followed everyone to the parlour.

"Make room! Everraone out, if ye dinnae mind," said Caoimhe, picking up a fan that had been left on the table and fanning Brèagha with it as she came to.

"I'm more than willin' te ride out and summon a physician," said Mr. McCullough, who had followed the group.

"Tha' willnae be necessary," Caoimhe explained. "Everraone out, please!"

"Out, out!" Archie snapped at everyone who wasn't family, and then he was about to close the parlour door when Lizzie appeared. "Lizzie!"

"Is Mistress Bree well? I heard she fainted!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"Come in," Archie told her, and then he closed the parlour door behind her. When he stepped away, the door opened again to reveal Lord Grey with a bowl of cold water and a rag.

"Mistress Cameron sent me with this," he told Archie, handing it to him.

"Oh, Mistress Bree! I was so worrit when I heard ye'd fainted! And in yer condition!" Lizzie exclaimed rather loudly, causing Lord Grey to freeze and a few gasps to emanate from the corridor.

"Lizzie!" Archie, Caoimhe and Maevis all shouted together.

"Christ," Archie said, quickly closing the parlour door with Lord Grey still inside to prevent further gossip.

"Lizzie, I'm fine," Brèagha said quietly to Lizzie as Caoimhe accepted the bowl from Archie and started dabbing at Brèagha's head with it. "I'm fine!"

"Would ye like me te go and prepare yer bedchamber, Mistress Bree?" Lizzie asked her.

"I'd appreciate that," Brèagha said softly.

"Miss Fraser," said Lord Grey with quiet surprise, approaching both of the Fraser girls, and then he glanced up at Maevis and noticed that she, too, was in a similar condition. "Good God… Both of you… You are… not ill, as such?"

"No," said Maevis quietly.

"Am I to understand that… you are both to be mothers?" Lord Grey asked them both.

"Aye, one of the entertainin' anecdotes we decided no' te share at the dinner table," Brèagha told him a bit tiredly.

"Your father did not disclose this information to me, I hope you know," he told her.

"Lord John, perhaps ye should let her be," Caoimhe said to Lord Grey.

"No, Caoimhe. It's fine," Brèagha told her cousin.

"Have you both… lost your husbands?" Lord Grey asked them.

"Aye, I did, in a way. Maevis never had a husband," said Brèagha, glancing briefly at her sister, who looked down in shame.

"Maevis was raped," Archie said a bit coldly. "And it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Archie," Maevis told him softly.

"My father allowed my husband te be traded te the Mohawk," Brèagha said a bit bitterly to Lord Grey.

"They're… searching for him as we speak," Maevis chimed in.

"That's where they are?" Lord Grey asked with surprise. "Jamie, your… your parents are going to rescue this man from the Mohawk?"

"Aye," said Archie. "And Auntie Jocasta is fully aware of this. Tha's why she's been hostin' dinners, te try and secure husbands fer my sisters."

"I see," said Lord Grey. "Surely, you cannot take another husband if you're already married?"

"She and the lad were handfast wi' no witnesses," said Archie, glancing at Brèagha, who seemed a bit ashamed.

"'Tis true," she said softly.

"I see… That is… quite a predicament," said Lord Grey.

"Bree, if yer feelin' better, we should get ye upstairs te rest. Maevis, I think it's best if ye rest, as well," Caoimhe chimed in, glancing at the door, where some chatter could still be heard.

"There's a servants' staircase in here we can take," Archie mentioned.

"We can speak more in the mornin', Lord Grey," said Brèagha, nodding to Lord Grey, and Archie and Caoimhe each took Brèagha by one arm and helped her to stand, leading her up the servants' staircase. Since they had many guests staying in the house that night, Brèagha and Maevis would be sharing a bedchamber, which Maevis wasn't all that thrilled about, but did so nonetheless. After Caoimhe had gotten Brèagha situated in bed, she laid there reading a book, while Maevis brushed her hair out in front of the mirror. She glanced at Brèagha's reflection and let out a small sigh, then reached into the vanity drawer and pulled out a small envelope.

"I forgot to give you this," Maevis explained, standing up with her hand supporting her belly and crossing the room to Brèagha. Brèagha looked at the envelope in her hand silently before accepting it. "It's from Da… He asked me to give it to you when we arrived."

"Then I've no interest in it," said Brèagha, tossing it on the bedside table, and Maevis sighed.

"Well, now you have it. Open it at your own leisure," said Maevis, standing back up and returning to where she was before. "You know… He's doing his best. He didn't mean to hurt Rory."

"I thought Rory was yer friend. Do ye not care fer him?" Brèagha demanded from her.

"Of course I do… but I recognise when a mistake has been made," Maevis told her, turning to look at Brèagha again. "He would have never done this if he knew who Rory was."

"Oh, so yer sayin' this is my fault?" Brèagha demanded from her, and Maevis let out a huff.

"No, Brèagha, I'm not," she told her sharply. "I'm saying that this was all just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstandin' that might have gotten him killed," Brèagha told her sharply, narrowing her eyes at Maevis.

"Yes, I… I'm aware of that," said Maevis softly.

"Are you? Because I dinnae think ye are," Brèagha demanded from her, slamming her book shut. "This never would have happened had ye been more careful."

"Brèagha, I was raped!" Maevis snapped at her.

"Aye, as ye never let anyone forget," Brèagha snapped back. "I'm startin' te think ye did it on purpose."

"Why would you dare even think such a thing?" Maevis demanded from her, standing up. "You know, none of this also never would have happened had I never come through the stones, and then neither of us would be here. I wouldn't have been raped, neither of us would be pregnant, and you wouldn't have ever met Rory. I'm starting to think that that would have been the best situation for everyone."

"Aye? Maybe it would have," Brèagha said sharply as Maevis grabbed Uncle Cailean's Fowlis of Barra tartan and threw it around herself. "Everrathin' went wrong because of ye comin' here! Ye should have just stayed wherever the hell ye came from!"

"Maybe I should have," said Maevis sharply, picking up a candlestick and leaving the room. She had to get away from Brèagha, even if it was just for a few minutes, although she preferred to stay away long enough for Brèagha to go to sleep so she wouldn't have to speak to her sister again.

She decided ultimately to go for a walk in the garden. It was a clear night and quite cold, and Maevis had no shoes on, but it was preferable to being in that stuffy house. She sighed softly, seeing her breath fan out in front of her and dissipate in the cold air, then pulled the tartan even tighter around herself. It was relatively quiet, as most animals were in hibernation at this point, but there was some soft sound in the distance that could be heard over the lapping of the river. Actually, wait… That sound wasn't off in the distance, it was closer. Maevis followed the sound, curiosity getting the better of her, and realised that the sound wasn't that of an animal - it was human. Before Maevis could analyse the sound, she turned a corner and gasped softly at the sight before her. There on the ground, with their backs towards her as they leaned up against a bench, were Lord Grey and Judge Alderdyce, who were quite engaged with one another. They were too engaged, in fact, to notice her presence, so she ducked quickly behind the hedge and tried to contain her shock. Homosexuality was normal in her time, but in this time, it was quite illegal - as in, death penalty illegal. Containing her shock, Maevis swallowed her surprise and ran back inside, no longer cold as the heat of embarrassment took over her body.


1 December, 1769

As Maevis and Brèagha were getting dressed with the help of Lizzie and Phaedra, there was a soft knock at the door and it opened, revealing Jocasta on the arm of Ulysses. "Jus' a moment, Miss Jo! Yer nieces aren't decent!" Phaedra called to Jocasta as Brèagha let out a small squeal.

"Oh! Ulysses, wait outside," said Jocasta.

"Yes, Mistress," said Ulysses, closing the door behind Jocasta. "Phaedra, will ye help me te the settee?"

"Yes, Miss Jo," said Phaedra, abandoning Maevis to help Jocasta.

"Can't you wait until after we've finished dressing?" Maevis asked her a bit irritably. She hadn't slept well and as a result, was a little cranky.

"Ah, yer speakin' quite frankly, arenae ye? As ye had been doin' so all evenin' last night," said Jocasta as Phaedra assisted her to the settee, and Maevis huffed irritably.

"Then I'll continue to do so," Maevis told her. "Since you're here, I'll ask you this. Why are so many of your guests unmarried men? Though I can already guess the answer. I just wanna hear you say it." Brèagha let out a snort of amusement, and when Maevis glanced at her, she seemed impressed with this outburst from her sister.

"Lord Grey was married," said Jocasta. "His wife took ill and passed."

"So I heard," said Maevis. "And the rest? Mr. Forbes, Judge Alderdyce, Henry Ainsley, Oliver Severs, Allan McCullough? You just pulled them out of a hat?"

"What a strange expression," said Jocasta with a chuckle. "Young Mr. Ainsley is engaged te be marrit. The Ainsleys were here because they are auld friends of mine, and they've been stayin' in Cross Creek te prepare fer the marriage of Miss Ainsley. As fer the rest, they're my friends. Mr. Forbes and Judge Alderdyce are gentlemen I have been acquainted with fer many years, and young Mr. Severs and Mr. McCullough are the sons of my friends."

"And they all happen te be unmarrit," Brèagha chimed in, waving Lizzie off as she tried to help Brèagha with her hair, which was loose.

"Aye, any one of them might make an acceptable suitor," said Jocasta. "In case it has escaped yer notice, there were unmarrit women, too."

"In case you want to find a suitor for Archie, I'm assuming, which he doesn't want, either," Maevis said a bit harshly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Hm," said Jocasta. "Well, if we are speakin' frankly, niece, then I'll tell ye both it's time we found ye both husbands." Both Maevis and Brèagha scoffed, exchanging an irritated look.

"And what if we don't want husbands?" Maevis asked her. "Which you know to be the truth. We don't want husbands. I've told you this many times."

"And what does 'want' have te do with it?" Jocasta asked her.

"Everrathin'!" Brèagha snapped at her rather loudly.

"Everrathin'?" asked Jocasta, now turning a bit more serious. "Ye've bairns comin'. Yer time te be particular is long past. Ye've nothin', not a penny te yer name - a name at risk of bein' tarnished, at that, if it hasnae been already!"

"We'll be well cared for," Maevis snapped back at her. "Lizzie, can you help me get dressed?"

"Yes, Mistress," said Lizzie, helping Maevis into her dress.

"Ye have te think of yer futures, yer security. Yer parents cannae care fer ye forever, nae matter how supportive they are of ye," Jocasta told them both. "A marriage te one of these men will be of great benefit te ye."

"And te ye as well, no doubt," said Brèagha sharply. "I ken how those of the upper class like te marry off their children te forge connections."

"As Mr. Ainsley is trying to do to his poor daughter, who obviously loves Archie," Maevis said irritably.

"Is not the union of two families always a blessin'? Love doesnae always fit into it," Jocasta told them.

"I thought our grandmother marrit fer love," Brèagha told her, crossing her arms.

"Aye, she did, and like ye both are, Ellen was wi' child before she wed. Our brothers, Colum and Dougal, tried te arrange a marriage fer her, but she outwitted them when she eloped wi' Brian Fraser," Jocasta explained to them. "The important thing, however, was tha' her bairn was born in wedlock. If yers isnae, he'll be branded a fatherless bastard. His life will be ruined."

"Some great men in history have been born bastards," Maevis snapped at her, thinking of Alexander Hamilton, who would soon become one of America's founding fathers.

"Brèagha," said Jocasta sternly, drawing Brèagha's attention. "I ken ye once had a man ye loved, but he's gone. It's not what ye want te hear, but he's no' comin' back."

"Dinnae say that!" Brèagha shouted at her angrily.

"He's with the savages now, be it dead or alive. The sooner ye accept that, the better. Ye cannae live on hope," Jocasta told her rather harshly and coldly. "Now, Phaedra, why dinnae ye fetch the dress fer Brèagha tha's rather becomin'?"

"What? Why?" Brèagha asked as Phaedra picked up a dress and showed it to her. It was a little low-cut, which would expose a bit of cleavage.

"Mr. Forbes was quite taken wi' ye, niece. He intends te ask fer yer hand in marriage," Jocasta told her, and both Brèagha and Maevis's eyes went wide.

"What?" Maevis demanded.

"I've given him my blessin' te ask fer yer hand, and ye will accept," Jocasta continued.

"I most certainly will not!" Brèagha snapped at her.

"Aye, ye will," Jocasta told her sharply. "Ye've been stubborn long enough. Yer under my roof, and my guardianship. I willnae have this bairn be born out of wedlock."

"How could ye do somethin' like this?" Brèagha demanded from her.

"I made a promise te yer father te find ye a husband, and so I have," said Jocasta. "Phaedra, assist me te the door."

"Yes, Miss Jo," said Phaedra, setting down the dress and helping Jocasta stand and make her way to the door.

"What am I te do?" Brèagha asked with tears in her eyes once Jocasta had left the room. "I cannae marry Mr. Forbes!"

"You won't marry Mr. Forbes, Bree, I promise you," Maevis told her, but then her sister rounded on her next.

"This is all yer fault!" Brèagha shouted at her. "If ye'd just told the damn truth aboot who raped ye, Rory would have never been taken! He'd be here te hold his bairn! If ye'd never been raped, this never would have happened!"

"Brèagha, I'm trying to help you!" Maevis shouted back at her, but Brèagha shoved her.

"I wouldnae need yer help if ye didnae go te that damn brothel and get raped!" Brèagha growled at her, her face scrunched up and red with fury, tears streaming down her face. "My life will be ruined, and it's all because of you! I hate ye! Get out of my sight!"

"Brèagha!" Maevis cried, and Brèagha struck her across the face.

"Go! Get out!" Brèagha snapped at her furiously, and Maevis, breaking out of her stunned trance, got up and ran out of the room.

"Mistress!" called Lizzie after her, catching her as Maevis stopped halfway down the corridor and leaned against the wall. "Mistress, are ye well?" Maevis didn't answer her right away as she tried to collect herself. She had to stop this. She just had to. But how? Jocasta was expecting Brèagha downstairs to accept a proposal from Mr. Forbes, and it really was all Maevis's fault. If she had only just been honest about the rape, told her mother sooner… But wait. There was something she could do. She lifted her head as she recalled the shocking sight that befell her eyes the previous night - an intimate moment between Lord Grey, a close and loyal friend of her father's who would do anything for him, and Judge Alderdyce, a man whose reputation as a judge could afford no scandal. "Mistress?"

"Lizzie… I need your help," Maevis said to Lizzie.

"Anythin', Mistress," said Lizzie, who was also a loyal friend.

"Find Lord Grey and ask him to meet me on the grounds by the large oak," Maevis said, looking at her. "And Lizzie, you must be discreet. I don't want anyone to know about our meeting."

"Of course, Mistress. Anythin'," said Lizzie, nodding to her, and off she went. Maevis went to Caoimhe's room to borrow a coat, stating that Brèagha was furious with her and Maevis didn't want to go back in there (which Caoimhe said she'd overhead), and then went to the oak, where Lord Grey met her and offered his arm to her.

"Your maidservant informed me you wished to meet me here, Miss Fraser?" Lord Grey asked her.

"Yes, I did," Maevis said to him, not meeting his eye. She looked around at the cold autumnal sky, which was quickly turning wintry. "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"

"Indeed, though it's not too cold for you?" Lord Grey asked her, and Maevis shook her head.

"I grew up in New Jersey, where it's much colder than it is here," Maevis told him. "What about you?"

"No. I quite enjoy the brisk air," Lord Grey told her.

"Hm," said Maevis. "I'd comment further on the weather or even ask your opinion on the gardens, but I'm afraid I'm out of time. So I must ask you… Will you ask my sister to marry you?"

"Oh, dear God in heaven," said Lord Grey with a surprised chuckle. "I'm not so sure that this is what your father had in mind when he asked me to look in on you. Surely, your sister does not wish to marry me?"

"No, she doesn't wish to marry anyone but her husband, but I'm asking for her sake, and the sake of her child…" Maevis told her, and Lord Grey let out a heavy sigh.

"You are your father's daughter, that is certain," said Lord John with a bit of discomfort, and Maevis huffed and stopped them.

"Look, she wouldn't want your money, and she wouldn't want to live with you, either, though she'd probably have to go to Virginia with you for a bit… She can live on the Ridge, just until her husband returns," she said to him a bit hurriedly.

"Jamie… Your father… is one of the people I cherish most on this earth, and…" he began, and Maevis's eyes widened a little. The person he saw in his forest was the most important person to him, and that was Maevis's father. It was clear that this man was gay, too. Did he love her father? "…and though I am drawn to your sister in ways that I cannot explain…"

"I can. She looks like my father," Maevis said softly, and Lord Grey was clearly caught off guard by that remark.

"I cannot take your sister's hand in marriage," Lord Grey told her, and Maevis pulled away from him. "I respect your father far too much."

"If you refuse, then I have no choice. I will have to reveal what I saw you doing last night, right there in the garden with Judge Alderdyce," Maevis told him, and Lord Grey's eyes widened with shock at first before they narrowed.

"And now I see that you are also remarkably like your mother," he said a bit coldly to her. "Whatever it is you think you saw… you are quite mistaken."

"I think I know what a man's dick inside another man's asshole looks like," Maevis snapped at him.

"Good gracious," growled Lord Grey.

"And I will write letters to the Governor, to the sheriff, anyone who will listen to me," Maevis told him sharply, backing him up against a bench, and Lord Grey scoffed, trying to regain the upper hand.

"Knowing the severity of punishment of this crime, you would do that?" he asked her quietly, but sharply. "My life would be ruined."

"Then I'll tell my father," Maevis told him.

"Assuming he does not already know," Lord Grey told her. "And as you've said yourself, he's otherwise engaged."

"In an actual forest somewhere," Maevis snapped back at him rather coldly. "You imagined him when I asked at dinner. You pictured yourself with him in the forest, when you could have picked anyone. Your late wife, even, but you didn't. You picked my father." Lord Grey scoffed, having clearly lost the upper hand.

"I am almost tempted to submit to your outrageous proposal, but instead, to you," he told her sharply, grasping her arm. "It would certainly teach you to play with fire."

"That sounds like a threat," Maevis snapped back, yanking her arm free from his hand. "But I wouldn't accept your proposal, and you'd better not harm my sister." For a moment, the two of them stared at each other, Maevis sending Lord Grey her mother's fearsome and fearless gaze. "So. Your marriage wasn't an arrangement of love, but convenience."

"I am perfectly capable of carrying out my husbandly duties, I assure you," Lord Grey told her sharply, and Maevis huffed, turning around and taking a few steps away from him before turning to face him again.

"Look. I don't want to blackmail you like this, and I can assure you, my sister does not want to marry you, but after a comment from my aunt this morning, and after learning of a proposal that's going to be made, I have no choice. You don't understand, my sister loves her husband so much… and it's my fault that he's been taken," Maevis told him, her harsh exterior breaking as her voice cracked and tears began to well up in her eyes, and Lord Grey let out a soft sigh.

"Come. Sit," he said to her, sitting down on the bench, and she joined him. "I cannot marry your sister… and let me tell you why. I… I do see your father, whenever I close my eyes… but I also see your mother, their connection with each other… their love."

"Does she know?" Maevis asked him quietly.

"Your mother is a very perceptive woman… as you are," Lord Grey told her. "But… I agree with your aunt. You should both marry, but I won't marry your sister because I have complete faith in your parents. They will find your sister's husband and bring him back to her." Maevis looked down at her hands in her lap and let out a heavy sigh.

"None of this would have even happened if I didn't come here…" she said softly. "Rory came after me. He met Brèagha and… and I was on my own. I was violated, and I didn't say who did it. I didn't even know his name… but a mistake was made, and my father thought it was Rory, and now he's gone, and Brèagha is left to go through this pregnancy all on her own because of me…"

"This isn't your fault, Miss Fraser," Lord Grey told her quietly and comfortingly. "Things happen for a reason."

"But this shouldn't have happened," Maevis told him, tears in her eyes.

"Do you… know the man who violated you?" Lord Grey asked her, but she shook her head.

"I didn't at the time, but I found out later. His name is Stephen Bonnet," said Maevis, and Lord Grey's eyes widened a little in recognition, but Maevis didn't care. "And Mr. Forbes is about to propose to Brèagha and she'll be forced to marry him… She'd do what she must, but she's only in this situation because of me. I cannot allow her to be forced to marry Mr. Forbes. Lord Grey, please… I'm begging you to help me." Lord Grey let out a soft sigh, then took Maevis's hands in his and brought them to his lips to kiss them.

"You are such a loyal, loving sister," he said to her. "What you're doing for her now… It's something your father would have done. I cannot marry your sister… but if we were to… become engaged… perhaps it would deter your aunt, just for a little while." Maevis's eyes lit up and she lifted her head to look at him.

"You'd do that for her?" she asked him.

"I'm doing it for you," he told her. "I… know what it's like to feel at fault for… something bad that's happened to someone else."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Maevis exclaimed, leaping up to throw her arms around him and surprising him yet again. "I'll speak to her at once! Thank you so much! Even though I was a bitch to you and don't deserve this at all… Thank you."

"Just… go and speak to your sister. I shall meet her in the parlour. We should make the announcement to your aunt as soon as possible," Lord Grey told her.

"Yes. Yes, I will right now. Thank you, for everything," Maevis told him, and then she quickly ran off back to the house.


BRÈAGHA POV

Brèagha was refusing to leave her room, claiming she had a headache. She had locked all doors so no one could come in and force her out, and she had expected the servants to have given up. That's why she was so surprised when someone started banging on the door rather loudly. "Brèagha! Open up, please! I have to speak to you. It's urgent!" It was Maevis, and Brèagha rolled her eyes irritably.

"Ye are the last person I wish te speak te, Maevis. Go away," Brèagha snapped at her, but Maevis was relentless.

"Please, Brèagha! It's important!" Maevis shouted back, and Brèagha let out an agitated huff and unlocked the door, allowing Maevis in.

"What do ye want now?" Brèagha demanded from her.

"You're going to marry Lord Grey," Maevis told her, and Brèagha scoffed.

"Out," she said, pointing to the door.

"No, wait!" Maevis told her, shutting the door and then lowering her voice. "You're not actually going to marry him. He's going to propose, and you'll accept, and you'll conveniently be engaged for enough time that hopefully, Mama and Da will come back with Rory."

"What?" Brèagha asked her, a bit surprised by this. "Ye mean… a false engagement?"

"Just to get Jocasta off your back about marriage," Maevis told her. "He's agreed to it and everything. He's just waiting for you in the parlour."

"What aboot you? Why isnae he doin' this fer you?" Brèagha asked her, raising a brow curiously and suspiciously at her.

"Because you're right… It's my fault that this has happened. I spoke to Lord Grey about this and he's agreed," Maevis told her.

"Why would ye do that?" Brèagha asked her.

"Because you're my sister," Maevis told her. "Now, come on. Hurry, before Jocasta gets impatient and sends Mr. Forbes up to fetch you." Still not quite understanding why Maevis would make such a sacrifice for her, Brèagha went downstairs, where Lord Grey greeted them in the parlour.

"I assume your sister has explained everything to you?" he asked her, and she nodded quietly. "Then come. We shall announce our engagement to your aunt." As Lord Grey led her out of the room, Brèagha glanced back at Maevis over her shoulder, and Maevis gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll not forget your part in all this, Mistress Cameron," came Mr. Forbes's voice from Jocasta's study. "The union of our families is a blessing te us all." Lord Grey led Brèagha into the study on his arm, and Ulysses let out a small subtle cough, letting Jocasta know that she had arrived.

"Ah, niece," said Jocasta.

"Good mornin', Auntie," said Brèagha a bit awkwardly, glancing at Mr. Forbes.

"Mr. Forbes has a matter te put before ye," said Jocasta.

"Actually, Mistress Cameron, your niece and I have been hoping to tell you our good news," Lord Grey chimed in before Mr. Forbes could speak, and his excited expression faded into one of confusion.

"Oh, aye," said Brèagha a bit softly.

"I have asked for Miss Fraser's hand in marriage, and she has accepted," Lord Grey said with false pride.

"What?" asked Mr. Forbes somewhat incredulously.

"Oh!" Jocasta exclaimed, standing up. "A joyous occasion!"

"Indeed," said Mr. Forbes, clearly irritated.

"Had ye not encouraged me te find a husband, Auntie, I… I'd have never opened my heart te Lord Grey," Brèagha said a bit meekly, and Lord Grey gave her hand a soft, reassuring squeeze.

"Good day to ye all," said Mr. Forbes irritably, storming out of the room, but Jocasta didn't even notice.

"Oh, come te me, dear," said Jocasta, beckoning Brèagha to approach her. "I dinnae ken how ye managed it! A Mackenzie ye truly are…"


FORBES POV

He was furious. He was supposed to marry the eldest daughter of Mistress Cameron's nephew so that he might someday inherit River Run. Well, there was still the lad, who remained unmarried. He could marry Prudence off to him, but it seemed that these Frasers were hard-headed and stubborn. As he stalked down the corridor on his way out, he passed by the parlour, where he caught a hint of red out of the corner of his eye. He paused and backtracked, seeing the younger Fraser daughter alone in the parlour. What was her name again? Mary? Oh, nevermind it. If Forbes played his cards right, perhaps he could convince Mistress Cameron to name that one as her heir. After all, the woman was a silly old crone who would be easy to manipulate. He might have lost the beautiful Fraser girl, but there was still one left… His plan wasn't foiled yet.