25 March, 1770

River Run, North Carolina

CATRÌONA POV

Rory had an absolutely horrendous infection on his foot from the journey, evidently, which I only found out about from Brèagha. "Why didnae ye say anythin'?" I asked him as Caoimhe and I examined his foot.

"This is absolutely horrible, Rory. How could ye walk on this?" Caoimhe asked him.

"I didnae want te piss off Jamie any more than I already have," Rory said to me, looking around the room as if he were looking for Jamie.

"Ye marrit his daughter, ye automatically piss him off fer that alone," I said to him a bit playfully.

"Can ye do anythin' fer his foot?" Brèagha asked, gently bouncing wee Donnie in her arms.

"Of course we can," I said to her, holding a scalpel over a flame to sterilise it. "However, because ye let it fester fer so long, I may have no choice but te cut away some of yer skin."

"Ye what?" Rory demanded from me.

"Let this be a lesson te ye," I told him. "This is too advanced even fer a wee nanomed pod, so I'll have te use somethin' else."

"What's better than a nanomed pod?" Rory demanded from me.

"What's a 'nanomed pod'?" Brèagha chimed in as I nodded subtly to Caoimhe to hand me a jar. When Rory caught sight of the wriggling eggshell-coloured worms inside of it, he gagged.

"Maggots," I answered him. "They'll eat away at the dead flesh. Only then will it be clean enough fer me te even consider usin' a nanomed pod. It'll certainly be less painful than cuttin' away all yer skin."

"I think I'm goin' te be sick," he said, covering his mouth.

"Then the sooner we get started, the better," I said, handing Caoimhe the jar back, and then using the sterilised scalpel, I cut into the infected skin on Rory's foot. He writhed and let out a cry of pain, so I quickly placed the maggots on his wound to do their work. "Caoimhe, why dinnae I leave ye te bandage this up?"

"Aye, Auntie," said Caoimhe, and I stood back up.

"Let me see aboot gettin' some laudanum," I said as I stood, and Rory suddenly threw up on Brèagha's lap. She gasped and looked as if she would vomit herself, but she didn't. "And somethin' te clean that up… Want me te take him, hen?"

"If ye could," said Brèagha, handing me her son.

"Come along, a ghille, let's leave yer Mummy and Daddy te this," I said, taking wee Donnie out of the room. He fussed a little, but settled down quickly enough, and as I went down the stairs, I heard voices in the parlour.

"Yer an auntie, now, my wee honeybee," I heard Jamie saying, and I assumed he was talking to Ginnie, as he called her 'honeybee'. "Do ye see yer niece?"

"Baby!" said Ginnie's little voice excitedly.

"Puir thing, not even three years auld and already, an aunt te four bairns," said Archie's voice. "Soon te be six."

"And when can we expect yer weeun?" Jamie asked Archie and probably Clara as well.

"I believe late September or early October," came Clara's voice. "Caoimhe said that Mrs. Fraser would be able to confirm that."

"I'll remind her te have a look at ye," said Jamie. After a minute, I didn't hear anything, so I went into the parlour carrying wee Donnie. All eyes turned to me, and Jamie smiled as he held his red-haired granddaughter. I couldn't help but smile softly at the sight of him holding a bairn again. It was like he was twenty-two again, holding Archie for the first time… My smile faltered when I remembered that a grown Archie was standing nearby, his own wife, who was carrying his own child, on his arm. "Ah, Catrìona!" Jamie said when I entered. "Come and have a look at our bonny granddaughter."

"Ye mean our bonny granddaughter," I reminded him. "I'm too busy here lookin' at our braw grandson."

"Aye," said Jamie, looking down at Wren in his arms. "Three bonny bairns… All on the same day?"

"Aye," said Archie, in a similar manner to Jamie. "The thirteenth of March."

"Isnae that the… what do they say… the Ides of March?" Jamie asked, now looking up at me. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Maevis was seated in an chair opposite of Jamie holding Lark in her arms, and she wasn't saying a word.

"Er… no, tha's the fifteenth," I said, now distracted by Maevis's appearance. It wasn't like her to be so quiet. Perhaps she was just tired - she certainly looked it, and after having twins, I recalled that I scarcely slept a wink. But there was a look on her face that seemed… different… I recalled once looking back at old photographs that were taken after Maevis herself had been born, after I had left everything behind… The look on Maevis's face now was a look that once graced my own face. A look of regret. "Archie, why dinnae ye take yer nephew a moment? I'm supposed te be lookin' fer laudanum fer Rory."

"What's wrong with him?" Archie asked as he took Donnie from me.

"Nasty infection in his foot. He didnae say anythin' aboot it. It must have been festerin' fer weeks," I said to him. "Brèagha's givin' him comfort, although… he's vomited in her lap." Archie scrunched up his face in disgust.

"Oh, poor thing! Will he be all right?" Clara asked me, and I glanced briefly at her.

"He'll be fine," I said a bit shortly. "I need te fetch the laudanum fer him. Maevis, why dinnae ye come wi' me? Could be a good opportunity fer ye te learn aboot it."

"Hm?" Maevis asked, looking up at me. "Oh… Sure. Okay." She stood up, adjusting Lark in her arms before following me down to the kitchens, where I kept some backups of herbs.

"Laudanum is derived from the opium poppy," I explained on our way to the kitchens. "It also has morphine and codeine, and I'm assumin' ye ken what those are?"

"I was given codeine when I had my wisdom teeth out at fifteen," she told me softly, and I chuckled softly to myself.

"Wisdom teeth… Nothin' worse than havin' a Scottish accent when ye get yer wisdom teeth out," I said. "The Scottish accent is at the back of the throat, so the sounds ye make wi' an accent hurt like an absolute bitch. I imagine it's as torturous havin' a sinus infection when yer French." I was amused, but she didn't seem so. "Because their accents are more nasal?" She smiled very slightly, but it was forced, and I sighed. "All right, what is it?"

"What?" she asked me.

"That look on yer face," I told her, and then I gestured to Lark with my eyes. "She looks like him."

"I know that," she said to me with some mild irritation. "I don't need to be reminded of that."

"Kind of hard when she looks just like him. It isnae her fault," I told her, and she scoffed at me.

"You think I don't know that, either?" she asked me.

"I'm just remindin' ye, hen," I told her, and she sighed heavily.

"I'm fine," she said to me.

"No, I dinnae believe ye are," I replied. "Everra day, ye have te look at yer rapist's children. It cannae be easy." She scoffed again.

"You don't understand," she said to me, shaking her head.

"Dinnae I?" I asked her, raising a brow, and then I sighed softly and looked away. "All I can say… All I want te say is… I was verra lucky there were options available te me."

"What are you saying?" she asked me. "Did you… have an abortion?"

"I dinnae want te talk aboot it," I told her, going into the herb closet to search for the laudanum.

"Then why did you bring it up?" she asked me, now irritably. "You say that you understand what I'm going through but then you clam up and don't say another word?" I sighed softly, closing my eyes.

"Another day," I told her. "Surely, ye can imagine how difficult it is te relive somethin' awful happenin' te ye." I opened my eyes and grabbed the laudanum, then turned to look at my daughter. I glanced at her own daughter in her arms briefly, and then met her eyes again. "She's a bonny lass, and she's done nothin' wrong."

"How dare you say that to me?" Maevis demanded from me as I tried to push past her. "You know, I saw some pictures of you holding me when I was a baby, and you didn't look very happy, either."

"I had just left behind the love of my life and two of my children," I snapped back at her, whipping around. "Ye were the child of that love, but that miserable look on my face in those photos was due te the fact that I thought he'd never have the privilege te see ye, that I had te allow some other man raise ye."

"So you don't understand?" she demanded from me, and I huffed.

"Another time," I said calmly, and then I turned and made my way back upstairs to give the laudanum to Rory. I hoped that, whatever this was, it would pass, for the sake of the girls. However, knowing how closely I guarded my own secrets… Being a victim of rape had all sorts of trauma associated with it.


29 March, 1770

ARCHIE POV

"Are ye sure ye dinnae wish te rest a bit longer?" Jocasta asked both Mama and Da as the family was preparing to return to the Ridge. It had only need a few days since they returned, but it seemed like they were eager to get back home.

"Aye, but we appreciate the offer, Auntie," Da said to her. "Catrìona and I wish te settle in back at home."

"At the verra least, ye should allow Maevis and Brèagha te stay behind and join ye later. Surely, ye dinnae have the room fer three new bairns!" Jocasta said to him.

"We'll figure it out," Mama chimed in, carrying Lark in her arms. "We cannae thank ye enough fer takin' care of our daughters."

"It was my pleasure," she said with a prideful smile on her face. "I only wish I could have seen them marrit."

"Wi' the return of Mackenzie, Brèagha will be marrit properly in due time," Jamie told her. "As fer Maevis…"

"We'll see te her," Mama interrupted.

"Yer welcome te visit us at the Ridge, Auntie," Archie said to his aunt. "We'd be glad te have ye."

"Perhaps I will make that journey someday, dear nephew," said Jocasta kindly.

"Ah, beggin' yer pardon," came Elton's voice, and we all turned to look at him in the doorframe. "There's an important-lookin' man out here te see Dad."

"What sort of man?" Jamie asked him, raising a brow.

"I dinnae ken but he calls himself Major Campbell," Elton answered him.

"A redcoat?" Mama asked, catching a glimpse of red-coated soldiers outside the window. "Whatever could they want?"

"Suppose we should find out," Archie chimed in.

"I'll be there in a moment," said Da, and he made his way upstairs.

"I'll keep them busy," Archie said, stepping outside.

"Are ye Mr. Fraser?" asked one of the men in a Scottish Isles accent, who was somewhat stout, and Archie raised a brow.

"I am a Mr. Fraser but I assume yer lookin' fer my father," Archie answered him. "Ye have an isles accent."

"Aye, I'm from Skye," said the man called Major Campbell, raising a brow at him. "And yer an Islander, as well?"

"Isle of Barra, Clan Fowlis specifically," said Archie, descending the stairs to shake the man's hand, and he raised his brows curiously.

"Isnae Fraser a highlander clan?" Campbell asked him.

"Aye. A Fraser married the granddaughter of the former Laird of Cìosamul," Archie told him. "And the sister of the current."

"Aye, Cailean Fowlis. I've met the man," said Major Campbell, an obnoxious and slightly disgusted tone in his voice.

"Ye've met my father?" came Caoimhe's voice, and Major Campbell turned to see her standing by the Frasers' wagon. "I take it from yer tone that he wasnae up te yer expectations?"

"He seemed te me like a man who wouldnae take anythin' seriously," said Major Campbell. "I met him this past January, before I came te the Colonies."

"That sounds like Uncle Cailean," said Archie with mild amusement.

"Beggin' yer pardon, Mr. Fraser, but I must speak wi' Mr. James Fraser," said Major Campbell a little irritably, and Da himself emerged from the house.

"I am James Fraser," he said. "Forgive me, I had left my glasses in my chambers. Can I help ye, Major?"

"I bring ye a letter from His Excellency Governor Tryon," said Major Campbell, producing the letter.

"Have ye, now?" Da asked him, accepting the letter. He rested his glasses on his nose and opened the letter, reading it carefully.

"His Excellency wishes te call upon ye in the search of traitors against the Crown. These so-called 'Regulators'," Campbell told him with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"So I see," said Da, glancing up briefly at Archie. "He's ordered me te muster and lead a militia te fight the Regulators."

"Notable names te hunt down include those of a Herman Husband, a Benjamin Merrill and a Murtagh Fitzgibbons," said Campbell, and both Da's and Archie's heads shot up. Archie exchanged a glance with Caoimhe, who was also shocked by this news. "Ye ken the man?"

"Aye," said Jamie, collecting himself. "Benjamin Merrill." He was lying to cover himself. "Is he no' the founder of the Jersey Baptist Church?"

"I wouldnae ken. I have only just arrived in the Colonies myself, a week ago," said Campbell, glancing at Archie and Caoimhe. "Straight from Barra."

"Barra?" Da asked, clearly wondering why Campbell was looking at Archie and Caoimhe.

"Major Campbell is from the Isle of Skye," Archie told him. "A fellow Islander."

"I see," said Da. "I assume ye likely met wi' my brother-in-law." He looked down at the letter again. "I shall send ye back te New Bern wi' my reply then. A moment, if ye will." Da excused himself to return back inside, leaving Archie and Caoimhe with Major Campbell.

"What business did ye have in Barra?" Archie asked him after a moment.

"Yer uncle is under orders te give up land te the Crown," said Campbell, clearly surprising both of them.

"Give up land?" Archie asked. "And what aboot the people who live on that land?"

"That is up te yer uncle te decide," said Major Campbell firmly.

"Ye cannae just take land like that!" Caoimhe chimed in, clearly upset by this.

"Then perhaps yer father shouldnae have fought against the Crown," Campbell told her a bit sharply.

"He all but signed his soul away te the King! Why must ye lot still torment him?" Caoimhe demanded from him.

"Caoimhe," Archie snapped softly, giving her a look. "Now isnae the time."

"It never is," she said sharply, turning on her heel and returning to the wagon. Da returned with a newly sealed letter in hand, which he gave to Major Campbell.

"I thank ye verra much," Da said to him, and Campbell nodded to him, glancing briefly at Archie.

"Good day te ye, sir," said Campbell, and then he ordered his men to turn and leave.

"A whole army travellin' all the way te Cross Creek from New Bern just te deliver a letter," said Archie curiously. "The situation must be dire."

"Aye," Da agreed. "And callin' upon me te form a militia… It cannae be good."

"What the hell is Murtagh gettin' himself into now?" Archie asked, and Da let out a small sigh.

"I'd like te ken what yer uncle is gettin' himself into," said Da sarcastically. "Och, nae bother aboot it now. Let us return te our home. I'll think on it then."


3 April, 1770

Fraser's Ridge, North Carolina

CATRÌONA POV

We arrived to find our home mostly empty, and both Jamie and I were quite confused. When we demanded to know why our things were missing from Archie, who had come to check on the Ridge in January, he shrugged and deferred to Elton. "Elton… How do you have knowledge aboot this?" I demanded from my younger son.

"Ah, well… A wee surprise," he said, and Jamie and I exchanged a glance.

"What do ye mean, lad?" Jamie asked him.

"Come wi' me," Elton told them. I saw Archie glance briefly at Clara with a small smile, and both Maevis and Brèagha seemed mildly irritated.

"Easy fer you te say. We have fussy wee bairns that need rest!" Brèagha said to him.

"Aye, and they will," Archie told her.

"Oh, is this the secret?" Caoimhe asked with interest, and Jamie and I then turned to look at her with raised brows.

"What secret? Where the hell is our shit?" I demanded from the three of them.

"Shit!" cried Ginnie from the wagon.

"Shh, dinnae say that, Ginnie!" Caoimhe scolded her lightly.

"Just come wi' us," Elton said rather calmly, and I let out a slightly frustrated huff as we got back on our horses and followed Elton and Archie. Soon, we realised that we were on the path to the plot of land that was designated for the Big House, as Jamie called it - a large enough house to fit our entire family comfortably that looked over the Ridge. The small village that was growing on the land was visible from it, and so were the fields and the creek. It had been started before we left but was no more than a foundation. When we arrived, I couldn't help but gasp softly at the sight that befell my eyes, and even Jamie was in shock

There, where there had been nothing but empty land and the outline of a house in October, was a fully built, fully furnished grand Colonial-style house. It had glass windows in place, a sort of underpass that passed through two separate portions of the house, stairs, siding, even a perfectly-done roof. In our absence, the house had been completely finished!

"We hope yee don't mind, sir," came the voice of Mr. Carlyon, and we found him holding his cap in his hand surrounded by his wife and children.

"I arrived at the perfect time te help wi' the roof," said another man who had three young girls behind him. He approached and offered his hand for Jamie to shake. "Andrew Abernathy, sir. I was the cobbler at Cross Creek. I came te hard times and yer lad invited me te come and live on yer land wi' my daughters."

"A pleasure te meet ye, sir," said Jamie, still in awe as he shook the other man's hand.

"Mac Dubh!" came another voice - it was Duncan Innes, accompanied by the Lindsay brothers and their families. "We hope ye dinnae mind us takin' over buildin' yer grand hoose!"

"What is this?" Jamie asked with a laugh as he greeted his old friends. "Is this yer idea?"

"Yer lad's," said Duncan, referring to Elton.

"You planned this?" I asked him with surprise.

"Aye… I overheard Dad and Archie speakin' aboot havin' te put construction on hold, so I arranged te have it built while we were away," he said a bit meekly.

"Christ, lad," said Jamie with a proud smile. "This is quite a surprise!"

"It's perfect," I said happily as Jamie returned to my side to embrace me. "We've now got so much room fer all the new additions te our family!"

"I didnae ken Archie would return wi' a wife, but there is plenty of room," Elton said, lightly teasing his brother, who scoffed lightly.

"He cannae start his marrit life livin' under our roof!" Jamie exclaimed playfully. "But fer now, it'll do."

"I'll say," I said as I looked up at the house.

"And wait until ye see yer Surgery, Mam," Elton chimed in, moving past us to climb the stairs of the underpass.

"My Surgery?" I asked, now quite surprised.

"Go on, have a look," said Jamie with encouragement. I could scarcely contain my excitement. A new home built specifically with the grand size of our family in mind, a Surgery big enough for me to store everything in one place and even see and treat patients… It was all perfect. Well, almost perfect. At least Archie would still live under my roof, for now.

But there was still the turmoil that was brewing, both here and abroad, back home on Barra. Archie had told me all about Major Campbell's meeting with Cailean, or at least what he knew of it, and then Jamie had apprised me of what he had been ordered to do by Governor Tryon. There would be no rest for the wicked, and no peace for the good.