19 March, 1767

The Governor's Mansion, Kingston, Jamaica

CATRÌONA POV

I stood in front of the mirror adjusting my lavender floral dress over my belly. It wasn't very large, but it was certainly bigger than I was used to. A small part of me was still surprised that I, at forty-six, was expecting a child yet again. This little one was certainly coming late in life, but it wouldn't be any less loved than its older brother and sisters. I heard the door open and watched Jamie's reflection in the mirror stop and smile when he saw me.

"Ye are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he said to me, and I felt my cheeks flush as I smiled at him. "Te look at ye… Could be back at Versailles." I turned around to face him, my hand resting on my belly as he approached me, taking my hand and kissing it.

"Tha' was a verra long time ago," I muttered, feeling the nostalgia.

"Aye, but ye look as though it were yesterday," he said to me proudly, and I softly sighed and turned back around to look at my reflection.

"I didnae have white hairs back then," I told him, grasping a loose strand of white hair and drawing attention to it. I had used walnut shells to colour my hair brown again, though it was more of a brown auburn with my red showing through. It only deposited temporary colour, so the difference of the white hairs could still be seen.

"White hairs or no', yer as bonny as ye were the day I married ye," he said, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my cheek. "Here, I got ye this wee thing." He pulled out a necklace and put it around my neck, clasping it behind me. It was a little piece of black coral at the end of a golden chain, and I touched it gently.

"It's beautiful," I said to him, looking up at him. "Thank ye, Jamie." I accepted a kiss from him, and he embraced me from behind again. Once we had finished preparing, which included a powdered wig for Jamie to cover his red hair, we made our way down to the carriage that awaited us, and Marsali laughed when she saw Jamie's hair. "What? Do I no' look like a Scottish provocateur?" Jamie asked her playfully.

"No, ye look like a dandy!" she exclaimed.

"Aye, all he needs is the white face and the false mole," Archie chimed in. We hadn't managed to find another powdered wig in time for Archie, but we thought he might be fine. After all, only Jamie was wanted among us, so with only one of us having red hair, we thought we might draw less attention.

"No, he looks more like a Frenchman," said Fergus as Yi Tien Cho came around from the other side of the carriage.

"The same thing," he said, earning a laugh from Marsali and Archie while Fergus sent him a scowl.

"No one will be looking at you anyway, Milord, not once they have had an eyeful of squinty eyes," said Fergus to Yi Tien Cho.

"Aye, tha's why he's here, te be a distraction," Jamie told him. "Shall we be on our way?"

"Aye, cannae wait te get my fill of the wine we've spent three months starin' at," Archie said, opening the door of the carriage to hand Marsali in. "Where's Temeraire?"

"I am here," came Temeraire's voice from the driver's seat of the carriage - he was easy to miss, nearly blending in with the evening sky.

"How's yer leg, Temeraire?" I asked him before going into the carriage.

"It is well, ma'am," he answered me.

"Glad te hear it," I said as Archie handed me into the carriage next. It was a relatively smooth ride, and when we arrived at the mansion, there were quite a lot of carriages and guests making their way into the mansion for the ball. "Christ, it's like the whole of the island is here," I said, having never seen so many people in one place, besides at Versailles. Jamie hopped out of the carriage and made his way to the front, where Temeraire had already dismounted so a valet could take it.

"Find one of us if and when ye have news," Jamie uttered quietly to him, and then he nodded to the groom. "Show my manservant te the… the slaves' quarters."

"Yes, sir," said the groom as the rest of us climbed down from the carriage. Jamie offered his arm to me and I smiled and accepted it, then together, we made our way up the stairs.

"Quite a lot of people here. Hopefully, we blend in nicely," I said to Jamie.

"Hm, hope so," he replied, nodding politely to someone who did the same to him. Up ahead, there was a little bit of distress, so I looked up to see someone I hadn't at all expected to see here in Jamaica.

"Margaret? Excuse me, have any of ye seen a brown-haired woman of about yay height?" It was Archibald Campbell, and he was asking everyone around him if they had seen his sister.

"I know him, tha's Archibald Campbell, his sister was my patient in Edinburgh," I said to Jamie. "Mr. Campbell!"

"Huh?" said Mr. Campbell, turning to see who has called him, and his face lit up in recognition. "Ah!" he said as he made his way down the stairs to meet us halfway. "Mrs… Malcolm, was it?"

"Aye, it was," I said to him. "This is my husband."

"Alexander Malcolm, sir," Jamie said, shaking Mr. Campbell's offered hand.

"Ah, yes, the printer who's print shop burned down last autumn. It was such a shame to see it so," said Mr. Campbell.

"Well, I kent ye said ye were comin' te the Indies, but I didnae expect te run into ye on the same isle," I said to him. "How's Margaret?"

"Oh, up te her usual antics. The wee urchin has wandered off from me yet again," said Mr. Archibald, turning around to search for her. "But she is happy here, our lodgings are most acceptable. Now, if ye'll excuse me, I must find her urgently."

"Of course, it was wonderful te see ye again, Mr. Campbell," I said, watching as he wandered off and back into the crowd.

"A strange man," Jamie said to me as we continued inside, finding ourselves at the back of a very long line to greet the Governor.

"Ye should have met his sister," I said with a soft chuckle, remembering Margaret Campbell's eccentricity.

Abandawe will devour ye…

I shook my head a little, rubbing one eye to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Had I just heard that for real, or was it in my head? "Are ye all right?" Jamie asked me quietly.

"Aye, I… Sorry, just… somethin' in my eye," I said, and then I gave him a small smile. "Almost there. Any sign of Caoimhe?"

"There are quite a lot of fair-haired young lassies here, but I dinnae see Caoimhe among any of them," Jamie told me, looking around us, and then he sighed when he tried to peer over the tall wigs and hats of the people in front of him. "Cannae stand te wait in line like this. We're wastin' time."

"But it's the polite thing te do, no?" I asked Jamie.

"Aye, 'tis. I suppose the Governor isnae a bad person te ask aboot Ian, either," Jamie replied. Suddenly behind us, I heard giggling, and I glanced back to see Fergus and Marsali giggling about something behind Marsali's fan, and behind them was Archie pretending he couldn't see anything.

"Do ye remember when we were like tha'?" I asked Jamie quietly, amused at the spectacle behind me. "So obvious in public…"

"Ye mean like we still are?" Jamie asked me, teasing me a little. "Aye, I do… Newlyweds in love, we were. Ye couldnae keep yer hands off of me. 'Course ye were holdin' on from the back of the horse fer most of the time, so it couldnae be helped." I couldn't help but laugh and I smiled up at him, the pair of us pausing for a moment to meet each other's eyes. The bond we shared between us that held our love for each other hadn't faded even a little. Every moment of every day, we discovered new things to love about each other, keeping us in that newly wedded bliss for twenty-four years.

"I love ye," I said to him quietly.

"I love ye, too," he whispered back to me, and then he looked forward again, letting out a soft gasp when the Governor came into view.

"What a look," I said. "Looks like a regular Englishman, doesnae he?"

"The ghosts certainly dinnae fail te continue hauntin' us," he muttered quietly, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do ye mean?" I asked him. "Do ye… Do ye ken the Governor of Jamaica?"

"Do ye no' remember him?" Jamie asked me. "Last ye met, he was but a wee lad tryin' te cut my throat while I took a pish out in the woods some… twenty-two years ago, I believe?"

"A lad tryin' te cut yer throat? What do ye…" I froze as it dawned on me, the memory that Jamie was referring to flooding back to me. ' Release the lady and I will tell you whatever you wish!' "No," I said, the recognition dawning on me. " Tha's where I ken him from? Blessed Bride, how could I have forgotten that? He looks the same."

"Ye only saw the lad fer a few wee minutes," Jamie told me as we approached the front of the line, a smile on his face. "Trust me, Catrìona, there is no man I trust more than him." I turned my attention back to Governor Grey, and my eyes widened when he was soon joined by a fair-haired young lass that I knew very well.

"Caoimhe!" I exclaimed, pulling out of the line to rush to her and embracing her tightly. "Christ, Caoimhe!"

"Auntie!" Caoimhe exclaimed, embracing me back tightly.

"Oh, Goodness. Mrs. Fraser?" said Governor Grey with surprise, excusing himself from the conversation he was in, and his eyes widened when he saw Jamie behind me. "Good God…"

"Yer Excellency," Jamie said to him, smiling at him and bowing to him.

"Jamie!" said Governor Grey with a wide smile on his face. "How… Well, I know how. Miss Fowlis has informed me of everything…"

"Did ye now?" I asked Caoimhe, who's cheeks turned pink.

"Caoimhe!" Archie exclaimed, joining us in our little group and embracing his cousin. "Christ, cousin, I thought we lost ye fer good!"

"Ye wish!" Caoimhe teased him back, accepting the hug from her cousin.

"You have quite the adventurous niece, Jamie," Governor Grey said to Jamie, and then he smiled at me. "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fraser, or rather, to see you again."

"Ye as well, Governor," I said, a bit uneasily and glancing at Jamie. "I believe ye were kind enough te defend my virtue."

"Oh, come now, we both know your virtue was not in jeopardy," said Governor Grey with a soft chuckle. "I shall find you once I have finished greeting my guests, Jamie. Do enjoy the ball, if you will. I believe it was your cousin who has supplied us with his fine wine." He then stepped back to address the long line of visitors that had come to greet him.

"Where's Fergus and Marsali gone off te?" Jamie asked, realising that the pair of them were nowhere to be seen.

"Probably off te some secluded alcove," Caoimhe replied, chuckling lightly.

"They're married now, ye ken. They were married on Saint-Domingue two days ago," Archie told her.

"Oh, were they? Good, I'll no' have te hear her moanin' aboot how much she misses him everra night," Caoimhe said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Oh! Auntie, ye wouldnae believe how incredibly kind the Governor has been te me. He's had many dinners and I've met many verra fancy ladies. There's even an opera singer here come from London called Isabella Young. Her singin' puts me te sleep, but she's verra good."

"Well, I'm glad ye've enjoyed yer adventure, hen. It'll be quite a lot te tell yer friends and yer father when yer back home in Scotland safe and sound," I said to her, and her face fell.

"Oh, but Auntie, we dinnae have te go back yet, do we? I met a lass who was tellin' me all aboot the colony of North Carolina and I'd love te see it," Caoimhe told me.

"Da, dinnae ye have a relative there?" Archie asked Jamie.

"No, we willnae be makin' any stops in the colonies. The minute we find Ian, it'll be back te Scotland fer the lot of us te return him te his mother," Jamie told the two youngsters, who both seemed to want to stop in the colonies.

"Well… they'll likely never be in this part of the world again… And they will be safe wi' us," I said.

"No, we need te get them back te Scotland, and I want this bairn born on Scottish soil," Jamie said to me with a tone of finality.

"Then I suppose ye'll both have te enjoy the New World as much as ye can while we're here," I said to the pair of them, and then I turned back to Jamie. "I'm rather peckish, mind if we sit down fer a wee bite?"

"Aye, I'm famished as well," Jamie told me, leading me away from our son and niece to find a table to sit at.


ARCHIE POV

"So what do ye think of the Governor's mansion?" Caoimhe asked Archie once they were alone.

"Too big, honestly," Archie replied, glancing up at the very tall ceiling. "I feel as if the whole of Cìosamul Castle can fit in this one room."

"Aye, it is a wee bit big, but glorious, if I dinnae say so myself," Caoimhe told him. "Come, I want ye te meet my friend that I made." She grasped Archie by the wrist and dragged him through the crowd, searching among the faces in the crowd. "She's the one tha' comes from North Carolina. Her mother's a Cherokee Indian, and she's verra beautiful. I never thought I'd see an Indian, save fer a drawin' in a book."

"A Cherokee Indian? Tha's fascinatin'," Archie said, following closely behind his cousin.

"Oh, there she is! Clara! Clara Ainsley!" Caoimhe called to her friend, and a dark-haired girl with the most beautiful olive-toned sienna skin turned to face them, smiling when she saw Caoimhe. Straight away, Archie was taken with her. She gave off an aura of kindness, beauty, and genuine honesty that Archie didn't sense in the average person.

"Oh! Hello, er…" Miss Ainsley said, her cheeks turning a little pink from embarrassment. "Was it… Kee-va?"

"Aye, I ken Gaelic names can be a wee bit of a tongue-twister," Caoimhe said to her. "I'd like te introduce ye te my cousin, Archie! He's come from Scotland, too, same as me."

"Oh, hello, sir. 'Tis a great pleasure to meet you," said Clara Ainsley, curtsying to him, but Archie didn't move an inch, causing Caoimhe to raise a brow at him. She elbowed him in the side.

"Archie, be polite," she said to him.

"Huh? Oh, I am verra sorry, Miss Ainsley. It… it's a great pleasure te meet ye," Archie said to her, his face turning as red as his hair as he bowed over her and kissed her gloved hand. "Archie Fraser's the name."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fraser," Miss Ainsley replied, smiling up at him. "What a curious hair colour you have. I don't think I've ever seen such a colour before."

"Oh, the red? Aye, well… Both of my parents have it, and strangely enough, so did both of my grandmothers and my maternal great-grandfathers," Archie said, chuckling awkwardly.

"I was tellin' Archie how yer from North Carolina," Caoimhe said, trying to put an end to the slight awkwardness, but she could see that there was something brewing between these two young kids.

"Aye, I… I've never had the privilege te visit the Colonies, but I have heard of it," Archie said to her. "Is it… nice this time of year?"

"Well, I suppose it's fairly warm," Miss Ainsley replied with a soft giggle. "My father tells me that Scotland is a horribly cold and miserable place."

"Well, I wouldnae call it 'miserable', but cold isnae much of an exaggeration," said Archie, chuckling awkwardly. "Er… Caoimhe also says yer mother is a Cherokee Indian. That… Tha's fascinatin'."

"Yes, it is quite interesting," said Miss Ainsley, a strange look on her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss. I didnae mean te offend ye," Archie said to her, his face turning pink yet again. "Will ye… perhaps dance wi' me?"

"Dance wi' you ? And yer two left feet? I've seen ye attempt a sword dance, Archie, and yer no' verra good," Caoimhe teased him, and Archie sent her a fierce glare.

"Caoimhe, why dinnae ye go and find my mother? Ye could use a meal," Archie told her, gesturing with his head for her to leave them alone.

"What?" Caoimhe asked, and then she glanced between them. " Oh! Oh, aye, I'm a wee bit peckish, I suppose. I'll see ye later, then, Clara." Caoimhe bid them goodbye, finally leaving the pair of them alone.

"She's very kind," Miss Ainsley said about Caoimhe. "She doesn't seem to act very ladylike, though."

"She's a wild child, tha's fer certain," Archie said with a soft chuckle. "Yer father's from England, ye say? Where from?"

"I believe it's called Leicestershire. My uncle is the Earl of Ellenbroke so my father visits him every so often with my brother," Miss Ainsley replied. "I take it you are from the same part of Scotland as your cousin?"

"Aye, the Isle of Barra. My grandsire was the Laird of Cìosamul and now it's my uncle," Archie told her.

"Is a Laird the same as a Lord?" Miss Ainsley asked him curiously.

"Aye, so I suppose we both have Lords fer an uncle," Archie said, chuckling awkwardly. "Er… Will ye join me fer a dance?"

"I would be glad to," said Miss Ainsley, a smile forming on her pretty face. She truly was one of the most beautiful lassies that Archie had ever seen. Her hair was a beautiful texture, her skin was a rare and beautiful colour, her eyes were gloriously dark brown and she had the kindest smile of anyone Archie had ever seen. With her small hand in the crook of his arm, Archie led her to the ballroom, where they would dance in a more traditional English fashion. When the music began, they bowed and curtsied to each other, then began to dance. "I know this song," Miss Ainsley said to Archie. "I hear it a lot in Wilmington."

"Is tha' a town in North Carolina?" Archie asked her.

"Yes, we live in a grand house there. My younger sister is there still with her governess. Father did not think she would enjoy Jamaica very much," said Miss Ainsley to him.

"So what is this song called?" Archie asked her.

"I believe it is called 'A Division on the Ground' and was composed by a Mr. John Playford some years ago. I have been learning to play it on the pianoforte," Miss Ainsley told him.

"Yer a musician?"

"I wouldn't say that… I enjoy music, and I enjoy playing. I like to sing, too, but Father says it is not a suitable profession for a lady. And yet, he enjoyed the opera we saw in Wilmington which did have a female soprano." Archie chuckled gently.

"I like music, too. I grew up in a verra musical family. My mother sings, my uncle, and I sing as well."

"Do you? Are you any good?" She was teasing him, and he smiled at her.

"I suppose ye'll have te be the judge of tha'," he said to her playfully.


JAMIE POV

After quite some time, Lord John had finally managed to find Jamie and asked for a word in private, leading Jamie to his study and closing the door behind him. "I am sorry for the delay, there are some people here who could talk for hours if allowed to," he said to Jamie, who chuckled.

"Tha's quite all right, John," Jamie said to him.

"Why, what a joy to see you again! What brings you here to Jamaica, of all places? I'd have thought you would stay in Scotland," John asked him.

"Ah, aboot tha'," Jamie said with a soft sigh. "My nephew, Ian, was taken from Scottish shores by a Portuguese frigate called the Bruja . We believe he's been brought te the island."

"Goodness, that must have been awful. What could I do to help?" John asked him.

"Perhaps ye could introduce me te some of the landowners on the isle?" Jamie asked him. "I was informed this house had bought the slaves the Bruja carried, but I imagine ye of all people wouldnae take a Scottish lad as a slave."

"I most certainly would not. It is a very crime against civilised men to take one into slavery," said John, catching Jamie's curious eye. "Indentured servitude is not slavery, Jamie. Those men will all be free from their contracts in a few short years. It is certainly better than a lifetime in prison or the hangman's noose, is it not?"

"Suppose so," Jamie replied nonchalantly. "Perhaps he may have been sold into indentured servitude?"

"It is indeed a possibility, though you must be aware that nearly every land-owning man on this island owns either slaves, indentured servants, or both," John replied. "It will be quite a feat, but if it helps you to get your nephew back, then I will do whatever I must to assist you."

"Thank ye, John," Jamie said with a soft smile. "Is… Is Willie here? Catrìona kens aboot him, I told her as soon as we were reunited."

"No, I'm afraid. I've only just arrived here a few short days ago, but Isobel and Willie will join me in the summer, when the journey is less daunting," John told him. "And hopefully not on a plague-ridden ship." Jamie couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

"How is he?" he asked John.

"Growing very fast, as I'm sure you know from raising your own son. Those young boys grow so quickly," John replied with a smile.

"Aye, the lassies do, as well," Jamie said to him. "Does he still ride?"

"Yes, and he is a marvellous equestrian. You have taught him well," John said with pride.

"He's a good lad," said Jamie, a slightly melancholic look on his face. "I've missed him."

"And he you," said John sympathetically. "He still remembers you from time to time, and Archie as well." Jamie nodded, giving John a soft smile.

"It isnae important, so long as he is happy," Jamie replied. "So… How is it ye've become the Governor of Jamaica?"

"By malediction, I believe," said John with a heavy sigh. "This clammy isle is the terminus in a number of posts and so-called promotions. I should be glad when they are finished. I plan to take my family and live in the colony of Virginia, once this is finished. I am told it has very nice weather, even for this time of year. Nothing at all like the winters of England."

"I imagine that will be quite a relief," said Jamie.

"Will you stay in the colonies, Jamie?" John asked him.

"Ah, no. No, I plan te bring my niece and my nephew back te their parents," Jamie told him. "My wife wants te return te Scotland as well, and I cannae say that I dinnae miss my homeland."

"I understand," said John with a soft smile. "I do find I miss England sometimes, but I am told the New World has a certain charm to it that I am excited to experience for myself." Jamie nodded, glancing down briefly, and his eye caught something blue hanging down from the bottom of John's waistcoat.

"Tha' there… is tha'…" he asked as John glanced down, and then he lifted it slightly - it was a teardrop-shaped sapphire embedded into a piece of leather.

"The sapphire you gave me at Ardsmuir," said John, smiling again. "I wear it to… remember our friendship…" Jamie, too, returned the smile, and then John let out a sigh. "I'm afraid I must return to my guests, but I shall be glad to find you again. God, it's so good to see you again, Jamie."


CAOIMHE POV

Caoimhe wandered around the ballroom alone for a while, at first looking for her aunt but then deciding to stretch her legs and maybe find one of the other young girls she had befriended during her time in Jamaica. Instead, she came across a group of people surrounding a table and from inside of the group, she could hear a woman giving prophecies.

"Soon, your lost lad will reach distant shores without harm and ye'll be reunited wi' him once more," said the Scottish voice, drawing Caoimhe's attention.

"Oh, I do hope so. I miss my Jonathan terribly," said an English voice.

"Come now, Caroline, he will return from India soon. You know he lives, you've said so yourself. You feel it in your heart," said another voice, and Caoimhe watched as a young woman in tears was led away by an older one.

"Ye there, girl wi' the soul of an albatross," said the voice of the prophetess, and the crowd at the table parted to reveal a middle-aged woman sitting at the table, her hand raised to Caoimhe.

"Who, me?" she asked.

"Come, come," said the woman, and carefully, Caoimhe approached, sitting down across from the woman who grasped her hand in hers and held it firmly. "Ye will face many trials, and so will the lad who will one day hold yer heart."

"Tha's funny, but I dinnae intend te marry," Caoimhe told her, and the woman only smiled at her and patted her hand.

"Ye will. Ye'll fall fer a man cloaked by darkness, and ye will be his guidin' light back te good grace," said the woman. "Ye are strong. Ye must stay so, and keep yer ears open fer the sounds of-"

"Margaret!" shouted a male voice, and everyone at the table turned to see a middle-aged man with a furious look on his face storming towards them. "Stop that at once. Leave us all!"

"Ye dinnae have te be such an arse aboot it," Caoimhe said to him, standing up, and the man reeled on her.

"I will thank ye te mind yer tongue. It is verra impolite," said the man rather aggressively, and then he turned back to the woman at the table - his wife? "How dare you disobey me? Telling fortunes without my permission… How much have ye cost us today? How many fortunes have ye read? We are here fer Mrs. Abernathy and her alone!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Archie, but I couldnae help it! The voices, they spoke te me, beggin' te be heard!" the woman called Margaret said to him, and then she stood up at reached for Caoimhe's hand, grabbing it and yanking her back to the table, her voice changing to speak in an Irish accent:

" Mo chailín álainn… Can't ye see that I'm always with ye? Ye've grown so strong. I am so proud of ye," said Margaret looking into Caoimhe's eyes, and Caoimhe gasped when she heard the words her own mother used to utter to her whenever she addressed Caoimhe.

"Mama?" Caoimhe asked quietly, and the man called Archie yanked Margaret away from her, breaking the connection between Caoimhe and her mother.

"Leave us now," the man said to Caoimhe rather brashly, and full of alarm and stunned into silence, Caoimhe picked up her skirts and ran for the gardens, hoping to find solitude so no one could see her crying.


CATRÌONA POV

I sat alone for a time, sipping slowly on a glass of wine with my hand resting on my belly. I was watching Archie flirt with a young brown-haired lass while they danced, and he seemed quite taken with her. Despite having been with my grown son for many months now, it still seemed strange to me that he was out doing the things an adult man would do, such as flirting with girls in hopes of charming her enough to marry him. Last I had seen him, he had been seven years old and the only girl who held his heart was his mother. I wasn't jealous of the lass that he was with, but I missed my sweet young lad who would come running to me to give me hugs and would follow me around like a faithful shadow. Oh, but he had grown into such a handsome young man… It was no surprise that he was surrounded by girls who wanted to dance with him, speak to him, touch him… But Archie seemed entranced by only one of the girls, and it was she who had the privilege of dancing with him on multiple occasions.

A ghost passed in front of me, her avaricious green eyes meeting mine for a split second before they disappeared into the crowd. My blood ran cold at the very sight, and the dull roar of the room fell into silence as my heart sped up into tachycardia. Those eyes… I hadn't seen those eyes in a long time, at least not on someone so cold. The last time I had seen those eyes… those eyes in particular…

"I confess that it was I who killed my husband, Arthur Duncan, by the means of witchcraft!"

Blessed Bride… It was Geillis Duncan. But how? I watched her being carried to the pyre screeching about being the mistress of the Devil and last I'd heard, she had burned as a witch. The people of Cranesmuir had been so riled up with rage that they hadn't even cared that she was several months pregnant with a child. Had they killed that child along with her? Well, I supposed they had killed neither of them, considering I had just seen Geillis Duncan cross in front of me. There was no way that the wraith I had seen had been an actual spirit - she looked too solid, too real, and her hair had gone grey in many places, same as mine. Time had touched her, meaning that for the last twenty-four years, Geillis Duncan had been alive. Finally unfreezing from my shock, I got up and made an attempt to follow her, searching through the crowd in hopes of seeing her again, but I could not find her. I let out a huff, even more frustrated by the loud sounds of the people around me, and went outside into the gardens in hopes of finding a bit of peace and quiet.

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in the world," said a familiar voice, and I nearly jumped out of my skin as I turned and came face to face with Geillis Duncan herself, and I quietly gasped.

"It is you," I muttered, my eyes wide as I took in her appearance. "Blessed Bride… I… I thought ye were…"

"Dead?" she asked me, smiling curiously at me. "I imagine yer wonderin' how I escaped the pyre?"

"Aye… I saw them carryin' ye there… Christ, Geillis… It's so good te see ye lookin' as if ye've lived such a long life," I said to her, smiling subtly at her, which she returned.

"And ye as well," she told me. "I see yer wi' child again."

"Oh, aye, this wee surprise?" I said, laying my hand on my belly and chuckling a little. "A wee bit unexpected… I've go' three grown bairns already who are auld enough te have their own, and here I am havin' another." She smiled at me, then gestured for me to join her at a table in the garden.

"Ye recall I was wi' child back at Cranesmuir," Geillis said to me as she sat down, offering me a cup of hot tea. I was surprised to see it there, but she must have had one of the servants bring it so she could enjoy a cup. I accepted it and took a sip of it - it was quite delicious, actually, but had a curious flavour.

"Thank ye," I said. "Aye, I do, and I was as well. That child is inside there dancin' wi' bonny lassies." I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

"Hmm. 'Twas the wee ratling that saved my life," Geillis told me, watching me as I sipped the tea. "They had te wait fer the bairn te come before they could carry out the sentence. He was an innocent, ye see."

"Blessed Bride… They didnae keep ye in the Thieves' Hole fer the rest of yer pregnancy, did they?" I asked her.

"Three months," she told me. "When my pains began, they took me out of the hole and the babe was born in my own bedroom in the fiscal's house. They let me hold him… Ye've held bairns. Ye ken how they're as warm as their fathers' balls." I choked on the tea, setting down the cup and coughing into my hand.

"Tha'… Tha's one way of… puttin' it…" I said through coughs, and she chuckled.

"Dougal came te fetch him fer fear someone would find out it was his," Geillis told me, glancing down at the table. "Such is men… Why are they such fools? Ye can lead them anywhere by the cock fer a while. Give them a bairn and ye have them by the balls again, but it's all ye are te them. Whether they're comin' in or goin' out… a cunt."

"Hm. Well, here's te it, I say," I said, lifting my cup again after I had recovered from my coughing fit. "A cunny is the most powerful thing in the world." My eyes widened a bit - had I really just said that out loud? "Mm… So did Dougal help ye escape?"

"I got him te bribe the locksman and ensure tha' the hooded figure dragged te the pyre the next mornin' wasnae that of Geillis Duncan," she said to me. "He lied and said I had died in the night of complications after the bairn."

"So who was it tha' burned?" I asked her.

"Auld Grannie Joan MacClellan had died three days before," she told me. "Few rocks in the coffin, lid nailed down tight, and Bob's yer uncle. She blazed somethin' beautiful too."

"Ye mean te say ye were there?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"Aye, wouldnae have missed it. No one gets te witness their own funeral, let alone their execution," she said with amusement. "Dougal then found a home fer the bairn, got me away. I hid out fer a while, went te France, married twice… Both of my husbands had fallen ill and died, poor lads… and then I came here, met my husband, Barnabas Abernathy, but he too fell ill and died not long after marriage. I suppose I am cursed. 'Tis a verra unhealthy atmosphere here fer Englishmen. Any little thing will carry them off. And now I'm Mistress Abernathy of Rose Hall." She gave me a strange, suspicious look, telling me that not one of those men died by innocent means.

"I see," I said. "So they're dead and yer a wealthy landowner."

"I am," said Geillis with a charming smile. "Did I tell ye how I escaped the pyre?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused why she suddenly brought this up. "Er… Aye, ye did…"

"Oh, ye must excuse me. My memory isnae as grand as it used te be," she said, and then she leaned in closer to me and lowered her voice. "It seemed that one of my husbands was verra fond of whorehouses in Paris. I'll likely be dead in a decade. Syphilis."

"Christ," I muttered back to her as she leaned away from me, completely amused with herself. "I have medicines te help cure ye of it." She shook her head and waved me off.

"Oh, it is far too advanced fer tha'," she told me. "Tell me, what have you been up to these last twenty years?"

"Well, after we last saw each other, Jamie was arrested and abused by Black Jack Randall, so we fled te Paris. I had two sons - Brian and Archie, but… unfortunately, we lost Brian in Paris," I told her, letting out a soft sigh. I assumed I was telling her all of this because I trusted her as a friend. "After tha', we came back te Scotland where we lived until Prince Charles invaded Scotland and kicked off the uprisin'. Jamie tried te send me and Archie back through the stones before Culloden, but it failed and I didnae travel."

"It failed?" Geillis asked her, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Aye, te this day, I dinnae ken why. I thought it might be because Archie couldnae travel, but he could hear the stones. I was pregnant at the time as well, wi' my daughter, Brèagha, who was born that November. I had her in Barra at Cìosamul Castle. Turns out my father was a traveller as well and the Laird of Cìosamul at the time was my grandsire."

"How fortunate," Geillis told me.

"I found Jamie not long after and we went back te Barra and lived in peace fer a time, but then we went te Ireland te visit wi' my sister-in-law's family and… an auld Druid woman found me and said if I didnae go te Hy-Brasil and convince Freyja, my grandmother, te leave, I would never be born." She raised her eyebrows at me. "Aye, I thought the same, but it turned out te be true. She was a Valkyrie on Hy-Brasil and the Isle was destroyed by Ragnarök. We got off safely, made it back te Ireland, only te find out we'd been found out and needed te escape. Jamie took me te the stones in North Uist and… sent me back through. This time, it did work."

"I recall ye told me there was a war in Scotland in yer time. Was it still bein' fought?" Geillis asked me, and I shook my head.

"No, it had ended by then, but it turned out that I was pregnant again and I had another daughter the followin' summer - I called her Maevis," I told Geillis, and she had a curious look on her face.

"Ye had a bairn? Conceived in this time and born in yers?" she asked me.

"Yes, but… I had te leave her again. The war started again after… after England dropped an atomic bomb on Glasgow. I sent her away fer her safety, fought in the war again. Then I somehow ended up back here again, and Maevis is lost te me forever, somewhere in America," I told her, letting out a soft sigh.

"Ye came back? Without havin' te kill anyone?" Geillis asked me, and I raised my eyebrow.

"I didnae kill anyone the first time, nor did I te return te my time. I did before comin' through this time, but no' te pass through. It was the bastard who killed my family and had been tryin' te kill me," I told her. "Have ye… Have ye killed anyone te pass through the stones?"

"I was marrit in my own time," she said to me. "Te have control over where ye go, ye need a blood sacrifice." She sat up and reached over to touch my necklace that Jamie had put there earlier. "This is verra beautiful," she told me. "What is it?"

"Black coral, from Jamie," I said. "He'll be inside searchin' fer news aboot his nephew. He was kidnapped, ye see, in Scotland. Jamie married this absolute personification of hell of a woman when I had been back in my time and soon as I returned, she demanded alimony despite the fact tha' their marriage was no longer valid. We went te an isle called Selkie Isle te get some auld coins in hopes of payin' off her hefty demands so we could live in peace, but Ian was kidnapped."

"Tha's awful," Geillis told me, sitting back again.

"We think he might've been sold into slavery on this island," I told her. Why was I telling her of all people this? It was like I had no control over what came out of my mouth.

"Perhaps I could help. I do ken a lot of people here," she said to me, giving me a smile. "Come, let us go and say hello te yer wee fox cub. Perhaps he'll have a bauble fer me as well." Together, the pair of us went inside, searching for Jamie or Archie among the crowd. Jamie would have been harder to spot, but Archie, with his bright red hair, should have been spotted immediately, but he wasn't where I had left him.

"Huh. I dinnae ken where they've gone," I said, turning to look in the opposite direction and finding myself nearly bumping into Jamie himself. "Jamie! There ye are!" I exclaimed. "Ye remember Geillis, dinnae ye?" I saw Jamie's eyes widen slightly when he saw Geillis.

"Indeed," he said. "A pleasure te see ye again, Mrs. Duncan."

"Oh, it's Mrs. Abernathy now, wee cub," said Geillis peculiarly to him.

"I beg yer pardon, Mrs. Abernathy," said Jamie right as Governor Grey joined our little group.

"Ah, Jamie, there you are," said Governor Grey rather amicably to Jamie, and I gripped his arm a little tighter.

"Have ye met the Governor, Mrs. Abernathy?" Jamie asked Geillis.

"Ah, just this evenin'," said Geillis to him. "It's a wonderful soirée, Yer Excellency. I wish ye welcome…" She trailed off, her gaze falling to the bottom of his waistcoat, where a blue sparkling gemstone caught my eye. "Wherever did ye get tha'… lovely gemstone?"

"My, this has become quite the conversation piece today, hasn't it?" said Governor Grey, taking the sapphire embedded in leather in his hand. "Perhaps I should wear it more often. It was found on an island in Scotland many years ago and…" He glanced up at Jamie. "…given to me by a friend."

"Ye mean a prisoner," Jamie told him, mildly amused.

"Well, I… tend to omit that detail," said Governor Grey somewhat meekly.

"Ah, Mama, there ye are, I've been lookin' fer ye," came Archie's voice from behind me and I turned to see him.

"Archie! Ah, Geillis, I'd like ye te meet my son. This is the bairn I was carryin' when we last met," I said to Geillis, introducing Archie to her. "Archie, this is an auld friend of mine, Geillis Dunc- I mean… Mrs. Abernathy."

"A pleasure te meet ye, cub," said Geillis to him, but Archie seemed to be staring at her strangely, not saying a word.

"Lad," said Jamie, seeming to pull Archie out of his trance, and he shook his head.

"I… I beg yer pardon… It's a… pleasure te meet ye, Mistress… Abernathy," said Archie, evidently very uncomfortable with this interaction. He subtly stepped away from her and refused to touch her.

"If ye'll all excuse me, I shall find ye all again soon," said Geillis, seemingly wanting to get away from our little group, and then she was gone. I turned my attention to Archie, whose eyes were glued to where she had disappeared into the crowd with a suspicious look in his eye.

"Archie, what's gotten into ye?" I asked him quietly, and he looked at me.

"I dinnae think I trust that woman," he said back to me. "She… She has darkness around her…"

"She what?" I asked Archie, wondering what the hell he meant by that.

"I… hear there is a fortune tell here," Governor Grey chimed in suddenly. "Have any of you ever had your fortunes read?"

"I dinnae really believe in tha'," said Jamie in response.

"I suppose I am fortunate enough, but I must say, I am quite curious about it," said Governor Grey. "Will you join me with your family?"

"Te a fortune teller? No thank ye," said Archie with a small scoff.

"Be respectful, lad," Jamie said to his son.

"I wonder if it's te do wi' the Campbells," I said to Jamie. "Margaret Campbell was a patient of mine in Edinburgh. Mr. Campbell said they were comin' te the Indies te be in the service of a rich patron. I wonder if tha's Geillis."

"In that case, I most certainly willnae be joinin' ye. Miss Campbell is positively barmy," said Archie. "If ye'll excuse me." We all watched him leave, and then Jamie and I followed Governor Grey to where a crowd had formed around a table. Feeling oddly giddy, I stopped Jamie briefly and pulled him closer to me to whisper into his ear.

"Why dinnae we find our own wee alcove, hmm?" I asked him quietly, and he looked at me with widened eyes.

"Christ, Catrìona, what's gotten into ye?" he asked me.

"Nothin' yet. I'd like you te get into me," I told him, giggling rather giddily, and he scoffed.

"No' now. It isnae appropriate," he told me, dragging me along.

"The sun rises on a snake and true… slitherin' in close te ye… A wise rabbit will guard its den, but a fool…" came the voice of Margaret Campbell.

"She means te say that your neighbour is a thief," came the voice of Archibald Campbell following hers.

"So he's lettin' her tell fortunes now?" came Caoimhe's voice from beside me, and I jumped.

"Christ, Caoimhe, ye scared me!" I exclaimed. "What do ye mean, lettin' her tell fortunes?"

"Before, she was tellin' fortunes and her husband came up shoutin' at her fer doin' so," Caoimhe told her. "She… She sounded like my mother, fer a time… It frightened me quite a bit."

"Governor!" exclaimed Mr. Campbell, parting the crowd. "How would ye like te have yer fortune told?"

"I dinnae want te do this," Margaret said uncomfortably to Mr. Campbell quietly (but loudly enough for me to hear), and he only scoffed.

"So ye'll do yer part te entertain the heathen slaves for no payment in return, but not for our patron?" he asked her. "Add his stone and deliver the prophecy."

"I want te help people," Margaret whispered back to him. "This'll bring death, I can feel it."

"Why's everraone so on edge tonight?" I whispered to Jamie. "I'm tellin' ye, we should go and find a place te be alone and-"

" Ist , or I'll give ye what yer askin' fer right here," he whispered back to me, making my cheeks turn pink.

"Come, Your Excellency!" said Mr. Campbell, drawing Governor Grey nearer. "Now, she'll need somethin' personal of yers te hold… like that beautiful gemstone." He slipped something into Margaret's hand, and I could have sworn I caught sight of something blue.

"Very well," said Governor Grey, taking his leather strap with the sapphire embedded into it and placing it into Margaret's hand, and she immediately gasped loudly, earning quite a few shrieks from the crowd.

"When fourfold, twelve-hundred moons have coursed… 'tween man's attack and woman's curse… and when the issue is cut down… then will a Scotsman wear the crown!" she cried out, and then she collapsed on the table.

"A Scotsman in a crown?" asked a man in the crowd, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow curiously at this. Scotsman wearing a crown… the Campbells being guests of Geillis's… Geillis expressing interest in Governor Grey's sapphire… What was she up to, exactly?

"What a… peculiar pastime…" said Governor Grey rather uncomfortably. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Geillis herself gesturing to Mr. Campbell, who then left Margaret's side, and I grasped Caoimhe's arm and leaned into her.

"Go after him. Tell me what he says," I whispered to her, and she nodded and followed Mr. Campbell and Geillis.


CAOIMHE POV

Mr. Campbell had gone out into the garden with a middle-aged lady, so Caoimhe crept out and hid carefully behind a hedge, making sure not to make a single peep or disturb the leaves. If Auntie Cat wanted to know what was transpiring between them, it had to have been something strange.

"What do those words mean?" the lady asked Mr. Campbell.

"'Fourfold, twelve hundred moons'? I know that's four hundred years. Twelve hundred moons is a hundred years and fourfold means four times, so four hundred," Mr. Campbell said to her. "'Fourfold, twelve hundred moons must pass between man's attack', ah, that must be… Well, savin' yer presence, Mrs. Abernathy, um… plantin' one's seed."

"I've been marrit five times. Dinnae worry aboot my presence," the lady called Mrs. Abernathy snapped at him.

"No, of course not. The, er… the issue must be cut down, tha's the child… Of course, 'issue' means 'progeny'. So then… a new king will rise in Scotland upon the death of a child that is… four hundred years auld on the day of its birth?" Mr. Campbell said.

"A four-hundred-year-auld baby?" Mrs. Abernathy exclaimed with evident frustration. "Do ye think I'm an idiot? I brought ye here te tell me when it will happen, and instead, ye give me the bloody case of Benjamin Button!" She growled ferociously at him, then froze for a moment. "Four hundred year auld baby… The year 2138 is four hundred years from now, no?"

"…aye?" asked Mr. Campbell, a bit concerned by Mrs. Abernathy's behaviour.

"Fetch yer sister. We're leavin'," she said suddenly, and then she started heading towards Caoimhe. Caoimhe immediately ducked into the shadows to avoid being seen, and then Mrs. Abernathy was gone. Why did Auntie Cat want to know about this?

All of a sudden, a scream could be heard from inside, followed by a few more smaller screams in the ballroom and shattered glasses. Caoimhe ran inside to see chaos ensuing inside of the ballroom as men and women tried to flee. "Archie!" Caoimhe called, spotting her cousin trying to work out what had happened. "Archie, what's happened?"

"I dinnae ken! But I've heard cries of 'murder' if that says anythin'," Archie replied. "Come on, we've got te find Mama and Da. If there's been a murder, I imagine Captain Leonard isnae too far away."


JAMIE POV

"John! What's happened?" Jamie exclaimed, pushing through the crowd to where John was standing in the doorframe of the retiring room.

"Have a look for yourself," John told him, and Jamie peered inside and softly gasped. There, covered in blood and stretched out on the settee, was a young woman with her throat cut, pale and dead.

"Christ," Jamie muttered quietly. "Who's done this?"

"There's whispers that it was a Chinaman, Jamie," John told him as Catrìona pushed her way through.

"What's goin' on?" she asked, freezing when she saw the body.

"Goodness, Mrs. Fraser, you should not see such a gruesome sight!" John exclaimed.

"I was a healer durin' the uprisin', do ye not recall? Ye redcoats did quite a number on our men. This is nothin' I havenae seen before," Catrìona said to him, pushing past the two of them to examine the body. "Who is this woman?"

"Her name is - was… Mina Alcott," John replied to her. "She was a widow, and she was seen flirting with your Chinaman, Jamie."

"She's been dead fer an hour, at least," Catrìona said, feeling the woman's underarms. "She's fairly cool te the touch, but still warm in places."

"Archie!" Jamie called when he saw the red hair of his son. "Have ye seen Willoughby?"

"No' since I saw him flirtin' wi' a lass. Why?" Archie asked him, stopping when Jamie held up a hand. "Go and find Temeraire. We have te leave."

"Aye, I imagine our good friend, Captain Leonard, will be on his way," Catrìona said, standing back up.

"Who's Temeraire?" Caoimhe asked, having come with Archie.

"We must find Fergus and Marsali, we cannae stay," Jamie said, leaving the doorframe to direct Caoimhe out the front door.

"Cannae we leave through a back door? If Leonard's on his way, goin' through the front will put us right in his path," Catrìona chimed in, wiping her hands clean on a rag.

"I'll have your carriage brought to the servants' entrance," said Governor Grey, rushing off to have it done.

"Do ye think he did this?" Catrìona asked, referring to Willoughby.

"I dinnae ken," Jamie replied. "Come, we must leave." Jamie led his wife and his niece away from the crime scene, meeting Archie and Temeraire at the servants' entrance. "Archie! Have ye seen Fergus?"

"The groom said he saw Fergus leavin' wi' Marsali in the crowd so as not te get caught up," Archie told him.

"Temeraire, did ye learn anythin'?" Jamie asked Temeraire while Archie helped Catrìona and Caoimhe into the carriage.

"Escaped slaves in Bruja see white boy. Tall, yellow hair, speaks strange… Like you, sire," said Temeraire.

"Aye, tha's my nephew," said Jamie happily.

"But boy stay on ship," Temeraire replied.

"Do they ken where they took him?" Jamie asked him.

"Mistress Abernathy. Rose Hall," said Temeraire.

"Shit," Catrìona exclaimed. "Tha's Geillis's place!"

"Mrs. Abernathy had somethin' te say te Mr. Campbell aboot tha' prophecy. Somethin' aboot a four hundred year auld bairn," Caoimhe chimed in, and Catrìona seemed to grow very uncomfortable real fast.

"We need te go te Rose Hall," Catrìona said suddenly. "She told me she killed her husband in her own time te pass through the stones and if… if she's lookin' fer a four hundred year auld baby… Jamie, tha's Maevis. " Jamie's eyes widened as this information was revealed to him.

"Christ," he muttered quietly.

"What do ye mean 'in her own time', Auntie? And… passin' through stone?" Caoimhe asked, having heard this part of the conversation.

"Not just now, Caoimhe," Archie told her sharply.

"We must go, quickly," Jamie said, getting ready to hop up onto the driver's seat, when suddenly, the sound of a gunshot went off and the glass window of their carriage was shattered and Caoimhe screamed.

"James Fraser! You will stop right there!" It was Captain Leonard.

"Ye bastard! " Catrìona snapped at him, poking her head out from inside of the carriage.

"Mistress Fraser . I see you have found your husband," said Captain Leonard maliciously. "And your niece as well. Thank you, Miss Fowlis, for providing me with the names of none other than Red Jamie and the Red Witch."

"Captain Leonard!" came the voice of John, suddenly stepping between the redcoats and the carriage. "Mr. and Mrs. Fraser have both been pardoned for their crimes against the Crown during the rebellion."

"I've been pardoned?" Catrìona asked.

"Yes, several years ago. I requested a posthumous pardon, but of course, you are alive, so it is no longer posthumous. Still, a pardon is a pardon, Captain Leonard, and it must be honoured," John told Leonard.

"Still, there are other crimes that must be answered for," said Captain Leonard. "James Fraser, also known as Alexander Malcolm, you are charged with the wilful murder of of John Barton, Exciseman, and high treason for the printing of seditious libel. I am apprehending you in the name of His Majesty King George. Seize him, men." A few of the redcoats grabbed Jamie and shackled him, but Jamie didn't resist.

"Come, now, Captain Leonard. Surely, we can arrange an agreement," John said to Leonard.

"There is not, Lord Governor. I beg your pardon, but these crimes must be answered for," said Captain Leonard.

"Ye damned bastard! After everrathin' I did fer ye and yer men! Yer alive because of me!" Catrìona shouted from the carriage, nearly leaping out of it weren't for Archie holding her back.

"Go! Find Young Ian! Get him back home te Scotland!" Jamie called back to them as he was thrown into a wagon behind the carriage.

"I will not rest until I have corrected this obvious mistake, Mrs. Fraser," Jamie heard John say to Catrìona as the wagon started to bump down the road. God, it was like unknown forces were doing all they could to disrupt their task at hand!