Claire POV:
For the next few days I kept a routine of cleaning the surgery, helping Mrs. Fitz harvest food for the kitchen, and visiting Jamie.
I found I liked tending to the vegetable and herb garden, there was a quiet sense of pleasure in touching growing things once more. I felt the satisfaction of helping them thrive similar to when I help a person heal and keep going in their lives just on a smaller scale.
I was in the garden again today when I felt another person join me, at first I assumed it was Angus or Rupert telling me they wanted to get going but then I heard her voice.
"Those kind are poison."
"Oh! I'm sorry." I said chuckling at how startled a woman's voice made me,
"Thanks for the warning," I told her, "though I do know those mushrooms are poisonous."
"Who is it yer planning to do away with? Yer husband, perhaps? Tell me if it works, and I'll try it on mine." The fiery red head told me, jeez and I thought I was the most brazen women around these parts.
"Actually my husband is already dead, thank god. What's yours done?"
I saw her smirk a little at my bluntness and something told me she could be a friend.
"Oh a whole lot of nothin, too fat and old to be doin much of anythin."
I chuckled again at how she held nothing back, it was refreshing, I turned back to the mushrooms and pointed out why I was gathering some,
"Actually its the caps of these mushrooms are poisonous, but you can make a powder out of the dried fungi. It's very effective in stopping bleeding when applied topically."
"Fancy that." She commented, but her tone was a little off I wanted to believe she was impressed but it almost sounded more suspicious strangely.
"My name is Geillis, Geillis Duncan." She introduced herself.
"I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself, my name is-"
"I know who ye are, Claire." She said cutting me off.
"The village has been humming with talk of ye since you came to the castle."
I froze a little, "What is it they're saying about me?" I asked pretty sure I already knew the answer.
"That you're likely a Sassenach spy." I felt a little deflated but I told myself things would get better once I started seeing patients, I was opening up the surgery tomorrow.
"You know, those will start bleeding to get rid of a child you don't want." I looked to where she was pointing coming out of my own thoughts, "Brings on your flux." She explained,
"But only if you use it early. Too late, and it can kill you as well as the child. The girls in the village come to me every now and again for such things."
Maybe my skills wouldn't be needed if the people here already had Geillis.
"They say I'm a witch." Uh, maybe I stood a chance, surely a sassernach was better than a rumored witch.
"Are you?" I asked, amused to be back in a time where such a thing was believed about women.
"Hardly." She remarked, "Although I am aware of how wood betony can transform toads into pigeons." She joked... I think.
"You should come visit me sometime down in the village. I have a cabinet full of potions and medicinals I wager would tickle yer fancy."
I had to admit I was intrigued but wasn't sure being seen going to her home would do much for my reputation.
"But I hope I'll see you tonight at the hall."
"The hall?" I asked, but she was already walking away from, perhaps she was a witch, I didn't even hear her get up.
Later than evening I went to the hall for a meeting of sorts.
I saw Collum sitting on his throne in the front of the room and my eyes naturally fell to his legs.
After a few days of observation I believed I had diagnosed Collum's condition. My best guess was he had Pycnodysostosis, or Toulouse-Lautrec syndrome. The condition causes the bones to be abnormally dense resulting in brittle bones prone to breakage in the legs, feet, jaw, and collar bone that also undergo slow but progressive deterioration.
It is a very rare disease, both mother and father would have to be carriers to pass along the mutation... although if there was inbreeding the chances are certainly higher, and during this time marrying one's cousin to keep land and money in the family was, unfortunately for Collum, a common practice.
Unfortunately there was no cure, and not much I could do to alleviate Collum's discomfort.
The meeting went on and I began to understand it was a sort of town hall, people brought their grievances and the Laird did his best to solve the issue.
It was difficult for me to understand everyone but I could pick up enough.
"Kyle Ferguson, step forward and present yourself."
A middle aged man and the young spirited woman who had run into me earlier were now in front of Collum, I didn't like how he was handling her, and I wanted to stand up and shout at him to leave the girl alone. I had to clamp down on my seat and look down in order to control myself.
"No!" I recognized the voice... my head shot up again to see Jamie step forward, apparently he didn't like what was happening any more than I did.
But my pride in him only lasted a second before it was replaced by worry, it seemed he was stepping in to take this girl's punishment.
Damnit, he was just healing. I hated the thought of him getting hurt, it was like I could feel each blow on my own body.
"Do ye fancy young Jamie then?"
I turned and saw Geillis had taken a seat next to me,
"It looks like yer knuckles have gone white holding on to yer seat,"
I didn't care what she said, I just needed this to end,
"How long must this go on for?" I asked the desperation in my voice obviously answering her earlier question.
"Only until blood's drawn, usually when their nose is broken."
I felt myself getting queasy and had to look away again, "This is barbarous." I said getting up to leave before I fainted or got sick in public,
"Claire!" Geillis urgently whispered behind me to trying to get me to listen, she grabbed my arm,
"This way is quicker, and you'll stir less gossip." She told me leading me out the back as everyone else was distracted by what was happening up front.
Away from the crowd I leaned against the cold stone wall and took some deep breaths.
I wondered what had me so upset, was it just the violence, the brutality... or was it that it was being done to Jamie that disturbed me so? How had I come to care for him so much so quickly so... intensely?
Jamie POV:
The punch to my bullet woond knocked me back and I lost my sight fer a moment. But finally it seemed Dougal was satisfied.
Murtagh helped me up and took me out of the hall, walking through the corridor I quickly spotted Claire who was looking poorly and aye felt my heart race with fear something may be wrong with the sassernach.
I steered Murtagh over to her and Geillis Duncan,
"What's happened to her, is she alright?"
"What's happened to her is you, the lass nearly lost her supper watchin' yer fool behind get beat." Geillis told me.
She cared... my Sassernach cared about me, I think in that moment I found myself accepting the idea I verry much wanted her to be mine.
"You don't have to talk around me, I'm standing right here." The lass sassed me, and despite the pain in my body I smiled, feelin nothin but lucky.
She insisted I follow her back to her surgery so she could fix her work that I surely wrecked and I was only too happy to follow along despite Murtagh's disapproving grunts.
Once we were alone I could tell something was bothering my sassernach, but I said nothing and let her come out with it on her own.
"Why did you do that? Take that girl's punishment? Do you know her?" She asked.
"Ken who she is." Why was she concerned about Laoghaire? "Haven't really spoken to her, though." I explained.
"Then why?" She asked getting upset with me,
I sighed, "It would have shamed the lass to have been beaten in the hall before everyone that knows her." She looked down processing my words.
"It's easier for me. I'm sore, but I'm nae really damaged.
I'll get over it in a couple days."
She moved closer to me and was bringing her hand up to me face, to caress my cheek or brush my hair from my eyes or maybe to pull me in for a kiss... I dinna know- we were suddenly interrupted,
"Oh, here ye are, lad." Mrs. Fitz and Laoghaire entered the room causing Claire to jump back and busy herself again with her work,
"Rinse your mouth with this... It'll cleanse the cuts and ease the pain. Willow bark tea, with a bit of ground orris root. Ground up well." She told me handing me the ingredients for the tea. Suddenly there seemed to be too much distance between us and I didn't like it.
I knew Mrs. Fitz and Laoghaire just wanted to come and thank me, be polite but I'd wished they'd leave so I could be alone again with my Sassernach, half of her seemed to disappear around other people, not with me tho, I felt she didn't hide so much of herself around me, and it honored me greatly but I get to missing that side of her when we're aroond others, like a dear friend has suddenly vanished and i'm meant to act as tho nothin is wrong or missing.
Elsewhere:
Dougal snuck out after their was no more business in the hall, he was making his way out past the castle walls to the nearby village in the cover of night.
He entered the local tavern and searched the crowd for the spot of red hair, finding what he was looking for he made his way over.
"Weel?" he asked wanting to know what his little witch had found out for him.
"She seems to know her way aroond fungus." Geillis told him.
He narrowed his eyes at her and she fessed up more,
"She seems smitten over Jamie but otherwise harmless." She told him.
"Are you positive?" Dougal pressed.
"I havna known her long enough to be positive over anythin."
"Weel keep close the next few days, I have to leave with the rental party soon, I dinna want to leave her behind unless yer sure she can be trusted."