Je Suis Prest – The Calving Shed Part I
The sun was barely starting to light the new day when Jamie nudged Claire from her sleep. "Wake up Sassenach. We need to get the day started. There are chores that must be done before we leave for the Macvey's and I told Tomas last night that we would be there by 8."
Claire rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head.
Jamie laughed. "You'll never make a farmer's wife with that attitude woman" and he slapped her arse as he climbed out of bed. "Ye should already be up and my breakfast half made. I should wake to the smell of coffee and bacon."
Claire groaned from under the pillow.
Jamie folded his kilt on the floor, rolled himself up in it and belted it, bouncing to his feet when he was done. He pulled his boots on over his wool socks and started to button his waistcoat. "Come Sassenach. I'm already dressed" he pronounced as he shook her awake again.
Claire pulled the pillow away from her face and stated "No one has the right to be this perky when the sun is not even out. Seriously Jamie," and she replaced the pillow over her face once again.
"You're no a morning person, Claire? I thought for sure ye were. Ye were up and out the door, on ye way te work, before I was ever up, live'n in Inverness. Do ye no feel well then lass?"
She removed the pillow from her face again. "Happy, Mr. Perky? I'm up." She said with a smile as she struggled to sit up. "I would advise you to tone it down a notch, until I have had a cup of coffee at least. Now run along and feed the beasts and I will have breakfast ready before you are done."
Jamie leaned over the bed and gave Claire a kiss. She tasted so good, he really just wanted to crawl back into bed with her, never let her out. He sighed as he stood up, and called out "Good Morn'n te ye as well Sassenach," as he left the room.
The minute the door clicked closed, Claire fell back into the soft, warm mattress and pulled the covers over her head to replay last night's conversation over in her head.
She had walked all the way down the path to the pasture that held the "Highland coos" as Jamie called them. Lovely, large, friendly, red, shaggy beasts. She found them to be gentle giants. She still had a few carrots but the cows did not seem interested in them nor the sugar cubes when she offered them. They did, however seem to like to be scratched behind their ears and once they discovered her fingernails, they jockeyed for the prime position of having any part of their head or face scratched by them. They made soft mooing noises when she found a particularly itchy spot. That made her laugh.
She finally felt the tension ease from her neck and shoulders when she saw the lights of Tomas' truck make it's way down the road and heard Jamie call for her. It was late but she still felt unable to discuss the way that dinner had gone with anyone right now. It had been an unmitigated disaster, in her opinion. Jamie, Murtagh and sadly John as well, would certainly all see it as a roaring success, she was sure. She was not even convinced that Frank would agree with her.
"I know very well what Frank would say to me" Claire blurted to the cow who's ear she was scratching, the one with a broken horn. In a slightly deeper tone she said… He would say "You've set your expectations much too high, Claire. What did you expect Broch Mordha to do, throw you a party? To celebrate that you" and she pointed a finger at herself, "a fairly attractive, forward thinking, modern English woman," and she turned and walked a few steps from the cows, only to have them moo and follow her, "have come to their village in the Heart of Scotland" and she pointed her finger in the air, "and expect them to welcome you with open arms?" Claire turned and waved a finger at the one horned cow and continued, "That this village would celebrate that an unmarried, warrior Scot, that speaks Gaelic, knows everything about farms, is charming and handsome and smart and educated" and she took a deep breath, "comes to live amongst them and the very first chance the town has to parade their eligible daughters in front of him," and she grabs the cow's face and exclaims, "he introduces his very English fiance?" She raised her head to the sky and lets go of the cow... "Tisk, tisk, tisk Claire. You know very well that Evey was sent to this supper to spy." Claire waved her hand at all of them. "Right now, at this very minute, Evey is telling the town all about me. I do not stand a chance tomorrow, my fine, furry friends. Not a chance in hell." What had she expected? Maybe not with open arms but surely an open mind...
Claire hung her head, folded her arms across her chest and walked toward the fence that ran along the road. The cows followed along behind her, like she was the Pied Piper, mooing and grazing as they strolled along in the moonlight. Suddenly she stopped and turned to face her followers.
"Well, damn it, certainly kindness, yes!" Claire told the herd. " 'Er, well no, not exactly, but I had expected to be give a chance to prove myself, damn it, Frank." She pointed her finger at the face of the cow with the broken horn and marched a dozen steps. "Sending Evey to spy, was not very nice, Frank."
She turned and faced a different cow, the one with a white blaze on it's face. "I had honestly thought that might be why Evey had come tonight, John. So I could possibly develop, maybe not a friendship, but a bit of a relationship perhaps, before the big day tomorrow." She placed her forehead against the white blaze as she scratched the cow's cheeks. "Was that too much to hope for? That she might be an emissary, rather than a spy?" Claire straightened and spoke to the lovely collective of faces chewing their cud. "That maybe Evey would, dare I say it, like me, just a little and introduce me to the town tomorrow as, maybe not a friend, but not a stranger either?" She started meandering along the fence line away from the main house, the cows following along behind her like a mother duck and her ducklings out for a late night stroll.
Claire deepened her voice again, turned to her small herd and said, "And you, John, you would nod your head and say... No, I agree, maybe 'twas no too much to ask that they send a friend rather than a foe, Claire. But they sent Evey. She is verra sweet, educated and more modern than any of the rest of them. Maybe, I think, they sent their best ambassador, and Evey failed. No you, lass, but Evey fell a wee short, 'tis all."
She turned 90° and continued her walked with the road to her back now away from the fence line. Her cattle following behind like litter of pups.
Suddenly Claire spun and looked at a third cow with long bangs, so long she could not see it's eyes. "What's that you say Murtagh?" and she sauntered back toward it wiggling a finger at the beast. And in her very best Scottish brogue she exclaimed, "Aye lass, I ken what ye supposed. But ye ken no to expect cautious, untraveled Highlanders to warm up to a bonnie wee lass such as yerself, now 'wood 'ye? Ye a nurse with a good job at a fancy hospital. John's told everyone ye save'd him. Ye made a fine dinner of the rabbits I caught, so now they ken that ye can cook. Ye added to the conversation several times as well, spoke of how'd ye'd lived in other countries, saw the ways others have of do'n things. Like maybe Thistle Pond or even Broch Mordha might no be do'n things right. Ye pointed out that there are different ways of do'n the same thing. So... yer a bonnie, educated healer that can cook and yer handfast te Jamie. They are mad and jealous. Plain as Day. 'Aint a damn thi'n ye ken do about it 'neither." He'd raise that bloody eyebrow at me, like he knew he'd made his point and he was right. "Tomorrow, I do'na think I'd be eaten or drink'n anything any of the ladies offered me, if I were yoo." Claire added with a laugh and scratched the cow under the chin.
She made a 45° turn and headed back toward Lallybroch, the cows followed, like lemming toward the cliff.
Claire stopped midfield, turned to the cows and spoke... "Well, there it is. I have never felt so excluded before, in my entire life; like the proverbial fifth wheel. Not a single member of Clan Fraser had my back either." She threw her hands out in a gesture of frustration. "Even Jamie, no, especially Jamie," Claire stated as she pointed a finger at the cows, "made no effort to include me or offer me any positive response when I tried to contribute. It was almost like I should not have even bothered to be there. Like I wasn't needed." Claire sighed and ambled across the field, her hands skimming the tops of the heather, and like the leader of a parade, the softly mooing band marched closely behind.
Claire continued to talk as she walked. "What really angered me the most, is that, well... No one listened to me, not really. Any opinions I expressed did not matter. I mean, I didn't expect anyone to be thrilled with my suggestions or make changes to existing plans because of the ideas I offered, but not one single person really cared about anything I had to say or thought I might be able to understand or contribute to the discussion - on any of the subjects raised. Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ." Claire stopped and once again faced her enthralled audience. The largest of the cows approached and butted his muzzle against her hand. She held it out and the large cow licked it. She began to scratch it's nose and continued. "I have knowledge, certainly not equal to Jamie's or Tomas'... but maybe on par with you, John, or you, Murtagh, or even Rabbie... But then even Evey wasn't interested in anything I damn well said or thoughts I offered either. She did not ask me one thing about myself or my work. Why was that? I'm knowledgeable. I'm smart. I'm interesting. Damn it, I'm funny aren't I?" And the large cow mooed in reply.
"Yes, of course, Jamie, you would agree," she said as she rubbed the large, red cow's face. "You just love me unconditionally, don't you? But you did not have my back tonight, I'm afraid."
Jamie was sitting on the back stoop when Claire came up the path that led around side of the paddock from the pasture containing the Highland cows. She had been so angry about the treatment she and Frank had received tonight, that she had left the house in just her blouse, skirt, bare legs and no jacket. She was now almost freezing to death as she approached the house. Somehow Jamie had known it and handed her a mug of hot tea and wrapped her in one of his plaids. His hands rubbed her arms up and down, in an effort to create the friction needed to warm her. He seemed to sense she was in no mood to be embraced or coddled, so gathering her into his arms, adding his own body heat, was out of the question.
"I ken you are upset. I'm sorry how the dinner went, Sassenach. Truly. I ken ye worked Serra hard to make sure thing's went well tonight too. Ye want te tell me why?"
"Tell you why what, Jamie? Why I'm upset? Why I'm angry? I am upset because you allowed the Macvey's to pretty much ignore Frank and I, that's why? By allowing them to snub us, treat us that way, you told them we weren't important members of this family. You basically gave them the right to do it. And do it again."
"No Claire. I would never allow that. They did no snub ye. I saw ye and Evey have'n a nice conversation and Frank, weel, he did no say so much..."
"Oh yes, clearly Evey and I are the best of friends now, that was certainly evident at the dinner table. We gaggled like a couple of geese." Claire said with a voice full of sarcasm as she tightened the Fraser plaid around her and glared at him.
As Jamie's eyes searched her face, she recognized that he was now re-playing the evening in his head from her perspective and that the remembrance of the events were in fact altering his perception of the evening being one of success to being an unanticipated chess match, and that he had allowed his queen, and pawn, to be cornered but not yet taken. By the look in his eyes, Claire knew her king was back and she would have his knight, rook, and quite possibly the bishop, in her corner at the birthing barn gathering. That was a start and she could live with that.
She went to take a sip of the tea and found it was ice cold and only half a cup. "Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ," she muttered as she walked up the steps and entered the kitchen. Jamie entered the house right behind her. Claire could have sworn she heard soft mooing as the door closed behind them.
Claire pulled the covers from her face, and moaned. She sat up and grumbled, as she shivered when the cold room air hit her. She stepped from the warmth of the bed and placed her foot on the cold floor. She squealed. She was terribly tempted to climb right back in and pull the covers over her head once again but Jamie was excited about this Calving Shed thing and she wanted to support his enthusiasm. She was really quite disinclined to go but knew she would have to face the town at some point; best to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, she thought. She pattered to the bathroom to take care of her personal hygiene straight away then back to the bedroom to dress and tidy the room. She was down in the kitchen pulling on her wellies less than 30 minutes behind Jamie.
She had her own chores to perform as well. She put on her jacket and stomped to the barn. She scooped the chicken feed into a pail, grabbed her egg basket and made her way to the coop. "Good Morning, Jenny. Hope you slept well" she greeted the goose as she stepped into the coop, rousted the hens and gathered the eggs. "Keep those eggs warm, it's cold today." Claire said as she placed a bit of the feed, on the edge of the shelf, where Jenny could reach it, without leaving the nest, and slipped back outside. She scattered feed around the coop and then went back to the house.
She started the porridge first since it took twenty minutes to boil the oats. Murtagh and Jamie did not consider it breakfast without a bowl each. John said he would teach her how to make bannocks but today would not be the day to try, so, since there was Jamie's schedule to keep, she would stick to what she knew. Pancakes. She did not have syrup but there was plenty of honey. There was still some ham she could slice and fry, coffee and she would cut up several apples she found in a bin in the pantry. That would have to hold them until their next meal.
She turned the oven on and, as each pancakes cooked to completion, she placed them on a platter and set the platter in the oven to keep them warm. The ham was browning nicely as Jamie and Murtagh came in.
"Will one of you check on John and Frank? I've not heard a sound from upstairs. If we are all going together in the truck, they need to get a move on."
"I'll go" Jamie said and he kissed Claire as he passed her to head upstairs.
"Let me go wash up and I'll come back te help ye lass" Murtagh said as he followed Jamie out the door.
When all four men came in, Claire had the table set and the platter of pancakes, ham and sliced apples on the table with the jar of honey and dish of butter. She poured glasses of apple cider and cups of coffee. She placed bowls of the porridge in front of Jamie, Murtagh and John. "Would you like a bowl as well Frank?"
"What?" Frank looked up from taking a pancake. "No. I'll skip the wall paste this morning, if you don't mind. There is plenty of food right here. Thank you, Claire. It smells delicious."
Jamie looked at Frank through slightly narrowed eyes, then stood and pulled the chair out for Claire to sit. "Thank ye Sassenach. Ye are get'n verra good at cook'n meals. 'Tis a feast for sure." He took her hand in his, as he sat back down, and gave it a squeeze before he reached for his spoon and inhaled his porridge.
"I thought you might like to try some fruit in it this morning so I added some pieces of apple. Did you notice?" She asked him.
"Aye, 'tis a nice change. Is there any cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on it like ye did yesterday?"
"Oh, you liked that did you? Good to know..." and she passed him the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
The conversation consisted mostly chewing noises, grunts and please pass the..." until they all but 'licked the platter clean'.
As Murtagh passed Claire on his way to the sink with his dirty dishes, he paused and stated, "Jamie says we will be adding to your list of chores when you return to Lallybroch to live. Says yer te bring the coo's in from pasture as needed. Somethin'n about how the beasts have a wee fancy for ye and will follow ye anywhere."
Claire stopped mid-fork full. Eyes wide open with surprise. She slowly turned to look at Jamie who was scrambling to get up from the table.
"Everybody outside in ten minutes. Claire, I think ye should drive. Frank and John can ride in the cab with ye and John can give ye directions. Murtagh and I can ride in the back. Everyone needs to be 'ootside in ten minutes," and Jamie was gone in a flash.
John snorted with mirth.
Frank, for once, was in on the joke, and laughed. Out loud.
And Murtagh, he walked away with grin plastered on his face and a bit of a twinkle in his brown eyes.
Even the best laid plans can go awry, but just after 8, Jamie hopped out of the truck to open the gate that let Claire pull onto Thistle Pond property. Claire moved forward slowly allowing Jamie to hop back into the truck bed, then completed the drive up to the main house and parked beside Tomas's truck.
Jamie jumped from the bed and opened the door for Claire, helping her down from the cab of the truck. "I'll leave ye wellies, jacket and wee black box in front, if ye need te change 'oot of yer nice leather shoes, feel a bit chilly or find someone needs heal'n, aye?" He held her hand as they strode toward the main house just as Tomas and Seamus appeared from inside the barn. A beautiful building with a stone lower floor and the main barn above it, made of wood. There was a grassy sloop that led up to the open doors.
"Over here Fraser," Seamus called and waved. "We'll get organized 'oot here so we don't dirty Flora's clean house."
Jamie held his hand up, palm toward the two men, in a wait gesture. "Just let me get Claire settled. I'll be right there."
"You and Murtagh go ahead, Jamie. John can introduce Frank and I." Claire said as she tucked a lock of her hair back behind her scarf. "I'll come out and see how the shed is coming along is a little while."
"Ye sure, Claire? I do'na mind." He's eyes searched her glass face. He would not fail her as he had last night. He would see her happily situated before he'd leave her this time.
"Let the lass be, Jamie. John knows these folk better than we do. Let him make the introductions. All ye'll be is a distraction to the ladies." Murtagh pushed Jamie's shoulder as he spoke. "Ye ken, if ye go into that hoose, those ladies will'na let ye 'oot until ye've eaten a second breakfast and then ye'll be so full, ye'll no be of any use to us building the shed. Ye'll be under the nearest tree, taken a nap."
John and Claire laughed.
"I've got her, Jamie. Do'na worry. Now go." John said and motioned his head toward the barn where Seamus and Tomas waited. "They'll be need'n Himself."
Jamie slipped a hand behind Claire's neck while he kissed her. A good, solid, I love you kind of kiss that made Claire sigh quietly, though Jamie heard it and smiled. Jamie looked her clearly in the face and said, "if ye need me, for any reason..."
"Yes, I promise, I will come find you. Thank you." she responded and she quickly kissed him again.
John winked at Jamie as he took Claire's elbow and steered her toward the main house. A pretty little one story stone cottage with a thatched roof. There was a bit of fence surrounding the house and Frank opened the gate and admitted them into the yard. There was no front porch so they walked straight to the door and John opened it without knocking.
"Flora? Ye about anywhere? 'Tis me, John. I've brought some people for ye to meet."
Claire looked back to see Jamie and Murtagh walk into the barn. Jamie glanced back briefly and smiled. She sighed and stepped in behind John as Frank brought up the rear and closed the door behind them.
"I'm in the kitchen, John. Come on in." A shout was heard coming from behind a door at the back of the room.
The room they entered was small, but an agreeable one, with a large stone fireplace and a well worn, comfortable sofa faced it. Two large padded arm chairs, covered in what was probably matching bright plaids, now faded from use and age, sat on either side of the fireplace and closer to the fire. One had a basket of mending beside it, the other had a pipe and eye glasses sitting on the small table nearby. The carpet on the floor looked to be Turkish, with a well worn, geometric pattern. It was probably a vibrant red when it was new, now well tracked, it was a brownish maroon at best. Most of the carpet pile was worn away; a thin representation of it's former self. The rug had probably rested in the same spot since the day it was brought to the house. Underneath it lay a hard wooden floor of basic browns, most likely oak. Paintings adorned the walls. Probably as ancient as the house and perhaps displaying past occupants. The walls, once white, now stained yellow from the frequently lit fires in the fireplace and the house smelled of burning peat, leaving a staleness in the air. Claire noticed a light layer of soot on the mantel as she admired the uncleaned, framed pictures that rested there.
Suddenly the door in the back burst open and a very round, happy faced woman made her presence known.
"John! I didn'a ken ye were home from hospital" she said as she wiped her hands on the large apron she was wearing. "When did ye return and why did ye no ring me right away? I would'a come by with a hot supper fer ye..." and she enveloped him in an all encompassing bear hug.
"Flora!" John replied with equal enthusiasm and returned her hug. "Home yesterday."
Flora pushed away but retained a tight grip on both shoulders. "Let me get a good look at ye then. The doctors said yer alright?" she asked as she looked him over from head to toe. "Ye've lost weight. I see I have my work cut 'oot for me, te fatten ye up. Guess that means ye'll be come'n for dinners for awhile, aye? Bring Jamie and Murtagh with ye. 'Tis as easy for Jane and I te add the three of ye to the table, maybe give Jamie and Jane a chance te get to ken each other, aye?" and she shamelessly winked at John.
That's when she noticed the two others standing sheepishly beside her fireplace, looking conspicuously out of place in her front room. Neither of them were from around here, that she ken right away. City, she would guess, by the way they were dressed. What had John brought with him? She turned and looked John in the face and ask "And just what do we have here? A couple of strays?"
Claire stepped forward as John said "This is Claire and Frank. They are staying a Lallybroch with Jamie, Murtagh and I. They'll be returning to Inverness on Sunday, to work." He smiled and took Claire's hand to pull her forward and into the direct conversation. "Claire was my nurse in hospital. She found and brought Jamie to me. I will always be grateful for that." and he squeezed Claire's hand.
"And this handsome man is ye husband, I suppose" Flora asked as she nodded at Frank.
Frank straightened his tie and approached, coming to a stop next to Claire.
"Oh, no. Frank and I are family friends. We've known each other since I was little." Claire stammered and turned a little red.
"Claire is Jamie' intended, Flora. They are handfast now and to be wed as soon as Father Brown has the banns read. Jamie's a stickler for have'n everything done in accordance with the church. He does'na want to have things muddled by a technicality. We are work'n now at getting Claire moved permanently from Inverness." John said as he smiled at Claire.
Claire blushed slightly and squeezed John's hand in appreciation.
"Jamie who? Fraser? Our Jamie Fraser?" Flora asked with confusion on her face.
"What de ye mean Jamie who? Flora! Aye, Jamie Fraser. The lad what's look'n after Lallybroch while I was in hospital. God sent he and his godfather are and Claire here," and he pulled her right next to him, "is the angel what brought them te me. I'm hope'n that Claire and Jamie will stay on after they're wedded. Help me look after the place. Maybe start a family and raise 'em on the farm. Be nice to have wee un's run'n around, aye, Flora?"
Flora looked from John to Claire to Frank then back to Claire. Studied the curly, dark haired beauty before her. She was in a bit of a shock. Since the war, there were no a lot of men, let alone able bodied ones. Jamie would be a real catch for any of the single lasses in Broch Mordha proper. She had hopes for her lovely lass Jane. They would make a great match. If she could only get them alone together in the same room, she felt sure that sparks would fly. If this English lass, already had her hooks in the tall, handsome, redheaded newcomer, as Evey had implied last night when they returned from the dinner, then she had her work cut out for her. The other ladies would be in for a bit of a shock as well. Then suddenly her face broke into a smile and she laughed. "Oh John. Ye always the joker, even when we were wee. I almost believed ye."
"I assure you, Mrs. Macvey. Jamie and I are indeed handfast. Engaged." Claire said carefully but with a straight face and a equally serious tone to her voice. No giggle or frivolity. "Certainly your sons or Evey would have said something to you, after last night's dinner."
"No. No, I ken I would remember if they said anything about Jamie being married."
"As John said, Jamie and I are handfast. Promised. We are to be married as soon as Jamie can arrange it." Claire stuttered through the explanation again.
Flora's smile disappeared instantly. "Handfast? I have no heard of that since before my granny. People now-a-day do'na do such a thing. There's no need. Father Brown is no so busy that he can'na find time to marry a couple in love. Certainly yer joke'n." She looked down at Claire's hand. There was no engagement ring. No way was this uppity Sassenach going to agree to any engagement without a fancy ring placed on her finger. She looked up at Claire and said "Engaged? Where's ye ring then, lass?" Flora's face shifted from a frown to a smile.
"Flora Macvey! Why in all my years of know'n ye, I've never ken ye te be so bold, ney, rude. Te my lovely friend Claire, te boot." John said. His face turned red and he puffed up his chest as he placed an arm around Claire's shoulder and pulled her closer. "She is betrothed to James Fraser. There is an understanding, Flora. Just get rid 'o any wild notions ye got running around in that matchmake'n heid of yers. 'Tis true love between them, I tell ye."
Flora turned red faced and looked at the floor for a moment to collect herself. When she looked back up, there was a smile on her face that barely left her mouth. Claire recognized it for the insincere offer it was. "I do apologize Claire. The community is terribly fond of Jamie, ye see, and we tend to look out fer our own, 'tis all. None of us ken he was spoken for... we just assumed the young lad to be available and what with Broch Mordha have'n several young, single Scottish lasses, well, we mams were just naturally..."
"Yes," Claire said. "I see. I was hoping to..."
And the kitchen door banged open and out walked one of the prettiest women Claire had ever seen. Small and slender, maybe 5' 4", possibly 6 ½ stone, blonde hair with all the colors of a wheat field, hung past her shoulders, almost to her waist. And green eyes, the likes she'd never seen before. Beautiful. Like Emeralds.
"Mr. Murray. I thought I heard ye voice." and she gave John a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Ye look well. Are you here te help with the shed, then? Does da ken ye are here?" As she spoke she looked Claire over, very slowly, taking in every detail of her hair style and clothing. Not from around here, Jane recognized instantly. This must be the lass Evey spoke of last night when they returned. Jamie's lass.
"Hello. I'm Jane Macvey. Flora's younger daughter. Pleased te meet ye" and she extended her hand to Claire.
"Claire. Claire Beauchamp. I'm a friend of John and Jamie's financée." She took the young woman's hand in the friendship it represented. She felt Frank nudge her in the ribs as she did and quickly added, "may I introduce a family friend, Frank. Frank Randall."
"Pleased te make ye acquaintance, Mr. Randall." Jane said as she extended her hand.
Frank quickly accepted the offered hand and shook it. "The pleasure is all mine, Jane. If I might be so bold." and he smiled. "Please, call me Frank. All my friends do" and his smiled, showing a few more teeth.
Flora watched as this Frank let his interest in Jane be ken. A professor at University, Evey had said. Annie's husband was an educated man, engineer. Had a good job. They had a nice house and a new car. Aye, a professor might do, even if he was English. That might do quite nicely for Jane, if Jamie were really serious about this Claire. She would wait and confer with the others when they were gathered. "Claire and Frank here are from Inverness, Jane. Claire is a nurse at the big fancy hospital there. A working girl." Flora said then paused. "Jamie and Claire are engaged, so John and Claire tell us, though I see no ring on her finger. I should think a lad as fine and educated as Jamie, would want to put a ring on the finger of such a bonnie lass as Claire. Did Jamie happen to mention it te ye in any of yer talks?" and Flora's eyes went from her daughters face to the Sassenach's to see how Claire handled the news that her verra bonnie, and available, daughter had spent time, unchaperoned, in Jamie's company.
Claire's glass face held nothing back, try as she might to pretend what the woman had said did not bother her. Quite the contrary. No way did Flora not know Claire was upset with this information. Why had Jamie never mentioned this Jane to her, she now wondered?
"Mam? What are ye talk'n about? Jamie Fraser and I have never met... " Jane spoke as Flora spun her daughter around and pushed her back toward the kitchen. "Jane, ye do'na want to let your lovely bannocks burn lass. Ye ken how Jamie likes them." and she turned back to John. "She's all flustered because Jamie's here, ye ken."
Claire saw Jane turn around before she passed through the kitchen door and gave her mother a confused glance back as she disappeared on the other side of the door.
Claire smiled. She knew the meddlesome woman was lying. Of that she was sure. It was the reason behind the why she was unclear of, though she had a pretty good idea. Claire now understood that the waters she was swimming in would be full of lady sharks and their piranha daughters. On that note, she decided it would be best if she went outside for some air. As rude as she might appear, she no longer gave a damn and she removed herself from the house. As she pulled the door closed behind her, she heard Flora inquire...
"Does Bec's ken you were in hospital, John?"
Let John deal with her and Claire stepped outside just as several vehicles pulled into the yard. She was not up to anymore inspections or interrogations, nor would she go running to Jamie, her tail between her legs. Escape. She needed a quick escape. She rounded the corner of the house to discover the family garden at her feet. She decided to looked to see what the woman was growing.
Weeds. Claire smiled. The garden was quite proficiently growing weeds. No surprise since Flora was clearly more worried about marrying her grown daughter off than cleaning her house or showing civility toward guests. Why would she spend time on a garden?
Claire had no desire to deal with these new arrivals. She'd had enough unkindness for a day. Nor did she want to show Jamie she was already miserable and ready to go home, so she knelt down and began to pull weeds. The border of the garden was easy to decern so she would start at one end and see how far she got before she felt like quitting. With each weed she pulled from the ground, a little of the vexation she felt dissipated. Weed after weed, she pulled, using her fingers to dig the soil, released a little of the menace that had rooted in her heart for these people.
She had quite a collection of weeds piled when she found the onion, which she happily harvested. A couple of weeds later, she found another one. She discovered, as she weeded, she'd found the garden's planted row of them. When she weeded the next row, she found garlic living amongst the weeds. Weeding a third row, she found turnips and a fourth yielded, mostly weeds, but a few carrots. She still had more weeds than produce pulled but it spirited her heart so she continued to work. She found a few left over bean and peas, picked what she could find and pulled the dead plants along with the weeds. She found potatoes as she dug as she pulled the weeds from the next several feet of garden. A row of lettuce and one of spinach as well. Then, to her surprise, she found asparagus. The rest of the garden filled with the beautiful fern. She weeded it as best she could, not wanting to disturb the delicate roots.
When she was finished, Claire discovered she was filthy but no longer cold. She had worked up a bit of a sweat working in the horrid woman's garden. She also was pleasantly surprised to find that she was no longer angry. By the looks of the sun, most of the morning was long gone. She stood up, brushed off her knees and hands as best she could and made for the house. There was a flurry of activity in the yard. Long tables being set up and chairs scattered throughout the area. Women of various ages and sizes scurrying hurriedly about. Claire went into the house and to the door Flora and Jane had used to enter the main room and greet them. On the other side of the door, Claire found herself in a small kitchen, filled with six bustling women. In the middle of the chaos, stood Flora, busily chopping onions and Claire approached her.
"Flora," Claire started. Flora stopped her chopping and looked up. Claire saw the woman stop herself just shy of rolling her eyes at Claire's. The woman set the tip of the knife down on the table by the onions.
"Aye?"
"What can I do to help?"
"As ye can plainly see, Claire" and she waved an arm around the room, "that even if I had need of ye, which I do'na, I have no room fer ye."
"Is there something else I could do that would be of any assistance then?"
"No" she said sharply and definitively and went back to chopping.
"Surely there is something..."
Flora stopped chopping again, looked up and Claire and wiped her brow. "As I said, No. I do'na think, Sassenach, that ye could be of much help anywhere here today. Now please, get out of ma kitchen, we are on a set schedule and yoo are in the way."
But certainly Mrs. Macevy, there must be something I could do to help? I can cook, or at least chop onions, relieving you to do something else. Let me take..."
"Out please, Claire Whoever ye are. Out." and with a flourish she pointed, with her knife, at the door.
Claire looked around the room and noticed that all the others had stopped what they were doing to stare at her. She took a deep breath, turned and walked out the door, careful to not let it hit her on the ass on the way out. She'd go sit in the truck and wait until Jamie was ready to leave. She was done. She'd was through for the day. She'd sit and find a reason not to come tomorrow.
"Claire"
She heard her name as she passed the fireplace on her way to the door. She stopped and turned around. Jane. Smiling at her. Oh good, another tongue lashing by another Macevy. Well, she'd had enough of that for a day as well, possible for a life time. She turned with a hostile look on her face and said "Look, I get..."
"Please forgive my mam. She can be brutal on strangers. Especially foreigners." Jane said as she closed the gap between them.
"Oh? And since when are the English foreigners?" Claire almost snarled.
"No. I did'na mean yoo..."
"Really? Your mother treated me with kindness in there moments ago? God help the people she really doesn't like, then. Pardon me if I'm not all gushy with happiness over our little chat, just now. I think I'll be leaving." And she turned to walk away.
"No. Wait, Claire." Jane said as she reached out and placed a light hand on Claire's arm. "I'm sorry for the way she is behaved. She and the other ladies are just disappointed..."
"Why? Whatever have I done to any of them?"
"Jamie Fraser, of course. They all have set their caps on him for one of their own lasses." Jane looked down at the ground as she spoke the words, embarrassed for having said them out loud. How sad and silly they sounded. That the people she grew up with and loved would treat a stranger so ill. "Because Jamie has fallen in love with yoo and no a Scottish lass from Broch Mordha, 'tis all."
" 'Tis all?" Claire repeated almost laughing. "I am to be treated so rudely simply because I have fallen in love with a Scot? Because I am English?"
"No. No because ye have fallen for Jamie, but that Jamie has fallen for yoo, is the issue. And no just a Scot, but Jamie Fraser. He has done some'thin amazing for my village, just in the few weeks he's been here. He's teach'n us what it 'tis te be Scots again, ye see, with the Gàidhlig lessons, the plaids and wear'n kilts... he's teaching us about pride and honor, Claire. Somethin'n we have no had for quite some time." Jane stopped and took a deep breath. She took Claire by the elbow and led her outside to the front yard and all the activity. "Ma family does no have much. None of the folks around here do. Ma family has needed this shed for years, never had the help, time nor money te build it. Yer Jamie arrived and suddenly the town is here make'n it happen fer them. This is like the gatherings my great-gran and gran used to talk about. Yer man has made it all happen. Plain and simple, Claire. He's brought what it 'tis to be Scots back te Broch Mordha, and that 'tis an amaze'n thin."
Claire looked around and realized just how many people were here, involved in making this happen for the Macveys. Jane said it was all do to Jamie's efforts. The Laird Broch Tuarach looking out for his own... if only they knew. She smiled, Her Jamie. "That doesn't excuse the hostility that has been expressed directly at me today. I understand it, but that doesn't make it alright, Jane."
"Aye. I ken. It might take them awhile to forgive ye from stealing Jamie right 'oot from under 'em. They'll come to accept it, at least once yer moved here and safely wedded. Until then I fear, yer man will still coveted, like a prize bull; considered eligible, grand husband material until mar'rit, I'm afraid. I hope ye have a heavy stick te beat the bolder ones off with." Jane giggled.
Claire snorted, then giggled as well.
"I will do what I can to help, to dissuade them. But, as is true with most Scots, we can be a wee bit stubborn when we've set our minds te somethin'n."
"Oh I have an idea." Claire smiled at Jane. A friend. Maybe she had made a friend today.
"Jane! Jane, where are ye lass. I need ye in the kitchen" was heard coming from the house.
"I've got to go, but I will try and find ye later." Jane took Claire's hand and squeezed it. "The lady there, with the black hair pulled back in a tail and the red skirt, she's Mrs. MacKesson. "Ask her if there is somethin'n ye can do to help." and Jane turned and disappeared back inside the house.
Claire made her way to Mrs. MacKesson and inquired after something she could do to help. Mrs. MacKesson pointed out Mrs. Rose who referred her to Mrs. Tierney. She in turn sent Claire to Mrs. Garrity. Mrs. Garrity said to try the kitchen. Claire sighed and gave up. She walked back to the garden to pick up the vegetables she had harvested earlier. She found a basket beside the front door of the house and placed them in it. There was a table outside on the back side of the house, perhaps to fold laundry on after it had been pulled from the line. She placed the basket on table and went back to pile the weeds she had pulled. She placed them in a corner of the newly weeded garden to allow them to decompose and then be worked into the soil in the spring. She went back around the house to braid the garlic.
When Claire turned the corner she found a small, young, brown haired boy, rooting through the vegetables, pulling out all the carrots and the few leaves of late lettuce and spinach she'd found. A beautiful brown and black puppy was trying to see what the boy was doing. He had managed to get his front paws on the table's edge but was not tall enough to see. The puppy whimpered and the boy picked it up and set it on the table top.
"Brom, ye no like carits, ken?" The boy had the most beautiful green eyes and suddenly she knew who he was.
"Hello." Claire said. "You must be Fred."
The boy looked up and smiled. "Fred Macvey I am" he said and then pointed his finger at himself. "This be Brom" and the puppy barked. "Yoo?" and he pointed his finger at Claire.
"My name?" Claire asked.
"Aye" Fred said.
"My name is Claire."
The boy smiled a largest smile Claire had ever seen and said "Chair!" then threw his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.
Her initial reaction was to throw her hands up in the air but Fred was so endearing, she quickly placed her arms around him and hugged him back. Brom sat quietly on the table next to the boy and wagged his tail. "I like you too" Claire said quietly.
"Frog ribbit" Fred said when he released Claire from the hug. "Wuffbed, frog ribbit. Chair safe ribbit" and he hugged Claire again.
This time when he released her, he went back to picking through the pail in search of more carrots and lettuce. Brom barked once and wagged it's entire rear end in greeting.
"Are you going to make a salad?" Claire inquired.
"No. For pets, eat. Have hurt. Come? See, Chair" and Fred gathered the selected vegetables in a pail and grabbed Claire's hand tightly in his own.
"Yes," She said. "I'd like to see your animals. If they are hurt, perhaps I can help. I'm a nurse, you see."
Fred looked confused.
"A healer. I help make sick things well." She said and she grabbed the pail and Fred's smile grew and he pulled her toward the barn. The puppy leaped from the table and ran passed them, up the grassy ramp and into the barn. The lower level, made of stone, must have been the original barn. John had said the farm had been in Flora's family for generations. Must be where they processed the milk, made the butter, coddled cream, maybe even cheese now, Claire thought. She had not realized just how long the barn was either. There looked to be 10 milking stalls on each side, with almost enough room for two people to walk up the center and not touch a cow in a stall on either side. And clean. Fresh hay dusted the floor. The far end of the barn had another set of double doors and as they moved toward it, Fred rocked their linked hands back and forth like it was a swing. He led her all the way to the other end of the barn and when they arrived, Fred opened the door. Brom immediately darted out and turned to the right. Fred picked up a milking stool and an empty pail and they followed the brown and black furry blur out the back of the barn. Attached to the barn, just to the right, was a small covered area with an extended roof using the wall of the barn as the back shelter. It was open to the elements on the other three sides. There was a old table, with various sizes of odd crates and cages sitting on, underneath or beside it. Claire set the pail of vegetables on the table and began to look into the cages. One contained a brown hare, another a red squirrel and one under the table looked empty. There was an old wash bucket on the ground beside the table with water and a pond turtle. All looked perfectly healthy to Claire.
She had not realized Fred had left until he suddenly returned carrying a pail of water.
"They are wonderful. Are they yours?" Claire asked. Fred nodded. "They look like you are take good care of them" and she smiled at him.
Fred positioned the stool on the ground and stood on it so that the table came to his waist now. He placed the empty pail on the table and set a small amount of hay in it. Then he carefully opened his shirt and removed something from it. When he released it into the pail, Claire could see it was a small vole and it wasn't moving. He opened a jar of dirt and dug around until he came up with a worm and placed it in the pail with the vole along with a broken teacup filled with water.
"Is he alive?"
Fred nodded.
"Well then that will set him right for the night. Where did you find him?" Claire asked. "Wall" the boy said and pointed off over his shoulder. Brom was whimpering, asking to see so Fred picked him up and set him on the table.
Fred pulled the hare's cage over. "Help leg, peas" he said as he looked at Claire.
"Oh, is his leg injured?" She inquired.
Fred nodded his head. "Found trap'd" he said as he reached over and grabbed a piece of twine. "On leg. Tight." his face full of concern. "No hopping."
"He cannot hop now, because of the snare you found on his leg?"
The boy's head nodded furiously.
"Fred, do you know Mr. Murray from Lallybroch?
Fred nodded and stepped off the stool like he was going to leave to go get him for her.
"No, no." She said as she placed an hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I mean, would you recognize the truck he drives?"
Fred nodded. "Aye. Red. Beside Tom in yard."
"Yes," Claire nodded with a grin. "There should be a small, black lunch box on the seat. Would you fetch it for me? It will have some items in it I might..." and before she could finish the sentence with the word "need" Fred was off, Brom leapt off the table and followed in hot pursuit.
Fred was back before she could fix her hair, so she placed the scarf in the pocket of her skirt. Fred placed the metal lunch box on the table, picked Brom up and climbed up on his stool. As Fred looked at Claire with great expectations, Brom scrambled out of his arms onto the table and sat, patiently waiting.
"Alright then," Claire said as she started rifling though the barn shaped box, checking her supplies. She had started carrying the box out of necessity. No matter where she went, there was always someone in need of simple medical attention. So rather than hope that the person had what she needed, she simply started carrying basic first aid supplies. That early beginning, had swiftly developed into the proverbial little black medical bag since meeting Jamie and Murtagh. "I'll need you to hold the hare tightly, Fred, so I can get a look at his leg. Watch the claws on his feet, I don't want you to get hurt in the process."
Fred looked and her and nodded.
Brom barked and wagged his talk.
Claire nodded in return. "Good. Lets get started."
Fred opened the cage and grabbed the hare by the ears and lifted him out. It squirmed but was no match for Fred, with only one working back leg. The bad food just hung, useless. Fred folded his free arm around the hare and hugged him to his chest and used the hand holding his ears and his chin to hold the head and cover the eyes. The hare calmed slightly, unable to see, but it's nose was working overtime, sniffing the air for possible dangers.
Claire pushed the cage off to the side a bit, to make room for her to work. She gently took the limp appendage in her fingers and the hare kicked it's good foot, wrestling a bit but Fred had a good grip on him. She could see where the snare had entangled the leg just above the foot but below the hock. The fur missing, the leg swollen, tissue torn, and the wound was dirty. From the feel, there were no broken bones. It looked as if the poor creature had struggled in an attempt to free itself and had definitely stressed the tendons.
"The leg isn't broken, which is good" she said to Fred. "I will need to clean the wound, then bandage it. He should be fine in a few days. Claire cleaned it as carefully as she could though the hare struggle when she placed the Merthiolate on the wound.
Fred said "Stop. Hurt hare."
"Yes, I know, but it needed to be disinfected, kill the germs. It will help the wound to heal." She tried to tell him. She wrapped the wound with a clean bandage. She'd have to hope the hare did not try to chew through it. "Done" she announces and ran her hand down the hare's back. The fur was so soft. She twisted the ends together between her finger and thumb. "Guess you should put him back in the cage and feed him and she pushed the cage toward Fred.
He lowered the hare into the cage but had to push Brom's head out of the way as he shut the lid. "No Brom. Scare hare."
Claire said "If I come back tomorrow, I can check on him again, see how the injury is doing and if the bandage needs to be changed but I'll be leaving on Sunday. You'll have to find someone else to help you after that. Your sister Jane perhaps?"
Fred smiled at the news the hare would be alright but grabbed Claire's arm and said "Stay!" when she mentioned her leaving.
Claire's eyes soften. "I have to leave for now, to return to work. Not far, only to Inverness. The hospital, near Annie. But I will be back Fred, I promise."
Brom turned and immediately started to growl.
Both Claire and Fred turned to see what was upsetting Brom. From the far side of the barn, a man was leaning against the barn wall, watching them. Tall, Claire noticed, immediately. He was tall. Six feet for sure, but not quite as tall as Jamie. Weighed more than Jamie though from the looks of it. Big boned and muscular. This guy tipped in at 14 stone for sure. Dark, black hair, like ink and long, past his shoulders. But it was the eyes that stopped her, almost scared the breath right out of her, yellow, almost molten golden; she'd never seen iris' that color. She could feel an ancient haunted sole behind them.