𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 | 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫 ✅

16 - Encounters

Eight Months Later,

8th August 1739

Eira MacCraig's POV

He had told me specifically that today was the day that he was arriving from Paris. I wanted to meet him, and so I had begged Brian to let me ride to Beauly. He had refused, of course, reminding me that I was a lady of sixteen, and that it would be pure stupidity to allow me to ride so far on my own.

Instead, I had asked if I could ride to the village to wait for him there, for he would surely stop to water his horse on his way back home to Lallybroch. Brian had agreed.

I was wearing one of Jenny's old dresses; a pretty blue one that still had plenty of wear in it, but I had been gifted a new riding cloak which was a matching blue in colour, very thick and waterproof, which I was glad for. When I set off from Lallybroch early that morning, it was raining. The weather didn't bother me. I dug my heels into the gut of the horse and it began to canter down the road from the house. I couldn't wait to see him again.

During the eight months, Jamie and I had exchanged letters religiously. We had conversed more in written word than we had in spoken since we were children. It felt freeing, because we had exchanged letters on such a wide variety of subjects that I felt as if I now knew him very well - better than I had ever hoped to whilst he was away.

When I reached the town, I left my horse with the ostler in the large commercial stable, and told the boy - a year or two younger than me - to see to it that my horse was well fed and watered, and that Himself would pay for it the next time that he came into the town. It wasn't a lie. Brian had told me that whenever I was in town, I could charge whatever I wanted to his accounts and he would take care of it. In truth, I had no idea of what kind of financial situation Lallybroch and Brian Fraser were in, but I didn't let it bother me.

I went over to the tavern, opening the door and going straight over to the bar. The tender, a man in his mid-thirties who I did not recognise from any of the Lallybroch Christmas parties nor my other visits into town smiled at me, but it was not a smile that I liked.

Nevertheless, I smiled in return, bobbing a small curtsy before I spoke, "has Jamie Fraser been through here yet today?"

"Fraser?"

"The Laird's son." I paused, "dinna act like ye dinna ken who I'm talking about." I paused again, "James Fraser, red hair and -" I cut myself off when he put a cup of ale in front of me, "I didna order that -"
"Nay, I did." I jumped, turning my head slowly to my side to see Willie standing there. He had put on a bit of weight since Christmas Eve, the last time that I had seen him, but he was quite handsome anyway. His thick brown hair was cut very short, his eyes were a deep brown and his clothes looked like they were quite new.

"Hello, Mr Faulkner." I bobbed a curtsy at him too, purely to be polite. I had no mind to speak to him at all, save a few words of greeting and general politeness.

"Mistress," he replied with a smile. The bartender turned and went to wash some cups, ignoring the two of us and our conversation. "I hadna thought ye'd be in the village today?"

"Aye, well I've come to meet Jamie."
"He's back today?" I nodded. "From France?" I nodded again.

"Ye havena seen him, have ye?"

Even if he had, I wouldn't have put it past Willie to lie. He disliked Jamie because he knew that I had an interest in him, I was sure of it.

"No, I haven't. Apologies, mistress."

I shrugged, something quite unladylike, but I found that I did not care. I just wanted to see Jamie, and I was growing quite tired of speaking to Willie Faulkner already.