July 1769
Brian glances down at the money in his hands in alarm as the trio stands at the port in Inverness. "We can't take your money."
His Uncle Ian simply grins at him. "Aye, ye can. Yer family."
Brian almost feels a blush on his cheeks at that. Yeah, family.
"Now, are ye sure I cannae accompany yer inside t' help ye buy yer passage?" Ian then questions.
"You and Aunt Jenny have done enough already but thank you." Ellen answers him.
Ian nods, hugging his niece before she leaves them be and steps inside the alehouse, temporarily being used for the passage organisation for various frigates and trading vessels.
Ian then turns to Brian, clasping him on the shoulder with one hand. "Take care o' yer sister? I ken by now tha' Ellen has a way o' findin' trouble."
"I will." Brian nods.
Ian leaves then and Brian moves through droves of townsfolk to the inside of the ale house.
Inside, Brian spots a table in the corner where people are buying passage and glances around the room in search of Ellen before a hand touching his arm catches his attention. He turns to see it's Ellen standing beside him with a young girl lingering behind her.
She is slightly shorter, with hair covered by a tied bonnet with light grey eyes and an extremely pale complexion. The girl can't be older than thirteen or fourteen.
"Her father wants us to buy his daughter as an indentured servant. He said she'd be wanted..." Ellen begins to explain, before moving slightly closer to her brother, to be unheard. The girl in question is speaking quietly to a man across the room, who Brian assumes to be her father. "...as a... concubine otherwise." She continues, visibly cringing in disgust at the particular word.
Brian doesn't blame her. He meets her gaze in an unspoken question, before nodding. "I'll sort it, can you speak with him?"
Ellen nods, briefly excusing herself as Brian stands at the table, placing some coins upon it. He is soon joined once again by his sister and their charge, looking between the two.
"Brian and Ellen Fraser, and..." He begins, glancing at their new acquaintance.
She blushes slightly, bowing her head. "Elizabeth Weymss, sir."
"And Elizabeth Weymss for passage aboard the Phillip Alonzo, please."
——
September 1769
He knew. Roger knew. That's all Ellen said when she returned. Roger had known about their parents' deaths and had kept it from them. She admits they had hand-fast but had left him after finding out he knew.
Ellen says he's gone and that it's for the best, but Brian can see from her face that she doesn't believe that is the case.
——
Ellen says she wants to be left alone. Brian accepts her wishes but regrets them when he finds her beaten and sobbing a day later.
——
Brian continues trying to make plans, to get them to Cross Creek, to their Aunt Jocasta, when Lizzie comes running up to him, face flushed, to tell him what she's found. She heard a story about the wife of a Scot who performed surgery at the theatre only the night before. The woman's husband, one Mr Fraser, has just been seen nearby.
Brian's heart stops. Jamie.
——
A/N: Poor Ellen. I covered the scene where Brian found her in a previous chapter so it's a brief mention here.
Feel like I'm teasing you all by cutting off here 😅
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