The Cries of an Outlander Lass

Epilogue

Jeremy Foster

I watch as the surgeon enters the room. I try and comfort Isabella as much as possible. I still can't understand how anyone could do this to such a young and innocent woman, "Lieutenant, come here and report," General Thomas orders as he enters the room.

I leave Isabellas, making my way over to him, "Sir, returning from our patrol, I halted the group so that the horses could rest. Soon after stopping, I was alerted by two of my men of a hurt woman. Upon seeing the woman, I recognized her as Isabella Beauchamp, the younger of the two English women that had visited us with the MacKenzie man," confused, I ask, "Did the rider not mention her name?"

"No, he only said that your patrol was returning with a hurt woman in Scottish clothing," he responded, "Did she tell you who did it?"

"She said it was the Jacobites," when she lets out a scream, I return to her side as the surgeon continues to tend to her.

Once he was done cleaning them, during which time Isabella passed out but kept her grip on my hand. I carried her upstairs and laid her down in one of the spear rooms. General Thomas sent a corporal to tell me that his wife would come and look after Isabella and that he needed me now for the Jacobite hunt.

Three weeks later in France

A letter sitting on a silver plate made it's way through the house Claire and Jamie had just moved into to watch for his uncle. It enters the study that Jamie and Murtagh are in. The servant holds out the plate, letting Jamie take it with a confused face as to why Dougal would be writing him. Dougal knows the risk of writing to him. Opening the letter and after reading the first few lines, he stops before starting over again out loud so that Murtagh could hear it.

Jamie,

I am writing to you because something has happened to Isabella. She is alive, but at this point, that is all I know. The men had stopped on their way back to me. Willie was sent off to get supplies, and the other two idiots decide to go into the whore house. A group of men took Isabella; Willie tried to stop them while returning the supplies. He was too late.

When the men went to find her and were chasing after them but didn't notice till after catching up with them that Isabella had been dumped. They sent Willie to tell me. I sent out all my men to find her, but we found nothing. Soon after all my men returned to me a woman of the Jacobites said she saw a young woman in Scottish clothing being carried into her village by a British officer about a week before. I sent a young boy out and learned that the British have Isabella. I don't know much else at this point.

Just know she is alive, and I will work on getting her back.

Dougal MacKenzie

"The date he wrote this was three weeks ago," Jamie states.

"What are you going to tell Claire," Murtagh asks.

"For now, nothing. I will write to my Uncle Laird MacKenzie and see how he can get her back to his castle. Till he writes me back, we say nothing."