The Strength of a High and Noble Hill (An Outlander Story)

Chapter 24: River Run

Mama, Da and Ian head off to retrieve Roger while Brian and Ellen go to River Run where they'll be living with their Great Aunt Jacosta. Brian hadn't wanted to leave his sister alone with people she didn't know as well as the added worry that there'll be a delay in getting Roger and Brian hates the idea of missing the birth of his own niece/nephew. He can't let her down again.

The journey to River Run took a week, but it felt excruciatingly long. No one spoke much except when they had to make frequent stops for Ellen to pee or have a breather due to nausea.

——

January 1770

Brian can't sleep, what's new? He pulls himself out of bed, out of his room that's next to Ellen's and he heads down to where the kitchen is to have a snack or something.

He passes the living room where he can see Murtagh, who's accompanied them to River Run, Jacosta sitting inside, talking. They don't seem to notice Brian as he slips by. He doesn't believe he saw was unusual but when he leaves the kitchen, he hears them yelling at each other. Brian gets curious and hides outside the door to spy. Jocasta throws a drink in Murtagh's face, he then grabs her wrist, and kisses her!

It takes a few moments for Brian to realise that they are not pulling away from each other. He quickly leaves and runs back to his room. That doesn't stop him from hearing them walk past his door, whispering and giggling, and then Murtagh's door opening and it locking.

Well, at least someone is happy.

——

February 1770

"Do you ever think how mad this whole thing is?" Brian wonders as he lounges on the 'settee', staring up at the ceiling.

Ellen looks up from her drawing, her stomach visible now at six months. "What'd you mean?"

"Just as crazy is the fact that four years ago, we didn't know about any of this, about Da, time travel and now here we are two hundred and two years in the past on a slave plantation owned by our great aunt."

Ellen snorts. "Time itself is insane. Just a year ago we were living in the year 1971. I had just finished studying to be an engineer at MIT, you were working at Boston Globe. And now, you're keeping me company as I'm here, pregnant and waiting for my husband to be brought back from the Mohawk."

"When our teachers asked us where we saw ourselves being when we grew up, I don't think this is anywhere close to what they had in mind." They both laugh at Brian's words.

Brian's happy that he's brought a smile to his sister's face as they have been too few and far between.

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.