Luceo Non Uro || Outlander

Chapter 3

Marsali

Germain and I were sitting outside on the porch taking some fresh air when Daddy and Claire approached. "Grand-père!" Germain reached up his wee arms to the sky for Jamie, who scooped him up into a hug. It was then I noticed that there was a woman standing behind him. My stomach dropped. She was just as mother described.

Fergus came bounding out of the house behind me, "Milord! It was a success, Murtagh is here."

"Aye, I thank ye, lad." Jamie stepped to the side so that Fergus too could see that he and Claire did not come alone.

"Son and daughter of my heart, this is Brianna, my daughter. And Claire's." Fergus stepped forward, eyes wide as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Daughter? When... Milady?"

"I was pregnant when I thought I had lost Jamie after Culloden. She has been living in Boston all this time."

"This is excellent news, Milord. Brianna," Fergus kissed her warmly on both cheeks. She was the spitting image of Jamie, there was no denying her parentage, as mother had said in her letter. "I am Fergus, and this is my wife, Marsali. My son, Germain."

"Hello," she said in a strange accent unlike anything I had ever heard before, even in the colonies.

"When we received Laoghaire's letter, we thought there could be no truth in it, but you are really here!" Fergus was cheerful. I was feeling quite the opposite.

"Laoghaire's letter?" Claire's face darkened as she turned to Brianna, who cast her eyes down at the cobblestone below her feet.

"Laoghaire helped me when I first arrived in Scotland, Mama. It was my fault; I shouldn't have told her I was Jamie's daughter."

"What are ye going on about?" I demanded.

Avoiding my question, Brianna continued to stammer an incomprehensible explanation to Claire "I told her too much, Mama, she thought I was a witch. She locked me in the room—" I scoffed at Brianna's impertinence, cutting her off.

"What are ye accusing my mother of having done to ye? Locked ye in a room?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't know she was your mother," Brianna shrunk back and looked at her own mother for rescue.

Fergus put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me back into him. "There is bad blood between the Frasers and MacKimmies... we do not need to speak of such things."

"Aye, yer a true Romeo," I glared up at him, but he acted as if he hadn't noticed.

"Will you stay for supper, Milord?" he gave my shoulder another squeeze as he shifted the conversation.

"If it would not be an imposition on Marsali..." I sucked my teeth and shook my head that it would not be. What's three more mouths to feed?

"Help me in the kitchen, husband."

"Of course, my love," I shooed Murtagh from where he dozed in front of my pantry, still tired from the night before, and set about pulling ingredients out for supper. It irritated me further that I could sense Fergus beginning to fidget uncomfortably once we were alone. "Marsali..."

"Do ye not think it odd, Fergus, that Claire has not once mentioned she had a daughter with Jamie to you? That Daddy has never mentioned a daughter to either of us? Hm?" I brandished my knife at the pile of onions before me, counting to ensure I had enough with all of the extra mouths to feed.