Outlander: The Standing Stones

My Lady Campbell to be

TV Shows » Outlander

Author: martykate

He left sometime in the middle of the night, I think. I rolled over and spent the rest of the night where he'd been, inhaling the fragrance of outdoors, whisky, and Georgie. All I know is I slept better than I had before this whole adventure began.

Someone began pounding on my door, and as I opened my eyes I realized light was coming in, and it was daybreak. I pulled on my shift, and went to the door and opened it carefully.

"Get up," he bounded in with that energy that so amazed me, "Get dressed, we're going riding.'

"No, I'm going to sleep, you kept me awake for half the night. We can ride tomorrow, or maybe even this afternoon." I was trying to shove him out the door, but he would have none of it.

"Well, if you don't want to ride, we'll do something else. It will be a while before anyone misses me." To make his point he pushed me against the wall, and started to pull up my nightgown. He put his face close to mine, close enough to kiss me, but I ducked out from underneath his arm.

"No, you don't do that again until you have your father's permission to court me. You said you wanted to marry me, so you prove it. You probably have the pick of the girls around here, you don't need me. You want me, you have to deserve me." I emphasized the word, "I'm thirty years old, I'm not available for indiscriminate tumbles in the hay, or whatever. I've outgrown that. You want me, you treat me the way I deserve to be treated."

"Thirty are you? I thought you were maybe twenty five at the most, if that. So, I guess I've fallen in love with an older woman-they'll be saying you seduced me, you know."

"I'll set them straight-it was half a rape. If I'd tried to tell you "no", how much good would it have done me?"

"Not much," he admitted, "Now, I told Colin I was going to marry you, not that I wanted to marry you. So, if I have to talk to my da before you'll let me in your bed again, I guess that's what I'll have to do. Can we go riding please? I'll even take you back to the barrow if you like."

I gave in-it was the path of least resistance. I couldn't convince him to leave while I dressed, he made himself useful and helped tie my petticoats and my cuffs. He fingered the scarf that I had coveted and splurged on, along with the silver brooch. He put it around my neck, not even looking at my denim jacket, and fastened the pin.

"Where did you get this lass?" he asked, "It's very fine work."

"Oh, at a shop in Edinburgh," I said carelessly. I didn't know what Inverness was like now, so Edinburgh seemed bigger and safe.

"Well, it's very fine work, and the red suits you," he said, and took my hand as we made our way down the stairs and out of the house.

They'd saddled his bay for him, and Birdie for me. She eyed me warily as I mounted her. She'd tried to unseat me a couple of times yesterday, but now she knew I was wise to her tricks. There was no prancing or turning as I swung up into the saddle.

"Ready?" asked Georgie, and we galloped off, heading for the hills. This time I paid careful attention to where we rode. In spite of Georgie's promise to marry me, I would return to the stone circle and Inverness if it meant I could go home.  If I had to sneak a horse out of the stable at night, I'd better know where I was riding, though the country would be pitch black without moonlight. It had been dark when I'd been on digs, but we usually lit fires, had flashlights...

How could I have been so stupid? There was a small flashlight in my pack that cast a powerful beam. As long as I memorized the landmarks and knew the road, I could ride away at night. That made me feel much better, I had solved a problem, knocked down a roadblock. If I decided I wanted to leave the chateau, a way might have opened up.