Outlander: The Standing Stones

Tax Day

Since she had nursing experience, albeit as a combat nurse, Claire appointed herself my caretaker and no one at the castle seemed to mind. Though they had been very good to me, I think there was still some mistrust due to the fact that I had been married to George Campbell, son of the Campbell laird. I was very careful, but I still understood the fact that they were mistrustful of my loyalties. And since Claire was English, and the Campbell's' English allies, it seemed fitting.

It had been a week, and except for the occasional bleeding, I was feeling tired but better. And bored, very bored. I was expected to keep to my bed for six weeks, so the only walking I could do was around my bedroom and sometimes in the hall.

Claire turned out to be a blessing. Though we had obvious cultural differences, she was close to my age, though our experiences were vastly different. I was drawing information from her when I could while trying to not reveal too much of my own.

I found out she had indeed used the "my coach overturned" reason for her presence and told her to be on her guard, for that was a flimsy excuse that wouldn't be believed.

"Well," she said, "What did you say?"

I sighed. This was going to involve talking about Georgie and I wasn't sure if I was ready. "I had a luxury you didn't," I told her, "I told him a half-truth, as much as I could. I told Georgie I didn't know how  I got there, which was true and said no more. He was suspicious of me, but there was an undeniable attraction between us, and as it turned out, the truth didn't turn out to be necessary."

"You fell in love?" she asked gently.

"I fell in love, he fell in love, we fell in love and wound up being married on Boxing Day. I was around six weeks or so gone with child. By the third day after I was brought to their seat, Chateau La Mere, he was in my bed." I smiled ruefully, "We went at it like rabbits, and Callum was the result. He never really demanded an explanation from me, and as a result, he never learned the truth. I have to be honest, by that time I didn't really care if he knew or not. At first, I wanted to get back to Inverness so I could go home, but I found myself in love. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Georgie, though you can see how that worked out."

"You poor thing, such a short time together, but you have your child, your beautiful boy. We're both facing the same dilemma, though, we don't belong here and for the present, there's no way of getting away."

"I wonder what happens to my child if I go through the portal, will it affect him? I do want to go home, Claire. I don't live in Scotland or England, I'm an American. I don't want to be part of what's coming, and I don't want to be the one to tell any Scot any attempt at rebellion will fail."

"American? I might have guessed, your accent is barely noticeable. Maybe these months that you've been here have affected your speech."

I wanted to say, "But I don't have an accent" but didn't. Instead, I asked a question I didn't want to but felt the subject needed to be broached. "Claire, did you happen to run into a British army officer named Captain Jonathan Randall?" She colored, and I guessed that she had. "Don't worry," I tried to reassure her, "I have had a run-in or two with him also, but so far it's been no problem. I have my Campbell connections, so I'm safe from him, I think, but I don't know. I don't even know if Georgie's family is going to come after me, or if he might help them if asked. Are you worried about him finding you, Claire?"

"I don't know," she said slowly, "I feel safe from him, for the moment; but the situation here is so tenuous. They're Jacobites here, not Loyalists. I don't know where I stand here, I guess that remains to be seen."

Jamie chose that moment to appear. Since little Callum had no relations save for me, he had appointed himself unofficial uncle. "Ladies," he said and bowed, then went over to the cradle and looked him over before picking him up. My baby started crying, but I didn't care, except for the noise. He rocked and bounced him gently, then Callum ceased his crying. "Ah, ye poor wee bairn," he said though "poor" didn't exactly describe his prospects, "Dinna worry, your uncle Jamie will train ye to be a great warrior someday, and ye'll have all the lassies at your feet."