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The first glimmer of light peeked through the bedroom window as the sun crested above the horizon on this spring morning. It wasn’t blinding, having been filtered through the thin curtain that was drawn closed, but Claire could still feel the warmth spread across her face as the light rose higher in the sky.
She fought her internal alarm clock, wanting to stay enveloped in this peaceful bliss forever, and kept her eyes closed. In this state of half-wake and half-sleep, she started to regain some of her senses through the thick haze of dreaminess she wasn’t ready to relinquish.
Bliss wasn’t the only thing wrapped around her. The heavy warmth of her husband’s arm stretched around her torso and the length of his body fit solidly behind hers, his chest pressed to her back and her bum nestled against his thighs. She loved the sensation of his nearness and felt safe with his body encased so perfectly around her own.
The comforting heat from his body behind her and the sun in front of her was nearly enough to coax her back to sleep. She must not have heard the soft pitter patter of tiny feet enter the room as her mind began to drift off. Suddenly, she felt something jump on her feet at the edge of the bed, causing her to gasp and lurch up into a sitting position, clutching her chest.
“Good morning Grandmère!” a high-pitched voice yelled as Jamie simultaneously woke with the same panic that startled his wife.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Joanie, ye shouldna give us a fright like that unless yer tryin’ to send yer Grannie and me to our graves!” Jamie reprimanded as he tried to calm his nerves.
“Oh, Joanie, it’s just you,” Claire realized, thankfully.
Claire was grateful she had the forethought to put her shift back on before she went to sleep after her and Jamie’s activities the night before. With the quilts having been flung down to her waist as she leapt awake, the last thing she wanted to do was show more of Grannie than was intended.
“Sorry Grandpère, I didna mean it,” Joan responded, regretfully with downcast eyes.
Jamie couldn’t stand to see his grandchildren sad, so he was quick to remedy the situation.
“Aye, I ken. ‘Tis alright, I just wasna expecting to be sent to meet my maker by a wee lassie! Come ‘ere!” he said playfully as he dragged the small girl up between him and Claire, tickling her as she tried to squirm out of his grasp.
Claire chuckled as Joan shrieked with laughter, even if she was occasionally jabbed in the leg by her little feet. Hearing all the commotion from down the hall, the other little Fraser’s came charging into their grandparents bedroom to see what fun was being had without them.
Germain led the pack, being the oldest and quickest, followed closely behind by Félicité, the third in age, who immediately launched herself onto the bed to join her older sister. There was a reason Jamie affectionately dubbed the pair of girls, “hell-kittens.” Lastly came Henri-Christian toddling into the room at only three years old, the youngest of the bunch. At 10 years old, Germain didn’t care much for tickle fights, but his wee brother looked longingly up at the bed, unable to reach for himself, so Germain hoisted him onto his grandmère’s lap before finding a seat on a nearby stool.
Claire smiled at Germain in thanks and cuddled Henri-Christian to her chest, tickling him lightly on his belly, which resulted in the most delightful giggles she’s ever heard. After assisting Marsali with his complicated delivery, Claire diagnosed Henri-Christian with dwarfism. The whole family was determined to give him a good life and were adamant that he be treated just like anyone else. With that being said, Jamie and Claire tended to have a soft spot in their hearts for their wee grandson.
Fergus and Marsali had asked Jamie and Claire if they could watch the children while they made a trip to Wilmington, an undertaking that would be made substantially easier if it were just the two of them. Fergus needed to purchase supplies for his burgeoning printing business and Marsali wanted to gather various threads and yarns for her spinning wheel so she might sell items of clothing as a way to earn extra money. Jamie and Claire were happy to spend quality time with their grandchildren and expected to have them for about a week and a half, since it took two or three days to travel to Wilmington.
It was only a matter of time before one of the children grew hungry enough to ask for breakfast. After helping everyone get dressed and ready for the day, Claire scooped Henri-Christian onto her hip and alongside Jamie, herded the children downstairs where Mrs. Bug was ready and waiting with breakfast.
In the midst of the chaotic scramble to distribute parritch and tea to everyone while little hands grabbed bannocks from the platter on the table, a knock was heard at the front door. Claire could see that Mrs. Bug had her hands full trying to fill everyone's bowl as quickly as was manageable, so she went to answer it.
She was elated to welcome her daughter, Brianna, and her family into the big house to join them for breakfast.
“Grannie!” Jemmy shouted with excitement as he hugged his grandmother around her knees.
“Hello my darling,” she replied, bending to plant a kiss atop his head.
“Is that Jem?” yelled Germain from the dining room. He was always happy to have his partner in crime to play with, as he quickly grew bored of his younger, less enthusiastic siblings.
Jemmy ran off to join the others while Claire finished greeting Brianna, Roger, and one year old Mandy, who was currently fast asleep in her mother’s arms.
“Sorry to pop by unannounced like this, especially since I know you two currently have your hands full,” Brianna apologized.
“Oh, nonsense. You know your father and I are always happiest when our whole family is gathered under one roof,” Claire insisted, beckoning them towards the dining room. “Won’t you come join us for breakfast? Mrs. Bug just set everything out.”
“Ah, we wish we could, but we actually came to ask a favor of you and Jamie if it’s not too much trouble,” Roger said as they made their way down the hall.
“I’m sure it won’t be. Look who’s here everyone!” Claire announced once they reached the entryway to the dining room.
“Auntie Bree!” Joan and Félicité chimed in unison, as they waved hello to their beloved aunt.
“A leannan,” Jamie said as he stood and walked over to hug his daughter. “A pleasure to see ye both,” he nodded to Roger. “Ye’ll stay for breakfast, aye?”
“Actually, Roger was just mentioning to Mama that we have a favor to ask you and unfortunately it means we can’t stay,” Brianna started.
“With the recent death of Mrs. Anderson and her child, I thought it would be a good idea to check in on Mr. Anderson. See how he’s coping and offer any spiritual comfort that may be of help to him,” Roger explained.
“And I suggested that I could go with him to see if he needs help around the house with cleaning, preparing meals, or keeping an eye on his little daughter while he and Roger talk,” Brianna added. “Since they live on the far side of the Ridge and we don’t know how long we’ll be, we were wondering if you wouldn’t mind adding Jem and Mandy to the bunch.”
“Just for the day,” Roger blurted, not wanting to ask too much of his in-laws.
“Aye, we’re always happy te take ‘em, are we no’, Sassenach?” Jamie asked, looking at his wife as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side.
“Of course we are. You can leave them for as long as you need,” Claire responded with a smile. “In fact, I think it will be quite fun to have them here with us. I don’t think we’ve had all six of them just to ourselves before, have we, Jamie?”
“No, I dinna think we have. I’ve no doubt they’ll keep us verra busy though,” he said with an amused grin.
“Thank you both so much. We really appreciate it,” Roger replied in earnest.
“It really is such a blessing to live so close to our family,” Brianna said, gently lifting a still-sleeping Mandy from her chest to hand over to Claire. Her eyes met her mother’s and they shared a knowing glance, both grateful that the MacKenzies decided to remain on the Ridge after a period of uncertainty.
“Yes, it truly is. Few things make us happier than helping out with the little ones,” Claire smiled as she cradled Mandy in her arms.
“Well, we best be off then if we want any chance of being back to pick them up by dinner time,” Roger announced.
After exchanges of goodbye and wishing the MacKenzie’s safe travels, Jamie and Claire returned to the dining room and attempted to finish their first hectic meal of the day with some semblance of order.
“Here’s your tea, Jemmy,” Claire said, gently placing the full cup in front of her grandson, who already helped himself to more bannocks than he probably should have.
She settled back in her seat with Mandy on her lap, carefully spooning parritch into the baby’s mouth, making sure to blow on it first to cool it down.
“I feel terribly for Mr. Anderson,” Claire said, addressing her husband. “If only I were there when Mrs. Anderson went into labor… I think I could have saved them, Jamie,” she looked at him with eyes full of regret and sadness that she was out of town when one of their tenants needed her.
“You couldna have known she’d have the bairn so soon. They werena expecting the birth for another month or so, aye?” Jamie asked, taking a bite of parritch.
“Right. And there were no signs up until that point that suggested the possibility of preterm labor, or any complications for that matter,” Claire said to Jamie, but was really reasoning within her own mind.
“Exactly. Ye did everything ye could, mo nighean donn. Some things are simply out of our hands and left up to God,” he said with a soft smile, resting his hand over hers on the table.
“Alright ye wee heathens,” Jamie said as he stood from the table. “If yer done eating, go get yer shoes on while the table gets cleaned up. Who wants to come wi’ me to feed the animals?”
“Me!”
“I do!”
"I wanna come, Grandpère!”
“Me, please!”
The chorus of eager shouts from the children instantly filled the room before they all raced to get ready for the outdoors, leaving Jamie and Claire in silence before they knew it.
“My goodness, it’s like a hurricane passing through,” Claire laughed. “One second it’s so chaotic you can’t even hear yourself think, then the next they’re all gone and we’re left to clean the mess they’ve left in their wake,” she said, shifting Mandy to her hip and picking up what remained of the plate of bannocks to bring back to the kitchen.
“Aye, I ken yer meaning,” he chuckled, stepping closer to kiss his wife and caress Mandy’s cheek with his thumb. “‘Tis going to be a fun day.”
Claire enjoyed the peacefulness of the beautiful sunny day as she took in her surroundings on the walk over to the barn. Jamie was a few steps ahead of her, flanked on either side by Joanie and Félicité, who each took one of his hands and were skipping happily to keep pace with their grandfather’s long strides. Germain and Jemmy ran ahead, racing to see who could reach the stables first, laughing as they went. Mandy was secured to Claire’s chest in a knit wrap, so Claire had her hands free to hold one of Henri-Christian’s as they made their way to feed the animals.
“Grandpère, can I please pet the horses?” Joanie asked, pulling on Jamie’s arm and looking up at him with her big eyes and most endearing smile. She knew he had a hard time saying no to his wee lasses.
“O' course ye can. But first, ye got to give ‘em their breakfast. They havena eaten yet so they’re likely to be verra hungry,” Jamie said, giving each child an armful of hay to distribute amongst the horses.
Once the horses’ bellies were full and the children got in all of their pets, the group headed over to the pens to feed the goats, chickens, and large white sow. Jamie helped the older boys lift the large, heavy buckets filled with vegetable scraps to dump into the troughs for the white sow and the goats while Claire gave the younger children handfuls of a corn, seed, and grain mix to toss in the chicken coop.
“Um, what are they doin’?” Félicité very reluctantly asked, pointing to the goat pen.
Upon seeing what Félicité was referring to, Claire quickly scooped Henri-Christian into her arms and faced him away from the goats.
“Oh. Well… they are… uh,” Jamie fumbled, searching for age-appropriate language to describe the act in which two of the goats were partaking.
“He’s planting his seed!” Germain shouted, matter of factly.
Jamie felt the heat of embarrassment creeping up his neck into his cheeks and shared an amused and uncomfortable look with Claire, both doing their best to refrain from laughing.
“Germain…” Jamie said, giving the boy in question a warning glance.
“What? It’s true! That’s what Rabbie said when we saw the horses doin it once,” he said defensively.
“Is that so? Well, there’s no need to be watchin’ it, so–”
“He said that’s how men do it wi’ the lassies too,” Germain continued, interrupting his grandfather.
“What do you mean?” Joan asked with curiosity.
“Germain, that’s enough!” Claire yelled, giving him a glare sharp enough he could almost feel it pricking his skin.
“Sorry, Grandmère,” he apologized, shrinking as they all started towards the big house.
In an attempt to avoid further questioning regarding the habits of their goats, Jamie thought of a promising distraction to occupy the minds of the children.
“I’ve an idea,” he began, flashing a mischievous smirk to Claire and then the children. “How would ye like to go on a wee adventure for our midday meal?”
This earned him a round of ecstatic squeals from all the children and a questioning raise of an eyebrow from Claire. He paused in his steps for half a second to fall in line with her, a few paces behind the older children.
“Trust me, Sassenach,” he murmured quietly to her in reassurance.
“Always,” she spoke with a soft smile, and took his hand for the remaining distance to the house.
“Will ye be needing any help wi’ the bairns during this outing of yers?” Lizzie asked while Jamie and Claire packed their meals into a pair of woven baskets.
“No, we should be just fine. Thank you, Lizzie,” Claire replied as she stacked two small wheels of cheese into one of the baskets. “Your afternoon is free to do as you wish,” she added, pleased to see the young woman’s reaction.
“Oh, thank ye mistress!” Lizzie said most gratefully with a small curtsy, before running out of the house.
Claire caught Jamie’s eye and chuckled.
“Perhaps we ought to give the poor girl some more time to herself,” she began, folding their cloth napkins. “She seems awfully glad to be excused from her duties.”
“Aye, the lass is a hard worker. As long as she doesna have too much idle time so as to get herself into trouble,” Jamie grinned, tying together the corners of a large cloth around a pile of bannocks.
With that, their meal was finished being packed, so they loaded the baskets into the cart and gathered the children to do the same.
“Thank you, Mrs. Bug,” Claire said as the woman handed over Mandy to be wrapped against her chest once more. “We shouldn’t be more than two or three hours, I’d think.”
When Claire turned back to the cart, Jamie was hoisting the last child, Jemmy, into his seat next to Henri-Christian. He held his hand out to her next, ready to help her into the front of the cart, where she’d sit next to him.
“Are ye ready, mo ghraidh?” he asked with a smile.
“I am indeed,” she replied, taking his hand and climbing the two steps into her seat, resting her other hand on the knit-wrapped bundle strapped to her front. He supported her with a hand on her bottom as she stepped up and she rolled her eyes at him once she was seated, letting him know that it didn’t go unnoticed.
“Sorry, Sassenach,” he muttered quietly once he settled next to her. “I couldna help it, t’was right in my face,” he smirked.
“You have no shame, my lad. And right in front of your grandchildren to boot,” she whispered, hitting him playfully on the shoulder in mock protest.
“Ach, they werena payin’ us any mind,” Jamie insisted, taking hold of the reins and turning behind him to address the children.
“Away we go, wee explorers!” he proclaimed.
With a few clicks of his tongue and snap of the reins he urged the horse forward, giggles erupting from behind as the cart lurched ahead.
It was a short ride to the uninhabited property on the Ridge where Jamie envisioned their picnic. The area was largely cleared of trees, leaving a grassy, open field sprinkled with native wildflowers – purple irises, bloodroots, and flame azaleas coloring their surroundings. There was even a fairly large hill he thought the children would enjoy playing on.
Germain spotted a flowering dogwood tree that provided the perfect shady space to spread Jamie’s plaid and eat their lunch. They packed an array of bread with honey, cheese, grapes and other fruits, salted meat, and of course bannocks. Claire also mashed some vegetables for Mandy’s meal.
As everyone ate happily together, Mandy started fussing and lost interest in the carrots Claire was spooning into her mouth. After checking that her nappy wasn’t soiled, her small noises turned into cries, so Claire carried her off a distance to try and soothe her.
Jamie watched his wife bounce with the babe in her arms, rocking from side to side as she strolled across the field. She picked one of the irises and held it up to the little girl, who seemed intrigued at first, but then shook her head away from the small flower. Claire tucked it into her braid behind her ear and shifted the baby from her hip to her front. She felt the soft, downy baby hair against her neck and a pudgy cheek on her chest as Mandy instantly nuzzled into her embrace. She stood in place, slowly twisting her upper body back and forth and in moments, the baby was fast asleep.
A warmth spread throughout Jamie’s body at the sight. They had been married for more than 30 years and survived countless hardships, yet so much of Claire remained the same. Seeing her with a flower in her hair and twirling with a sleeping baby on her chest reminded him of her youthful spirit – and brought him straight back to memories from the first time he brought her to Lallybroch.
Having succeeded at consoling Mandy, Claire made her way back to the plaid and carefully sat so as not to stir the baby. The rest of the children had finished eating and were anxious to go play, which Jamie and Claire readily allowed, knowing that Mandy would be awake again in no time if the others were near.
Claire slid over so she could lean back against the trunk of the tree, the warm weight of the baby taking a toll on the muscles of her back. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and let out a sigh of contentment. When she cracked them open again, she caught Jamie staring at her with a crooked grin across his face.
“What?” she asked in amusement with a soft smile.
“Christ, Sassenach,” he began, shifting closer to her. He laid on his side, propped up by his elbow, and placed his free hand over Claire’s, which lay atop Mandy’s back. “I’ve seen ye wi’ dozens of bairns o'er the years, but it still takes my breath away every time.”
Claire felt the heat rise into her cheeks as she blushed. She mindlessly wiped a bit of food from the corner of Mandy’s mouth and when she looked up at Jamie, she could see in his eyes that he truly meant it.
Mandy started to squirm in her sleep, cooing as she tried to reposition. Claire gently rocked her until she finally gave a big stretch and then settled into her grandmother’s form once more. Jamie watched Claire kiss the baby on the top of the head and was hit with an instant pang in his heart.
“When I see ye wi’ the wee ones,” he said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. “I canna help but imagine what ye must have looked like holding our own wee bairns.”
The same pang pierced Claire’s own heart and her eyes darted to Jamie’s. It was a dull ache they both shared, suppressed deep below the surface most of the time – they were together and with their family now, after all – but every once in a while they would be reminded that they were robbed of raising their children together, and the pain of their forced separation would flare up like a stab to the heart.
Jamie said “bairns” – plural . The knife in her heart twisted. She got to hold both of their children she carried in her arms when they were born; Jamie held neither. He at least was introduced to Brianna when she was a young woman, but Faith was lost to him forever – she was lost to both of them forever.
She took his hand and brought it to her lips, letting her kiss linger on his knuckles.
“Well, I can tell you,” she started, caressing his face. “Holding our grandchildren is certainly the next best thing.”
She pulled him up to her and kissed him soundly. He glanced down at the child sleeping so peacefully between them and gave Claire a reassuring smile.
Shrieks of laughter pulled them back to the present and they both looked toward the sound to find Germain and Jem log rolling down the hill with Joan, Félicité, and Henri-Christian running after them, judging which of the older boys reached the bottom first. Satisfied that everyone was playing safely, their attention turned back to one another.
“Look at ye,” he said mischievously, tucking an errant curl behind the flower that was still tucked behind her ear. “Wi’ flowers in yer hair like a wee lass.”
“Well, just one,” Claire corrected him, bringing her hand to her ear to feel that it was still there, suddenly feeling a bit silly.
“Ye look near the same as the day I met ye, mo cridhe,” he said sweetly.
She brought her hand to his stubbly chin and slowly turned his face from side to side, inspecting his features with exaggerated scrutiny. “Hm, I don’t see any marked changes on you either, soldier.”
“Thank God for that, Sassenach. Being out here in the field wi’ ye, sharing a meal… it reminds me of when we were first wed,” he said, taking her hand and grazing his thumb across her knuckles. “Do ye remember? Traveling for weeks, eating round a fire, sleepin’ under the stars… well, maybe not sae much sleepin’ in the early days,” he added with a devilish smirk.
“Ha! How could I ever forget that ,” she said, feeling the blush return to her cheeks at the memories.
“Seein’ ye here, as bonny as ye were on our wedding day… it makes me want to lay ye down in the grass and do indecent things to ye.” He dropped her hand in favor of pinching her bottom, eliciting a small squeal as she startled.
“Jamie! Not here!” she said, swatting his shoulder and looking down to check Mandy who was miraculously still sleeping.
“Later then, aye?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Oh, aye,” she replied sarcastically with her best Scottish burr.
Thunderous footsteps sounded as the children sprinted back to their grandparents. Though all were heaving and out of breath, they weren’t through playing yet.
“Grandda…” Jem began, breathing heavily between words. “Will ye teach me and Germain how to use a sword?”
Jamie looked from Jem to Germain, who looked equally as hopeful as his cousin. “Aye, I can teach ye,” he began, earning eager smiles from the boys. “But Henri-Christian learns too. Would ye like to wield a sword, a chuisle?” he asked the young boy.
“Oui, Grandpère!” he said excitedly, jumping up next to Jemmy.
“Well, would you like to learn too, girls? You can if you’d like to,” Claire insisted, despite surprised looks on the girls’ faces.
They turned to each other in silent communication before looking back at Claire.
“Um, could you put flowers in our hair like yers instead, Grandmère?” Joanie asked as she walked up to her grandmother, gently poking the velvety soft petals of the iris.
“Of course, darling,” she responded with a smile, tucking a flyaway lock back into the girl's braid.
Jamie and the boys set off to hunt for good sticks that would act as their swords while Claire and the girls went to search for flowers. Claire rebraided the girls’ hair and taught them how to weave the stems of the flowers together to make a crown, much to their delight.
“Oh, Grandmère, it’s beautiful!” Félicité said in awe as she carefully turned the crown of daisies and dandelions around in her little hands.
“It is, isn’t it? Here, let me crown you,” Claire replied, taking the circle of flowers from her and placing it atop her head. “There, perfect,” she smiled.
“Look, Joanie! It’s even better than I thought!” Félicité beamed at her sister who was already adorned with her own crown.
Joanie giggled and continued to hand her grandmother flowers so they could be tucked down the length of her braid. “We look like faeries.”
Claire finished placing the last of the flowers in her granddaughter’s hair and looked up to see what the boys were up to. She burst out laughing at the ridiculous sight of Jamie with Henri-Christian on his back, “sword” in the young boy’s hand, galloping around the field as if he were a horse. He circled around Germain and Jem, who were laser focused on practicing the techniques Jamie taught them as they engaged in mock battle.
As the afternoon chugged along, countless flower crowns were made and sticks wielded until everyone grew tired and was ready to head home.
They arrived at the big house just in time for the supper Mrs. Bug prepared, famished from their full afternoon of play. After supper, they relocated to the sitting room and gathered around the hearth to keep warm against the chilly nighttime air.
Jamie took up his armchair, cradling a sleeping Mandy on his chest, while Claire, Germain, Félicité, and Henri-Christian squeezed together on the sofa, and Jemmy and Joan played games on the floor in front of them. It didn’t take long for the children to get bored and grow restless, but Jamie thought of just the solution.
“Might I interest any of ye wee rascals in a tale?” he asked with a lopsided grin.
Five little heads instantly perked up and turned towards Jamie, who now had their full attention.
“Aye, I thought so,” he said with a chuckle, getting up from his chair and walking to Claire. “Would ye mind takin’ the bairn for a bit, Sassenach? I need use o’ my arms for this story and dinna want to wake her.”
Claire curled up in a blanket and happily took the baby back, adjusting to a more comfortable position on the sofa as the rest of the children crowded on the floor around Jamie’s feet.
“This is a tale of a young highland warrior and a bonny English lass,” he began, catching an eyebrow raise from his wife as he flicked his eyes to her.
“The story begins with a group of strong, Highland warriors who were camped out deep in the forests of Scotland. Just as they stopped to water their horses, they were suddenly set upon by a band o’ English dragoons!” he proclaimed dramatically.
The children were a captive audience, staring wide-eyed at their grandfather as he described the conflict.
“The young Highland lad was fighting three English soldiers at once and he was able to take e’ery last one of ‘em, but he got knocked down in the process and landed on his shoulder – hard.” Jamie demonstrated by tapping his shoulder and driving it into the side of his armchair with a pained expression on his face, eliciting giggles from the little ones and a tight-lipped smile from Claire.
“The pain was great, but he jumped back up to see if his men needed his help. He quickly realized it was his dominant arm that was injured, so he grabbed his broadsword wi’ his weaker hand and helped his kin finish off the last o’ the dragoons.”
“What about the English lass?” Félicité wondered.
“Well, after the Highlanders fought off the dragoons, they sought refuge in an abandoned kirk. The injured lad was sat on a stool before the hearth – the pain in his arm was nearly unbearable by now, such that he couldna move it even one bit!” He demonstrated by letting his left arm dangle limply at his side.
“Just as one o’ the men was about to force the lad’s arm up and in, a voice shouted, ‘Don’t you dare! ’” Jamie pitched his voice as high as he could and delivered his best English accent. The children burst out laughing at his impression and he looked over to see Claire doing the same.
“So, e’eryone looked to see who in God’s name the lass was. ‘You’ll break his arm if you do it like that!’ she said. She was quite the sight when the lad first saw her – clad in naught but her shift, torn and bloodied, mud smeared on her skin and caked in her wild hair – the lad was struck from the first moment he laid eyes on her.”
“Even when she looked like that?” Germain asked in disbelief.
“Oh, aye, he could tell she was verra bonny right away but when she looked like that, he knew she was somethin’ special,” Jamie replied, attempting to wink at Claire, which turned out as more of a double-eyed blink. Claire had to cover her mouth inconspicuously with her hand to stifle her laughter.
“Was she hurt?” Jemmy asked, concerned.
“Nah, she was a verra canny lass. Fought off the commander of the dragoons herself!” Jamie exclaimed proudly.
“Well–” Claire started, about to correct Jamie that it was Murtagh who pulled her away from Black Jack Randall and that he actually knocked her unconscious in the process, but thought better of ruining his story. “Nevermind, carry on.”
“What did she do, Grandpère?” asked Joanie.
“She turned out to be a healer and claimed to know how to fix the laddie’s arm properly,” he continued. “It was hurtin’ somethin’ fierce, but when the lass grasped his arm and moved it about, suddenly it was healed and the pain vanished. She made it right,” he said with an air of finality and folded his hands on his lap.
“Then what happened?” Henri-Christian asked, walking up to his grandfather’s knees. Jamie lifted the boy on his lap and finished the tale.
“Well, neither of them knew it yet, but they would soon marry and fall in love. And the lass would fix a great many of the lad’s injuries over the years,” he concluded, adding the last part with a smirk.
Jemmy, ever the observant lad, cocked his head and thought for a long moment before asking, “Like you and Grannie?”
“Aye,” Jamie said, staring lovingly at his wife. “Just like me and yer Grannie.”
Mandy began fussing, so Claire decided it was time to put her to bed. As she left the sitting room, she heard Félicité ask Jamie very sweetly, “Grandpère, can I pleeease plait yer hair?”
Claire took her time rocking Mandy to sleep and tucking her into her bassinet. She placed a soft kiss on the baby’s forehead before carefully stepping out of the room and returning to the others.
It were moments like these when she desperately wished she had a camera to capture the image before her. The whole family had fallen asleep in front of the hearth, sprawled all across the furniture and floor. The girls had each curled up in an armchair, Jemmy and Germain on the rug, and Henri-Christian lay against Jamie’s chest, wrapped up in his arms. Jamie was on his back, stretched at length on the sofa with his feet dangling over side – the bloody man was too tall to fit his whole body.
What immediately caught Claire’s attention – and what she really wanted to capture in a photograph, however, were the dozen mini plaits sticking out in all directions from Jamie’s head. She clapped a hand over her mouth, giggling to herself at the sight of her big, strong, warrior husband’s hair tied in a legion of ribbons of various colors, hopelessly plaited and tangled. It appeared Félicité wasn’t the only child who jumped at the chance to help with their grandfather's hair.
Just as she was figuring how she would untangle that mess later, a light knock rapped at the front door. Claire quietly welcomed Brianna and Roger into the house and showed them to the sitting room.
“Oh my God,” Brianna whispered, laughing discreetly.
“It looks like you both had a fun day,” Roger said to Claire.
“Yes, I’d say we should all sleep well tonight,” Claire replied, gesturing to the room in front of them. “Assuming I’m able to comb out your father’s hair, that is,” she added.
“Yeah, good luck with that, Mama. We better get our two home,” Brianna said with a sigh.
“I’ll fetch Mandy from the other room. You’ll tell me how it went with the Anderson’s tomorrow, yes?” Claire asked as she took a step.
“Aye, of course. I think we were able to do them some good,” Roger said, looking at his wife, who nodded in agreement.
Brianna and Roger managed to collect Jemmy without waking the others and slipped out the door after exchanging quiet goodbyes with Claire. Claire took one last good look at her husband and remaining grandchildren before waking Jamie so they could put the children to bed. When they finally entered their own bedroom, Claire directed Jamie to sit at her vanity to look at himself in the mirror.
“Wha’ the devil?” he started, frantically turning his head from side to side to see all the damage that was done. “What have the wee mongrels done to me?”
Claire stood behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. “It appears,” she began with a mischievous grin. “That your grandchildren decided to help you with your hair. And they may have taken some… creative liberty.” She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “I think you look quite dashing.”
“Christ. It’s more matted than that of a dog who’s run astray for nigh on a year!” he said, exasperated.
“It might be that, but don’t worry, darling. I’ll sort it,” she said, starting to untie a blue ribbon.
Nearly forty minutes later, Claire did her final comb through Jamie’s hair, now smooth and tangle-free, and they climbed into bed at last.
“Thank ye, Sassenach,” Jamie said in a low voice, pulling his wife closer to him. “My scalp may be a wee bit sore, but I likely would have shaved it all off if I had to fix it myself.”
“Well good thing I was here to help then,” she said, stroking the auburn strands through her fingers. “You know what I was thinking about when I saw you all sleeping by the hearth?”
“What a right eejit I looked like?”
“No, you silly man,” she said, playfully hitting his shoulder. “I was thinking that I couldn’t believe how lucky I am; how lucky I am that this is my life.”
Jamie took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.
“All I’ve ever wanted was a true home,” she continued. “So to be here in this beautiful house you built us, surrounded by our grandchildren… it’s a dream come true.”
They lay like that, drinking in the sight of each other for many breaths. There was a long period of time when they both thought the other was gone forever. Even after all these years since they’ve been reunited, there were still moments, such as this, that they couldn’t believe they found one another again.
“Having you here, mo ghraidh… having my family here, wi’ me, when for so long I didna think it possible… it is my greatest joy,” he said in earnest.
“Me too, you know,” she whispered. “Our family is our greatest joy.”
“Aye,” he agreed, smiling.
After a few beats, he broke the peaceful silence between them. “We’re finally alone, Sassenach. Do ye remember what I said to ye in the field?” His hand migrated from her shoulder, down her arm, around her hip, and finally grabbed hold of her buttocks.
She burst out a laugh. “Oh, yes. I think it was something about certain… indecent things… you wished to do to me,” she said, shimmying closer to him until they were pressed together.
“That’s exactly right, mo nighean donn,” he stated, continuing to massage her rear. “First, I said I’d lay ye down in the grass.” He rolled on top of her, pinning her body beneath his. “I ken this isna the grass, but it’ll do,” he continued with a devilish smile. He lowered his head, hovering his lips just above hers. “And then, I’d–”
“Joan! Yer hoggin’ all the quilts!”
“Am not! Stop yer pullin’!”
They were interrupted by a cacophony of screeches coming from the children’s room, followed by a loud crash. Jamie sighed deeply and looked at Claire, who was smirking beneath him, with his lopsided grin.
“Stay here,” he said in a resigned voice, kissing his wife before heaving himself out of bed. “I’ll check on ‘em.”