𝓢𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓪𝓬𝓱'𝓼 𝓣𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓒𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭

6

A couple days passed in relative silence in between the cries of the newborn.

White cloth nappies hung on a clothes line outside of the cottage, drying in the breeze as the parents dutifully kept their son clean and dry.

Before they knew it, their son's birth certificate now hung scribbled with his name, foot prints and both his parents signatures on it in their small home, framed by a sanded down wooden frame.

Claire looked at the name, it was official now; her son had been named after his baptism, their miracle. She sat beside the bed and stared at the name, the frame and the birth certificate. There it was written in cursive black ink: 'Alexander James William Lambert Fraser'.  Her eyes flickered with tears, she was so happy and proud, her heart filled with love for both her husband and their son.

"Well there you are, Alex... you're finally official, my little son..."

She murmured, gently tracing the certificate with her slender fingertips.

Baby Alex gurgled softly in his sleep, cradled in his mother's arms.

"Claire, Claire the neighbours have come t'see ya."

Jamie called from outside.

Claire frowned faintly, slightly annoyed to be disturbed, but she knew that the women from the neighboring families would be coming to support her and the child. And seeing as she was now a mother, she shouldn't be too rude.

She quickly tidied herself up, brushing her hair quickly before answering.

"Alright, bring them in one by one, but not the whole lot, I don't want to have to socialize too much, I look like a mess."

She muttered as she held Alex close to her breast.

The baby stirred in his sleep, occasionally fawned over by the neighbouring females before everyone finally dispersed and only a young girl remained. She couldn't be more than 15 at most.

"Mistress Fraser, I am Aven Knox... I know we've only met a couple of times before, but I can't thank you enough for treating my gran... and I was wondering... if ever you could spare time to teach me the ways of healing..."

Claire watched the young girl, studying her expression and mannerisms before answering. The girl was young, perhaps too young but she seemed eager, there was no one else. And this could potentially help both the child and the potential settlement for Fraser's Ridge; Claire knew she had a talent for healing and the girl wanted to learn the ways. She nodded slowly and gestured to an empty seat, her eyes still on the girl.

"Of course dear, please take a seat, but first I have to ask you a couple questions, naturally. Are you willing to put your life in god's hands and be honest with me?"

"Of course, I shall be honest Mistress Claire."

Aven nodded quickly.

Claire smiled, sitting a little straighter, her hands clasping together under her breasts.

"I need you to be honest and answer me truthfully but first I'm curious to know where you're from, dear?"

She smiled at the girl, who was a little nervous but eager to learn.

"My mother was a Jamaican woman and father an English soldier. They got married and migrated here before settling down. I myself was born here in these very North Carolinian woods after my father retired from the military."

Aven murmured softly.

Claire listened, observing the girl with the same intense stare. She was a mixture of two worlds and cultures, there was no denying it. But Claire had a good intuition for people and from what she could see she liked this girl and was genuinely open-minded which was a good start.