Outlander: The Standing Stones

Flight

TV Shows » Outlander »  Author: martykate
 

We stood, Jamie and I, locked in each other's arms. His embrace was so warm, so inviting, and I could feel the beating of his great heart. I wanted to relax, to surrender to the way I was feeling but I could not.

It was too soon. I still longed for the touch of my young husband, now lost to me.

Reluctantly, I pulled away from him. "Thank you, Jamie," I said, "I need to get away from here, I do appreciate your help."

"I owe ye a favor lass," he replied, "You're in this situation because you helped me. You put yourself in the way so that I could make my escape. Now, I'm here to pay my debt." He turned to talk to John MacKensie and left me to myself.

Marsters was bringing the horses out of the barn. He was leading the black gelding Colin had given me. I'm going to call you "Rob Roy", I thought, looking at the horse I had given so little thought to until now. I felt a little like Rob Roy, the many travails he and his faithful Mary had faced-I was facing a few myself now.

They deposited the money Georgie had given me into saddlebags, except for a small bag I kept hidden on my person. The weight was not inconsiderable, but Rob Roy was a big, burley hunter, and the weight seem to mean little to him.

The others were mounted on the cobs the Scots loved, but I felt safer on my hunter. Rob Roy's long legs could easily outrun their ponies; if we had to make a run for it, I felt certain I could get away.

Marsters helped me mount, and as I sat waiting, I realized that we might be in for a long ride tonight and I had been up since sunrise. Since becoming pregnant I was requiring more sleep and the amount I had had would not see me through the night. I wondered if I should tell Jamie about my condition, but decided I would keep my own council and hope for the best.

A thought occurred to me. "Jamie," I said, "How are we going to get out of here? I don't know how you came here, but the entrance to the valley will be watched. I'm sure we'll be seen, especially as we ride along the lake."

"Ah," he said, "But we're not going to use the front door, we're going to slip out the back. There's a secret way through the hills that leads out of the valley. I'm sure the original owners used it to escape in the old days, there has been fighting in Scotland for centuries. I don't know if the Campbells knew of it, or gave it any thought if they did. When I came in it wasn't watched, so that's the path we will take."

My bundle had been placed on the pack horse, along with supplies we'd need on the journey. Mary came up to me, and John joined Jamie and his friends Angus and Murtagh. "Ready?" she asked me, "It's a long ride we're facing tonight, but we'll find refuge before dawn. There's many a sympathetic cottager who doesn't care for the Campbells and their English allies. And you've siller, yes? That will help ease the way."

"What will they say about taking in the widow of the young Campbell laird? Will money be enough to buy their silence if the Campbells come looking for me?"

"Don't worry yourself," said Mary sternly, "It's not good for the bairn. You have to believe that things will be all right. Do you want to go back to young Colin?"

No, I didn't, not for anything. "How much of a head start do you think we have? How long do you think it will be before anyone notices I'm gone? "

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I stuffed your bed with bolsters and blankets to make it look like you were in it. If anyone asks about you, I told young Betsy to say you were sleeping. The Lady will look in on you eventually, but since you do a lot of sleeping lately, she won't worry about it for a while. But after that, well, they'll be after us for sure. I think we've bought six or eight hours head start, if we're lucky. We have to put as much distance as we can between us and the chateau, because they'll be hard on our tails as soon as they know you're gone. I hope you're up to the ride."