The Fiery Cross

by Diana Gabaldon

  her hair. He lay on her, enclosing her with his arms, keeping her from moving. She twitched, and he tightened his grasp, holding her still. She sighed, and he felt her mouth move, her teeth sink gently into the flesh below his collarbone. She bit him. Not abruptly, but in a slow, sucking bite that made him gasp and lift up to break away.

  "I know," she said, and wriggled her arms free, to come round his back and hold him close to her damp,,warrn softness, "I mean it, too."

  "THAT WHAT YOU WANTED?'He whispered the words now, but softly, not to awaken her. The warmth of her body radiated through the bedclothes; she was deep asleep.

  If it was what she'd wanted-what, exactly, was it? Was it the brutal nature of his lovemaking that she'd responded to? Or had she sensed the strength of what lay behind it, and acknowledged that-the desperation of his need to keep her safe?

  And if it was the roughness ... he swallowed, clenching a fist against the thought of Stephen Bonnet. She'd never told him what had passed between them, her and Bonnet-and it was unthinkable that he should ask. More unthinkable that he should suspect anything in that encounter might have shame-

  The Fiery Cross 555

  Wy stirred her. And yet she did stirvisibly on those rare occasions when someg led him to take her abruptly, without his usual gentleness.

  He was a long way from praying now. d in a rhododendron hell, with the He felt as he had once before, trapPe

  same maze of damp roots and hanging leaves always before him, no matter it' ich direction he turned. Dim tunnels seemed to offer hope of escape, and led only to further tangles.

  11 For me and my true love ivill never meet again3 on the bonnie banks and braes 'of Loch Lomond ... again, skin prickling and his legs twitching with restlessHe was wound tight he slapped at it-too late, Of course. Unable

  pess. The mosquito whined by and ties of deep kneeAw,keep still, he slid quietly out of bed, and did a quick se

  unds to loosen the cramped muscles. floor to do push-ups, , ! That brought some relief, and he dropped to the ne. Two. Three. Four. ,counting silently as he dipped toward the floorboards. 0

  Concentrating only on the increasing burn in chest and arms and shoulders, the 'wothin r monotony Of the count. Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight ... g stion, he stood up, untacked cles quivering with temporary exhau.

  At last, mus mp night air flood in the hide from the window and stood naked, letting the da.

  upon him. He might let in more mosquitoes-but the one might go out, too. The wood was silvered with moonlight, and a faint fire-glow in the darkened heart of it spoke of the militia encamped there. They had been coming in all day, on mules or ragged horses, muskets laid across the bundles of their blankets. He caught the sound of voices and casual laughter, a fragment borne on

  wasn't the only one- wakeful; the notion comforted him. the breeze - At least he big house, at the farther side of the A brighter light glowed at the side of the one smaller.

  clearing. A lantern; two figures walking close together, one tall,

  rumble; he recognized Jamie's The man said something, an interrogative

  voice, but couldn't make out the words. hey came closer. He saw her '77 Claire's voice answered, lighter, clear as t

  "No ,1,m filthy from the planting. hands flutter, silhouetted in the lantern's glow. bed."

  I,m going to wash before I come in. You go up to

  esitated, then handed her the lantern. Roger saw Claire's The larger figure h ed upward, smiling. Jamie bent and kissed face in the light for a moment, turn

  her briefly, then stepped back.

  -Hurry, then," he said, and Roger could hear the answering smile in his voice. "I dirma sleep well without ye beside me, Sasse-nach

  "You're going to sleep right away, are your" She paused, a bantering note in her voice. 5

  "Not right away, no. Jamie s figure had melted into the darkness, but the d his voice came out of the shadows, part of the breeze was toward the cabin, an ye're beside me, either, now night. "But I canna very well do the other unless

  can 1? 17

  Claire laughed, though softly.

  "Start without me," she said, turning away toward the well. "I'll catch you UP." e window until he saw her come back, the lantern swingRoger waited by th

  556 Diana Gabaldon

  ing with the haste of her step, and go inside. The breeze had turned, and he heard no more of the men in the wood, though their fire still burned.

  "You're early, mate," he said, and eased a finger toward the firefly, gently nudging. "Think there's anyone else out there yet?" The insect moved a few inches, then stopped, abdomen stubbornly blinking.

  He looked toward the wood, his skin cool now, and gooseflesh rose on his chest. He rubbed absently at it, and felt the tender spot where she had bitten him. It was dark in the moonlight, a faint blotch on his skin; would it still be there come morning? he wondered.

  Reaching up to pull the hide back into place, he caught the gleam of moonlight on glass. Brianna's small collection of personal items lay on the shelf by the window: the pair of tortoiseshell combs Jocasta had given her, her silver bracelet. The small glass jar of tansy oil, two or three discreet slips of sponge beside it. And the larger gleam of the jarfal of Dauco seeds. She hadn't had time for the tansy oil tonight, but he'd bet his life she'd taken the seeds sometime today.

  He tacked down the hide, and made his way back to bed, pausing by the cradle to put down a hand and feel the baby's breath through the mosquito-netting, warm and reassuring on his skin.

  Jern had kicked his covers off; Roger lifted the netting and pulled them up by feel, tucking them firmly in. There was something soft ... oh, Jemmy's ragdoll; the baby was clutching it to his chest. Roger stood for a moment, hand on Jemmy's back, feeling the soothing rise and fall of his breathing.

  "Good-night, laddie," he whispered at last, and touched the soft padded round of the little boy's bottom. "God bless you and keep you safe."

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

  May 1, 1771 May Union CaMP

  IWOKE UP JUST PAST DAWN, roused by an insect Of some sort

  walking up my leg. I twitched my foot and whatever it was scuttled hastily away into the grass, evidently alarmed to discover that I was alive. I wriggled my toes suspiciously, but finding no more intruders in my blanket5 drew a deep breath of sap-filled fresh air and relaxed luxuriously. blowing of I could hear faint stirrings nearby, but it was only the stamp and

  the officers' horses, who wOkc long before the men did. The camp itself was still silent--or as silent as a camp containing several hundred men was likely to be at any hour. The sheet of canvas overhead glowed with soft light and leaf shadows, but the sun was not yet fully up. I closed my eyes half-way, delighted at the thought that I needn't get up for some time yet-and when I did, someone else would have made breakfast. journey down We had come into camp the night before, after a winding

  from the mountains and across the piedmont, to arrive at the place of rendezvous, at Colonel Bryan's plantation. We were in good time; Tryon had not yet arrived with his troops from New Bern5 nor had the Craven and Carteret County detachments, who were bringing the artillery field pieces and swivel guns. Tryon's troops were expected sometime today; or so Colonel Bryan had told us over supper the night before. audible thump. I eyed it

  A grasshopper landed on the canvas above with an ss. Perhaps narrowly, but it didn't seem disposed to come inside, thank goodne

  I should have accepted Mrs. Bryan's offer to find me a bed in the house, along with a few other officers' wives who had accompanied their husbands. Jamie had insisted upon sleeping in the field with his men, though5 and I had gone with him, preferring a bed involving Jamie and bugs to one with neither.

  I glanced sideways, careful not to move in case he was still asleep. He wasn'tHe was lying quite still, though5 utterly relaxed, save for his right hand. He had this raised, and appeared to be examining it closely, turning it to and fro and slowly curling and uncurling his fingers-as well
as he could. The fourth finger had a fiised joint, and was permanently stiff; the middle finger was slightly twisted, a deep white scar spiraling round the middle joint.

  His hand was callused and battered by work, and the tiny stigma of a nailwound still showed5 pale-pink, in the middle of his palm. The skin of his hand

  558 Diana Gabaldon

  was deeply bronzed and weathered, freckled with sun-blots and scattered with bleached gold hairs. I thought it remarkably beautiAd.

  "Taking stock?" "Happy Birthday," I said, softly.

  He let the hand fall on his chest, and turned his head to look at me, smiling. "Aye, something of the sort. Though I suppose I've a f

  ew hours left. I was bom at half-six; I wilhia have lived a fiffl half-century until suppertime

  I laughed and rolled onto my side, kicking the blanket off. The air was still delightfijhy cool, but it wouldn't last long.

  "Do you expect to disintegrate much further before supper?" I asked teasing.

  "Oh, I dinna suppose anything is likely to fall off by then," he said, consideringly. "As to the workings ... aye, well . . ." he arched his back, stretching, and sank back with a gratified groan as my hand settled on him.

  "It all seems to be in perfect working order," I assured him. I gave a brief, experimental tug, making him yelp slightly. "Not loose at all."

  "Good," he said, folding his hand firmly over mine to prevent further unauthorized experiments. "How did ye ken what I was doing? Taking stock, as ye say? 1

  I let him keep hold of the hand, but shifted to set my chin in the center of his chest, where a small depression seemed made for the purpose.

  "I always do that, when I have a birthdaythough I generally do it the night before. More looking back, I think, reflecting a bit on the year that's just gone. But I do check things over; I think perhaps everyone does. Just to see if you're the same person as the day before."

  "I'm reasonably certain that I am," he assured me. "Ye dinna see any marked changes, do ye?"

  I lifted my chin from its resting place and looked him over carefiffly. It was in fact rather hard to look at him objectively; I was both so used to his features and so fond of them that I tended to notice tiny, dear things about him-the freckle on his earlobe, the lower incisor pushing eagerly forward, just slightly out of fine with its fellows-and to respond to the slightest change of his expression-but not really to look at him as an integrated whole.

  He bore my examination tranquilly, eyelids half lowered against the growing light. His hair had come loose while he slept and feathered over his shoulders, its ruddy waves framing a face strongly marked by both humor and passionbut which possessed a paradoxical and most remarkable capacity for stillness.

  "No," I said at last, and set my chin down again with a contented sigh. "It's still you.

  He gave a small grunt of amusement, but lay still. I could hear one of the cooks stumbling round nearby, cursing as he tripped over a wagon-tongue. The camp was still in the process of assembling; a few of the companies-those with a high proportion of ex-soldiers among their officers and men-were tidy and organized. A good many were not, and tipsy tents and strewn equipment sprawled across the meadow in a quasi-military hodgepodge.

  A drum began to beat, to no apparent effect. The army continued to snooze.

  "Do you think the Governor is going to be able to do anything with these troops?" I asked dubiously.

  The Fiery Cross 559

  avatar of the army appeared to have gone back to sleep as well. At The local

  gny question, though, the long auburn lashes lifted in lazy response.

  I n's a soldier. He kens well enough what to do-at least to "tOlht,'sayneo. sorYorra

  jen. To make them fighticsiantottoliem-rake men march in column and dig latrines, istar thing.'

  i"

  Can he do that)"

  The chest under my chin lifted in a deep sigh.

  "Maybe so. Maybe no. The question is will he have top"

  That was the question, all right. Rumors had flown round us like autumn way from Fraser's Ridge. The p

  kaves in a gale, all the regulators had ten thou n Who were marching in a body upon New Bern. General Gage was sand me nt of official troops to subdue the Colony. rom New York with a regime

  sailing f nd killed their officers. Half the Wake jThe Orange County militia had rioted a n arrested and spirited county men had deserted. Hermon Husband had bee

  onto a ship, to be taken to London for trial on charges of treason. Hillsborough had been taken by the Regulators, who were preparing to fire the town associates to the sword. I did hope that

  and put Edmund Fanning and all his rt Sherston was not one of Fanning's I ue--or if it was, that Hube

  one wasn t tr

  intimates. supposition and sheer wild invention, Sorting through the mass of hearsay, to be that Governor Tryon the only fact of which we could be sure appeared Id just see, I supposed.

  the militia, After which, we won

  was en route to join d on my back, his thumb ickstrok'ng the edge of my Jamie's free hand reste

  his usual capacity for mental discipline, he appeared to shoulderblade. With cts completely from his have dismissed the uncertainty of the military prospe

  mind, and was thinking of something else entirely. -Do ye ever think-" he began, and then broke off.

  s chest, arching my back to encourage "Think what)" I bent and kissed hi

  him to rub it, which he did. k me -at now I have th e I can explain, but it's stru

  "Well ... I'm no 80 sur

  father did-which is not something I expected to haplived longer than my int wryness. "It's Only ... Well, it seems odd, is all. I pen," he added, with fa ur mother only wondered, did ye ever think Of that, YOurself-hav'ng lost YO

  young, I mean?" chest, my voice muffled in the folds of his -yes.,, My face was buried in his a journey without a map." ger. Like going On

  shirt. "I used to-when I was youn

  His hand on my back paused for a moment.

  "Aye, that's it." He sounded a little surprised. "I kent more or less what it or of fbrtybut now what?" His chest would be like to be a man of thirty, ee been a mixture Of 'amusement moved briefly, with a small noise that might hav

  and puzzlement. to the shadows inside the hair that fallen -you invent yourself," I said softly, you try on their lives for over my face. tcyou look at other women-or men; self for what You can't (41 and you look inside your

  size. You take what you can use, ... you wonder if you're doing it right.' find elsewhere. And always ... always e felt the tears that ran unexm and heavy on my back. H

  His hand was war his other hand pectedlY from the corners of my eyes to dampen his shirt, and

  came up to touch my head and smooth my hair.

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  "Aye, that's it," he said again, very softly. I

  The camp was beginning to stir outside, with clangings and thumps, and the hoarse sound of sleep-rough voices. Overhead, the grasshopper began to chirp, the sound like someone scratching a nail on a copper pot.

  "This is a morning my father never saw," Jamie said, still so softly that I heard it as much through the walls of his chest, as with my ears. "The world and each day in it is a gift, mo cbridbe-no matter what tomorrow may be."

  I sighed deeply and turned my head, to rest my cheek against his chest. He reached over gently and wiped my nose with a fold of his shirt.

  "And as for taking stock," he added practically, "I've all my teeth, none of my parts are missing, and my cock still stands up by itself in the morning. It could be worse."

  MILITARY ENGINES

  Journal of the E%pedition against the Insurgents Kept by William Tryon, Governor

  Tbursday, May 2nd

  The Craven and Carteret Detachments marched out of New Bern with the two Field Pieces, Six Swivel Guns mounted on Carriages, Sixteen Waggons, &four Carts, loadcd with Baggage, Ammunition and as much provisions as would supply the several Detac
hments that were to join them on their Route to Col. Bryan -s, the place of General Rendezvous.

  7he Governor left New Bern the 27th ofApril, and arrived at Col. Bryan's the Ist of May. Today the Troopsfrom the two Districtsjoined.

  Friday, 3d. of May, Union Cam

  ,p The Governor Reviewed at 12 O'Clock the Detachments in the Meadow at Smiths Ferry on the West Side of Neuse River.

  Saturday, the 4tb of May

  Tbe Whole marched to Johnston Court House. Nine Miles.

  Sunday, 5th of May

  Marched to Major neophilus Hunter's in Wake County. Tbirteen Miles.

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  Monday, 6th of May

  The Army balted, and the Governor reviewed the Wake Regiment at a Genl. Muster. Mr. Hinton Colonel of the Regiment acquainted the Governor that he hadgot but Twenty two Men of the Company be had received orders to raise, owing to a Disaffection among the Inhabitants of the County.

  The Governor observing a General Discontent in the Wake Regiment as be passed along the Front Rank of the Battalion, seeing that not more than one Man in five bad Arms, 1, finding that upon his calling on them to turn out as Volunteers in the Service, they rcfused to obey, ordered the Army to surround the Battalion; which being effected be directed three of his Colonels to draft out Forty of the most Sightly & Most active Men, which Manouvre caused no small Panic in the Regiment, consisting at the Time of about four Hundred Men.

  During the drafting the officers of the Army were active in persuading the men to enlist, and in less than two Hours completed the Wake Company to Fijiy Men. Night coming on the Wake Regiment was dismissed, much ashamed both of their Disgrace., & their own Conduct which occasioned it. nc Army returned to Camp.

  Wcdnesday, the 8th of May

  Col. Hinton Is Detachment was left behind, with a View to prevent the disaffected in that Countyfrom forming into a Body, and joining the Regulators in the adjacent Counties.

  This Morning a Detachment marched to the dwelling House of Turner Tomlinson, a Notorious Regulator, and brought him prisoner to Camp,

  I where be was closely confined. He confcssd be was a Rigu ator, but would make no discoveries.

  Tbe Army marched, & incamped near Booth's. on New Hope Creek*

  Friday, the loth of May

  Halted, ordered the waggons to be refitted, Horses to be shod, and every thing put in Repair. Reviewed in HillsbOrOuffb two Companies of the orange Militia. g from the Quarter

  Tbe Prisoner Tomlinson made his escape this Evenin , Guard. Detachments set after him, but without Success.

  Sunday, the 12th of May

  marched, andfordcd Haw River, and encamped on the west Side of the Banks. it was expected the Regulators would have opposed C PIssa es th g

  of the Royalists over this River, as it was their Intent, but not suspecting that the Army would move out of Hillsborough till after Monday, theY were by this Sudden Movement of the Army defeated in that part of their plan.

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  Received this Dayflying Reports that General Waddell wasjorced by the Regulators, with the Troops under his Command to repass the T

  adkin River.

  Divine Service, with Sermon, performed by the Revd. Mr McCarmy. Text' "If'rOu have no Sword Sellyour Garment & Buy One. "