𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 | 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫 ✅

30 - Home At Long Last

1st March 1742

There was a sharp rapping at the door downstairs and it echoed throughout the house. I sat bolt upright and immediately grabbed for my dressing gown hanging on the back of the door. I tied it around myself and then slid my feet into my slippers, going downstairs and into the main entrance hallway to open it.

There were two men standing there, one of them heavily supporting the other.

"Take him." The man who was supporting the other was Jamie, and the man who was being supported was -

"Ian!" Jamie stumbled into the house, almost toppling over with Ian's weight as well as his own. I helped him, slipping under Ian's arm on his other side and leading them to the living room. I told Jamie to lay Ian on the chaise longue and then gestured for Jamie to take his rightful place in the armchair by the fire, which was smouldering. I immediately looked at Ian's leg, which, to my horror, I saw had been amputated below the knee. I told Jamie to light the candles around the room and he went to do so. In the dim light, I examined the cut. It looked clean and was not hot to the touch nor festering.

"What happened to ye, Ian?" I asked, giving Jamie instructions to go to the well and bring some water back for boiling. I saw in his beautiful blue eyes that he wanted to complain, but he did not. He went to do this for his friend, throwing a brick of peat onto the fire before he went so it would be roaring when he returned.

Ian coughed and spluttered but then explained, "m-musket ball."

"When?" I looked at the wound again, "this seems to be -"
"A year ago... but it's been..." he winced as he moved himself up the longue a little, "it's been getting worst."

"What's going on down here, then?" Jenny asked as she appeared at the top of the stairs, a faded blue shawl wrapped around her arms. She saw Ian and her eyes widened. Within seconds she was down the stairs and at his side. "Ian!" She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek softly before she found his wound. "What happened?"
"Musket ball took it almost clean off, Jenny." Jamie explained as he walked through the room with a bucket of water in one hand. He put it on the hook and then moved the hook to hover above the flames. "Had it amputated in France and it healed well." She examined the wound and nodded, humming in agreement, "but it's started to hurt. Thought I'd bring him to ye and -"

"Aye, I'll take it from here." It was as if she hadn't even realised that her brother was home after being in Fort William for two months and France for almost two years. Her attentions were fixed completely on Ian Murray.

Jamie turned to me, "I suppose we arna needed?"

"If I need ye, I'll call for ye." Jenny promised without looking away. Jamie nodded and gestured to the stairs. I nodded in reply and followed him up to them.

He took me to my room.

When we were alone, I threw myself into his arms. It had been almost two years since I had seen my beloved last and, if I was being completely honest, I had begun to believe that I would never see him again. He had written to me once, and that was shortly after he had arrived in France, and he had told me that I should send all post to Jared's address in Paris and he would collect it and reply when he could - but he had never replied.

But he was here now, in my bedroom, and all was right with the world.

"Jamie," I cried, feeling myself begin to cry, "I thought I'd lost ye forever."
"Aye, I thought the same of ye myself." He paused, kissing the top of my forehead, "Eira, I didna think I'd ever get home. I thought I'd find myself buried in a nameless grave in France with twenty other men -"