Outlander: The Standing Stones

A Winter's Tale

TV Shows » Outlander » Author: martykate

Boxing Day. The day before my wedding, our wedding. It was early, still winter dark, when someone began pounding at the door.

"Jesus," muttered Georgie, pulling on his breeches, "who could that possibly be?" He pulled the quilt over my bare shoulders and opened the door, not pleased to be wakened. He looked at me, then stepped outside and shut the door.

I could only hear a muffled conversation and understood none of it. In a few hours, we would get up, and start the Boxing Day celebration of waiting on the servants, who did most of their usual chores but members of the household would pretend to attend to their needs. It didn't mean anything, really, but it was a nice custom, which the Campbells entered into wholeheartedly.

These were good people. It was hard to associate them with the Campbells who had conducted the bloody massacre of the MacDonalds at Glen Coe. Decent people, down to earth people. The same people who had fussed over me after I'd fainted yesterday, and would have sent me to bed had I not insisted on remaining in the hall for the rest of the Christmas feast.

Just then Georgie came back into the room and began to get dressed. "Have to go, my darling," he leaned over and kissed me, "They've found tracks in the north, looks like someone is coming to pay us a visit." He cuddled up to me for a moment, kissed my cheek, "I'd rather stay in your bed, but I want no unpleasant surprises on our wedding day." He got up and began to build a fire, adding extra logs to assure it would burn for a long time before I needed to add more wood. I loved the little things like that he did for me.

I sat up, wrapping the covers around me to shield me from the cold. "Who could it be? Is it cattle raiders? What would anybody be doing out in weather like this? Better to stay inside and stay warm." I began to unwrap myself, inviting him to come back to bed.

He smiled at me, "Yes, dear, I'd like to come back to your bed, but I can't. Colin's waiting for me downstairs. It'll be light soon and we'll be able to have a good look at what's going on. The snow leaves excellent tracks; we'll be able to see what direction they've come from and where they're headed. I'll leave your clothes by the fire so they'll be warm when you get dressed." He came over, kissed me again, kissed me deeply, letting me know it was only with great reluctance that he was leaving. Then he left, leaving me alone in the room illuminated by warm firelight.

I thought about my white and silver wedding dress trimmed with white fur, about the new chambers that had been prepared for us that we would not see until we retired on our wedding night. I felt so confused, so out of touch. Georgie had filled a void in my life that I hadn't even known existed. I was expecting my first child; one I expected would certainly be followed by others. I had thought that I did not want children, but I was eager to meet this child, to see if he was like his father—I knew beyond doubt that this would be a son. How had this all happened?

I looked out the window—the snow was falling heavily and showed no signs of letting up. I suddenly was not in the mood for Boxing Day, I wanted to saddle Birdie and see if I could find these cattle raiders for myself. Who would be desperate enough to be out in this weather? It could be Frasers or even McKensies, but would they be foolish enough to risk facing soldiers from His Majesty's Army who would surely be arriving today for the wedding?

I snuggled back under the covers, thinking. I wanted to know who these strangers were, but even I had enough sense not to try to follow them. The snow was falling thickly, would certainly show no signs of letting up, and maybe the tracks would be hidden soon. I got up and looked out the window. The snow was piling up rapidly; maybe Georgie and Colin would have to call off the search soon.

I wondered if they had a sleigh. I remembered a Christmas in Russia where the snow had fallen so heavily that they brought out the sleigh that had been in the family so long that no one remembered who had originally owned it. There were two horses whose sole purpose was to pull the sleigh in the snow for the delight of family and visitors. I remembered the bells on the harnesses of ours and other families' horses as we sped over the snow-covered landscape. And later the gathering in one house where were we drank punch and nibbled on sweets until it was time to go back home.