The Storm Breaks (The Jacobite Chronicles Book 4) by Julia Brannan

Author:Julia Brannan [Brannan, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-01-05T18:30:00+00:00

Alex looked at Beth and John in disbelief as they approached, Ann still clinging to John’s neck and showing no signs of distress at being taken from the woman who had been her mother for three years.

“Beth…” he began.

“Have you got any money?” she interrupted.

“Aye,” he said.

“Good. Can I have some, to give to the woman?”

Duncan reached in his sporran and took out a couple of gold sovereigns. Beth smiled as she took them, and handed them to John.

“Give her to me,” she said, unwrapping Ann from round his neck. “And go and give the woman these.”

She turned to Alex.

“Do you remember I told you about Martha?” she said before Alex could point out the impracticalities of them adopting a child, as he was obviously about to do.

“Aye, she was your servant, the lassie Richard drove away.”

“Someone murdered her, Alex, and tried to kill Ann, too. This scar’s from a sword blow. She was beautiful,” she said, stroking the child’s hair gently, “and clever. She was only two, no, nearly three when I saw her last, and she was talking and interested in everything.”

“Are ye sure it’s the right lassie?” he said. “Bairns change a lot in three years, Beth.”

“I’m sure,” she said. “Look at her eyes. I’ve never seen eyes like that on anyone else, except her mother. And she recognised John. She tried to say his name. He loved her, Alex, he used to play with her all the time.”

“Beth,” Alex said softly. “Do ye no’ think she’d be better off staying here? We canna take her on campaign with us. It’s wintertime. She’ll die.”

“I know that,” said Beth impatiently. “But we can’t leave her here. She’s starving and filthy.”

She certainly was. And alive. It would take them days to kill all the lice and fleas, and in the meantime she’d pass them on to half the clan. Alex looked at Ann, his natural love for children warring with his practicality. There were wives with children accompanying the rebels, but Alex would not allow any of his clansmen to bring their families along. And this child was already desperately undernourished and possibly sick in body as well as mind. It was impossible.

“I’ll take her to Thomas and Jane,” Beth continued, solving his dilemma. “They love children, and they’ve got none of their own. If she remembered John, she’ll probably remember them, too. When she wasn’t in the stable with him, she was in the kitchen with Martha and Jane. Didsbury’s only a couple of miles out of our way. You don’t have to come. I’ll go with John.”

“There’s something else you should know,” John said now, rejoining them. “She started to tell us Ann was a real problem, but you stopped her before she could tell us why.”

Beth looked at him apprehensively. Alex was being won round. Praying that John would not disclose anything to change his mind, she waited for him to continue.

“She said that because of the threatened French invasion last year and the rebellion, there have been a lot more soldiers going past the cottage in the last year or so.

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