The Bairn of Brianag

I asked Kevin, who was at Brianag more than he was away, if he would fetch my clothes from Gillean, and he agreed. Rabbit went with him in a cart, and brought all the things I had left behind the night I had fled-all my clothes, shoes, linen, my jewelry and toiletries. The gowns that had been made for me in the spring were barely worn; I chose a blue one to wear to the Harvest ball. My skin was full and pink again; I felt quite pretty in my clothes.

Two days before, the guests began to arrive. The house was filled with activity; the lawn was busy with people strolling about and playing pall mall. Laughter echoed from the swamp where young people rowed in the boats. Children were busy carving pumpkins and turnips, and servants hurried in and out with trays of food and drink.

As it had been during the ball the previous year, Cathy's room was full of girls and women resting and dressing; cots were placed about to accommodate them all. August and I shared Cathy's big bed. I missed Cathy there, but she was now staying in another room, with John and the bairn. Except for this, I felt almost as if time had reversed, and I was again the girl I had been a year ago, when I had lain between Cathy and August and longed for Robbie.

August took my hand as we lay resting the afternoon before the ball. "Jessie, I'm so happy that you and Robbie have come home," she said. "I missed you so much! I am sorry that you were ill. How unfortunate that you came down with the fever, when you left Brianag to escape it!"

I squeezed her hand. Since my return to Brianag, I had learned that the Randalls had kept my prior condition secret. Only they and Catherine knew of my lost child. To protect them, and shield myself and Robbie from ridicule, I did not speak of it to anyone else.

"I wish though, that you and Robbie had not eloped!" she said. "A wedding would have been a great event."

"Our decision to marry was quite impetuous!" I said. "We gave no thought to a wedding."

"And now you are home again," she said. "It shall be like old times-indeed, better!

Now that Cathy's little one is here."

"Oh, yes! It is wonderful, indeed!" I said. "I was so frightened in the back country; there were the outlaws, and the McDonalds were strangers to me! And there were no servants but Rabbit-the McDonald women do servant's work! I was expected to shell peas, August-can you imagine! If I had not fallen ill, perhaps I should have been obliged to begin milking the cows!"