Chapter 27 - The Last Reason

I'm liking the mood that is set at Lallybroch: the resident Laird returning home to an estate that has been functioning with precision since he left. Jenny has been keeping things running at a smooth pitch, and creating a warmth of family as hers continues to grow.

I also enjoyed the way Jenny and Claire are getting to know each other, going about the business of the day and having a discussion with the "real" conversation going on just below the surface:

“You’ve run the house here alone since your mother died?”
“Oh, aye. Since I was ten.”
I had the nurturing and the loving of him as a boy. What will you do with the man I helped make?“Jamie says as you’re a rare fine healer.”
“I mended his shoulder for him when we first met.”
Yes, I am capable, and kind. I will care for him.“I hear ye married very quickly.”
Did you wed my brother for his land and money?“Yes, it was quick. I didn’t even know Jamie’s true surname until just before the ceremony.”
I didn’t know he was laird of this place; I can only have married him for himself.

Women don't really do that, do they? (Yes. That was a joke).

I was interested to know that the house, built in 1702, had all the most modern conveniences, like a porcelain stove and a brick oven for bread baking. I found it especially noteworthy that there were paintings of the children on the walls; how we take for granted the modern art of photography. And yet, the paintings held special memories for Jamie and Jenny, much like our photos do today.

Yes, yes, I know, it is exciting to find out that Jamie married for love, not just out of duty. Seriously, we needed to hear him say it? Finally, it's one of the most personal things he's shared; no wonder Claire felt shocked when he said it.

You know what else I like, is the way Diana takes a phrase and turns it into a vivid picture, much like the paintings hanging on the wall of the home. Speaking of the busy-ness of the estate, Claire thinks:

For the first time, I understood the stern Scotch strictures against idleness that had seemed like mere quaintness before—or after, as the case might be. Idleness would have seemed not only a sign of moral decay, but an affront to the natural order of things.

Then Diana brings out her paintbrush, and expertly places just a few sentences, like descriptive little jewels nestled within the folds a ruffled velvet backdrop:

There were moments, of course. Those small spaces of time, too soon gone, when everything seems to stand still, and existence is balanced on a perfect point, like the moment of change between the dark and the light, when both and neither surround you.

There it is. Just the slightest of flourish within the larger surface description of the passage that brings depth and beauty to the moment.

I know, I'm supposed to be liking all the battle scenes and guy stuff. But I guess what I really appreciate is the vivid artistry of it all; seeing someone who can effortlessly turn a well-chosen phrase into a novella of expression just as easily as explain the historical facts of herbal medicine, or describe the panic and adrenaline of hand-to-hand combat. This, to me, is what true storytelling is all about.

Chapter 26 - The Laird's Return

It's interesting to see where this storyline will go now; now that Jamie knows Claire's from the future, and Geilie, too. Not much of that is explored just yet, though, as the focus on this chapter is Jamie's return to Lallybroch.

As the two encounter Jock Graham on their travel back to Jamie's home, we find a bit of the honor afforded to the Laird of Broch Tuarach. I especially liked the descriptions of the two of them, rag-tag as they were from their travels.

His hair had grown long enough in the last months to reach his shoulders. Usually clubbed into a queue or laced back, it was free now, thick and unruly, with small bits of leaf and stick caught in the disordered coppery locks. Face burned a deep ruddy bronze, boots cracked from walking, dirk and sword thrust through his belt, he looked a wild Highlander indeed.
I was hardly better. Covered modestly enough in the billows of Jamie’s best shirt and the remnants of my shirt, barefoot, and shawled in his plaid, I looked a right ragamuffin. Encouraged by the misty dampness and lacking any restraint in the form of comb or brush, my hair rioted all over my head. It had grown as well during my sojourn at the Castle, and floated in clouds and tangles about my shoulders, drifting into my eyes whenever the wind was behind us, as it was now.

I'm sure this was the condition of most average folks in the Highlands, a fact of hygiene that most of us in this day and age take for granted. I am ever thankful for electricity and indoor plumbing.

As the weary travelers approach the estate, they are greeted by the master's dogs. Again, another aspect of extreme rural living that I take for granted: having several faithful dogs makes for a great security team.

An Aussie Staghound - Not a bad
protector to have around the estate.

I was also relieved to hear the background story of Jamie's sister Jenny, and how Randall had never had his way with her.

The brother-sister arguing and bickering was classic family fare, with the classic Scottish tempers to boot. Like Claire's character, I appreciate people who are straight-forward and unpretentious in their demeanor, and passionate about everything that's important to them. I can think of no greater loss than going through life without forming a valid opinion about anything of significance, or worse yet, holding a strong and valid position and not having the confidence or passion to reveal it to others.

Ian Murray, Jenny's husband, appears to be a good off-set to Claire, as far as in-laws go, at least. A good-natured man who seems to understand the Fraser brother and sister better than they understand themselves. It's a nice picture to see that Jenny and Ian have begun a family and are growing the clan. I am hopeful that Claire and Jamie have an opportunity to form their own identity in their time away from the Castle Leoch.