#but it won't be long before the dunsanys' lives come crashing into the frasers' again

[imagineclaireandjamie]

I ❤️ Come Hell or Helwater. I’d really love to see how things pan out. Thank you.

It’s a shorter one to get back into the swing of things with this AU, but I need to get back into the habit of writing now I’ve settled into more of a routine at my new digs. Thanks everyone for your patience during my sporadic semi-hiatus.

~Mod Lenny

Come Hell or Helwater - Part Eleven

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten

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Claire waited to be summoned the following morning to treat Geneva’s “headache,” but it didn’t come. Nor did it come the day after that. Aside from a few mildly defiant glances from Geneva when their paths crossed, it was as if the midnight housecall hadn’t happened. 

There was nothing for Claire to do but push it from her mind as Geneva’s wedding came and went, taking Geneva and any lingering physical or emotional issues away to her new husband’s estate. 

It was easy for Claire to let go of her concern for Geneva. With the excitement of the wedding past, the guests went home and a steadier routine settled upon the Frasers at Helwater. 

Jamie rose early, sometimes rousing Claire for a few stolen moments in the process. Before he left for the stables, he made sure to wake Brianna as well and wish her good morning. Then mother and daughter forced themselves out of bed to make themselves breakfast (Jamie took his breakfast with most of the other servants at the house as he passed on his way). 

Over whatever they could muster that resembled the 20th century food they so often craved (frequently, French toast or what might pass for buttermilk pancakes if they squinted), Claire would listen while Brianna reviewed her lessons ahead of going to see Isobel for the late morning. It became a game for Brianna to guess which of the things she learned from Isobel would be disproven in the coming decades. 

“I wish she covered more math and science than just what I’d need to know to ‘run a household,’” Brianna lamented. 

Claire tried to hold back her amused smile. “You had learned enough of your history before we came to know a bit of what it would be like,” she reminded her daughter. “But if anyone can sympathize, you know it’s me. I’ll help you with maths and science or… why don’t you ask your father to help you? I’m sure he’ll be happy to go over some mathematics or natural history as he knows it. He’s also a polyglot so if there’s a language you’re keen to learn, he’s likely to know it.”

Brianna’s smile was a little strained as she nodded to her mother. “I’ll ask him for some help when he’s done for the night… if he isn’t too tired.” 

Claire let the matter drop, glancing sideways at Brianna and trying to decide what to do. Jamie hadn’t said much to her about how he and Brianna were making out in their attempts to get to know one another, but she suspected the not talking about it — from him as well as Brianna — told her all she needed to know. There was still a palpable and awkward formality between them, at least when Claire was in the room. She wondered if she might be the problem, if her being there and watching them — however carefully she tried to become invisible — might be putting them both on edge and gumming up the works. It didn’t help to dwell on it, but she occasionally feared what adding a pregnancy to the mix might do to Jamie’s relationship with Brianna. Not that it was an issue yet… Though, it would be, and sooner rather than later if she and Jamie had any say in the matter.

It didn’t take long for Claire to convince herself that it was indeed the fact she was there as a crutch for both of them that was preventing father and daughter from bonding more quickly. Unable to find the right way to approach the subject with Brianna, she chose to tackle Jamie first. 

“Is there anything you’ll be doing among your chores that you can ask Bree to help you with?” she inquired one night, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder and her arm draped across his chest. She lightly traced the contours of muscle in his upper arm with her fingertips. 

He tensed beneath her for a moment, caught off guard, then relaxed, trying to appear unbothered. 

“I’m repairin’ a fence in the far field tomorrow. Some creature knocked into it and the wood was so rotted it gave way along half the side. It was a lucky thing the horses werena pasturin’ there at the time. I ‘spose Bree might be handy to have handin’ me the tools when I need ‘em,” Jamie conceded.

“Perfect,” Claire said with yawn. “I have an errand to run in the village and I can’t take her with me. One of the kitchen maids has a sister who’s expecting a baby and it sounds like there’s a fear she may lose it. Has a history of late term miscarriages apparently, poor thing. I told her I’d pay her a visit and examine her to see if there’s anything to be done.”

“And Brianna willna be spendin’ her day in the house wi’ Miss Isobel? Is she no still givin’ the lass lessons as well? I ken I’ve been helpin’ her wi’ a wee bit ‘fore bed—”

“Lady Dunsany and Isobel are going to visit Geneva,” Claire reminded Jamie, pointedly ignoring the way his fingers were tapping the side of his leg. 

“Ah, right. Then… I suppose it’s a plan. I’ll keep an eye on the lass… and pray she doesna find the work too dull,” he murmured. 

Claire chuckled in an effort to lighten the mood and scare off some of his nerves. “Surely the two of you can last one day on your own. And not even a full day at that.”

“Do ye wish me to tell Bree or would ye prefer to do that yerself?” he asked, her attempted levity glancing off without impact. 

“I’ll tell her,” Claire assured him, then yawned again and let her eyes close for the night. She’d deal with Brianna in the morning.

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“But I thought you were supposed to go see that woman after they got back from their visit?” Brianna countered when Claire roused her earlier than Brianna had expected. She clearly did not appreciate being awoken and told to dress while it was still quite dark. At least Claire would prepare breakfast for the three of them to share before father and daughter departed to manage tend the horses and then trudge across the fields, tools in hand. 

“You know how medical cases such as this can go from well enough to dangerous in the blink of an eye,” Claire lightly chided. “It’s safer for the patient if I go to see her sooner to get an idea of what we’re dealing with. Besides…” Claire glanced over her shoulder but Jamie was still busy in their room shaving at his mirror, his concentration fixed on not slitting his own throat. “It’ll mean a lot to your father for you to spend a day with him — to see him about his work and all that. You two need to give up walking on eggshells around one another already.”

Brianna used her arm to swing her hair over her shoulder and sighed as it settled. She fixed her mother with a look of teenage exasperation that was a few years too soon for Claire. Still, she endured it, holding out a steaming bowl of parritch for Brianna to reluctantly take.