“Scotland. To go away from this damp, spongy atmosphere, set foot on that forbidden road and walk it
“Scotland. To go away from this damp, spongy atmosphere, set foot on that forbidden road and walk it with a free, long stride, up into the crags and along the deer trails, to feel the air clearing and sharpening with the scent of gorse and heather. To go home! To be a stranger no longer. To go away from hostility and loneliness, come down into Lallybroch, and see his sister’s face light with joy at the sight of him, feel her arms around his waist, Ian’s hug about his shoulders and the pummeling, grasping clutch of the children’s hands, tugging at his clothes. To go away, and never to see or hear of his own child again. He stared at Lady Dunsany, his face quite blank, so that she should not guess at the turmoil her offer had caused within him. He had, at last, found the baby yesterday, lying asleep in a basket near the nursery window on the second floor. Perched precariously on the branch of a huge Norway spruce, he had strained his eyes to see through the screen of needles that hid him. The child’s face had been visible only in profile, one fat cheek resting on its ruffled shoulder. Its cap had slipped awry, so he could see the smooth, arching curve of the tiny skull, lightly dusted with a pale gold fuzz. “Thank God it isn’t red,” had been his first thought, and he had crossed himself in reflexive thanksgiving. “God, he’s so small!” had been his second, coupled with an overwhelming urge to step through the window and pick the boy up. The smooth, beautifully shaped head would just fit, resting in the palm of his hand, and he could feel in memory the small squirming body that he had held so briefly to his heart. “You’re a strong laddie,” he had whispered. “Strong and braw and bonny. But my God, you are so small!” Lady Dunsany was waiting patiently. He bowed his head respectfully to her, not knowing whether he was making a terrible mistake, but unable to do otherwise. “I thank ye, milady, but—I think I shall not go…just yet.” One pale eyebrow quivered slightly, but she inclined her head to him with equal grace. “As you wish, MacKenzie. You have only to ask.” She turned like a tiny clockwork figure and left, going back to the world of Helwater, a thousand times more his prison now than it had ever been. To his extreme surprise, the next few years were in many ways among the happiest of Jamie Fraser’s life, aside from the years of his marriage. #Voyager #DianaGabaldon “Jamie se quedó sin respiración, como si le hubieran golpeado en el estómago. Volver a Escocia. Dejar de ser un extranjero. Dejar atrás la hostilidad, volver a Lallybroch, ver el rostro de su hermana encendido de gozo al verlo. Sentir sus brazos rodeándole la cintura, los de Ian en los hombros y los niños alrededor. Irse lejos y no saber nada más de su hijo. El día anterior había visto al niño dormido en un cesto junto a una ventana del piso superior. Subido a la rama de un gran árbol, Jamie había forzado la vista para poder distinguirlo. La cara del niño era visible sólo de perfil; tenía un moflete apoyado en el hombro. El gorro se le había torcido dejando ver la curva de la cabeza, coronada por una pelusa muy clara. «No es pelirrojo, gracias a Dios», fue su primer pensamiento. Y se persignó. «Eres un muchachito fuerte. Fuerte, robusto y guapo. Pero ¡qué pequeño, Dios mío!» Lady Dunsany esperaba con paciencia. Él inclinó respetuosamente la cabeza. Tal vez iba a cometer una terrible equivocación pero no podía actuar de otro modo. —Os lo agradezco, milady, pero…, creo que no me iré… por ahora. Lady Dunsany asintió sin apenas inmutarse. —Como gustéis, MacKenzie. No tenéis más que pedirlo. Giró en redondo, como una figura de carillón, y lo dejó para volver a su mundo. Helwater era ahora su prisión, mil veces más que antes. Para gran sorpresa suya, los años siguientes fueron, en muchos aspectos, los más felices en la vida de Jamie Fraser, exceptuando los de su matrimonio.” #Viajera -- source link