“I imagine my nephew told ye the circumstances in which we encountered your—acquaintances this afternoon?” Jamie was saying, in a pleasant tone of voice. There was a splashing sound and the clink of glasses.
“Circumstances,” Cunningham repeated sharply. “Lieutenant Summers is—was—a close friend of my late son. We have remained in correspondence since Simon’s death, and I hold Felix in the same regard as I would were he my son as well. I take considerable exception to your treatment of him and his servant, sir!”
“A dram wi’ ye, sir? Slàinte mhath!”
From my vantage spot, flattened against the wall, I couldn’t see Jamie, but I could see the captain, who looked startled at this reply to his statement.
“What?” he said sharply, and looked down into his whisky glass as though it might be poisoned. “What did you say, sir?”
“Slàinte mhath,” Jamie repeated mildly. “It means, ‘to your health.’”
“Oh.” The captain looked at Summers, who by this point resembled a pig who has just been struck on the head with a maul. “Er … yes. To—your health, Mr. Fraser.”
“Colonel Fraser,” Ian put in helpfully. “Slàinte mhath!”
The captain threw back his dram, swallowed, and turned purple.
“Perhaps a bit o’ water, Captain.” I saw Jamie’s arm stretch out, pitcher in hand. “It’s said to open the flavor of the whisky. Ian?”
Ian took the pitcher and deftly mixed a fresh drink—half water, this time—for the captain, who took it, eyes watering.
“I repeat … sir …” he said hoarsely. “I take exception …”
“Well, so do I, sir,” Jamie said, in the same amiable tone. “And I think any self-respecting man would do the same, at discovering a martial enterprise taking place under his nose, upon his land, without warning or notice. D’ye not agree?”
“I do not pretend to understand what you mean by ‘a martial enterprise,’ Colonel.” Cunningham had got hold of himself and sat up straight as a poker. “Lieutenant Summers has had the kindness to bring me some supplies I had requested from friends in the navy. They—”
“I did wonder, ken, why a Lowlander, and especially one who’s a naval captain, should choose Fraser’s Ridge to settle,” Jamie said, interrupting him. “And why ye should have wanted land so far up the Ridge, for that matter. But of course, your place is nay more than ten miles from the Cherokee villages, isn’t it?”
“I—I’m sure I don’t know,” the captain said. “But this has nothing to do—”
“I was an Indian agent for some time, ken,” Jamie went on, in the same mild tone. “Under Superintendent Johnson. I spent considerable time wi’ the Cherokee, and they ken me for an honest man.”
“I was not impugning your honesty, Colonel Fraser.” Cunningham sounded rather testy, though it was obvious that this was news to him. “I do take issue with your—”
“Ye’ll ken, I suppose, that the British government has been in cahoots wi’ various Indians in the conduct of this war, encouraging them to attack settlements suspected of rebellious persuasions. Providing them wi’ guns and powder on occasion.”
“No, sir.” The captain’s tone had changed, his belligerence slightly tinged now with wariness. “I was not aware of that.”
Jamie and Ian both made polite Scottish noises indicating skepticism.
“Ye’ll admit that ye do ken I am a rebel, Captain?”
“You are fairly open about it, sir!” Cunningham snapped. He sat upright, fists clenched on his knees.
“I am,” Jamie agreed. “Ye make no secret of your own loyalties—”
“Loyalty to King and country requires neither secrecy nor defense, Colonel!”
“Aye? Well, I suppose that depends on whether that loyalty results in actions that might be considered injurious to me and mine, Captain. My cause or my family.”
“We didn’t mean—” Lieutenant Summers was beginning to be alarmed. Stirred from his lethargy by the rising tone of the conversation, he made an attempt to sit up straight, his round face earnest. “We wasn’t meaning to bring Indians down upon you, sir, so help me God!”
“Mr. Summers.” The captain lifted a hand, and the lieutenant went red and subsided.
“Colonel. I repeat that I make no secret of my loyalties. I preach them in public each Sunday, before God and man.”