Of mine? I said, indignant. You sound as though you think Im proposing to start it, single-handed.
He made a small gesture of dismissal.
Ye ken what I mean. An Indian agent, Sassenach, is what it sounds likea fellow who goes out and parleys wi the local Indians, giving them gifts and talking them round, in hopes that theyll be inclined to ally themselves with the Crowns interests, whatever those might happen to be.
Oh? And whats this Southern Department that MacDonald mentioned? I glanced involuntarily toward the closed door of our room, but muffled snoring from across the hall indicated that our guest had already collapsed into the arms of Morpheus.
Mmphm. Theres a Southern Department and a Northern Department that deal wi Indian affairs in the colonies. The Southern Department is under John Stuart, whos an Inverness man. Turn round, Ill do it.
I turned my back gratefully to him. With expertise born of long experience, he had the lacing of my stays undone in seconds. I sighed deeply as they loosened and fell. He plucked the shift away from my body, massaging my ribs where the boning had pressed the damp fabric into my skin.
Thank you. I sighed in bliss and leaned back against him. And being an Inverness man, MacDonald thinks this Stuart will have a natural predisposition to employ other Highlanders?
That might depend upon whether Stuarts ever met any of my kin, Jamie said dryly. But MacDonald thinks so, aye. He kissed the top of my head in absent affection, then withdrew his hands and began untying the lace that bound his hair.
Sit, I said, stepping out of my fallen stays. Ill do it.
He sat on the stool in his shirt, closing his eyes in momentary relaxation as I unbraided his hair. Hed worn it clubbed in a tight queue for riding, bound up for the last three days; I ran my hands up into the warm fiery mass as it unraveled from its plait, and the loosened waves of it spilled cinnamon and gold and silver in the firelight as I rubbed the pads of my fingers gently into his scalp.
Gifts, you said. Does the Crown supply these gifts? The Crown, I had noticed, had a bad habit of honoring men of substance with offices that required them to come up with large amounts of their own money.
Theoretically. He yawned hugely, broad shoulders slumping comfortably as I took up my hair brush and set about tidying him. Oh, thats nice. Thats why MacDonald thinks it a favor; theres the possibility of doing well in trade.
Besides generally excellent opportunities for corruption. Yes, I see. I worked for a few minutes before asking, Will you do it?
I dinna ken. I must think a bit. Ye were mentioning Wild WestBriannas said such a thing, telling me about cowherds
Cowboys.
He waved off the correction. And the Indians. Thats true, is itwhat she says about the Indians?
If what she says is that theyll be largely exterminated over the next century or soyes, shes right. I smoothed his hair, then sat down on the bed facing him and set about brushing my own. Does that trouble you?
His brows drew together a little as he considered it, and he scratched absently at his chest, where the curly red-gold hairs showed at the open neck of his shirt.
No, he said slowly. Not precisely. Its not as though I should be doing them to death wi my own hands. But were coming to it, are we not? The time when I must tread wi some care, if Im to walk betwixt the fires.
Im afraid we are, I said, an uneasy tightness hovering between my shoulder blades. I saw what he meant, all too clearly. The battle lines were not clear yetbut they were being drawn. To become an Indian agent for the Crown was to appear to be a Loyalistall very well for the moment, when the Rebel movement was no more than a radical fringe, with pockets of disaffection. But very, very dangerous, as we grew closer to the point where the disaffected seized power, and independence was declared.
Knowing the eventual outcome, Jamie dare not wait too long to ally himself to the Rebel sidebut to do so too early was to risk arrest for treason. Not a good prospect for a man who was already a pardoned traitor.
Of course, I said diffidently, if you were to be an Indian agent I suppose you might actually persuade some of the Indian tribes into supporting the American sideor staying neutral, at least.
I might, he agreed, with a certain note of bleakness in his voice. But putting aside any question as to the honor of such a coursethat would help condemn them, no? Would the same thing happen to them in the end, dye think, if the English were to win?
They wont, I said, with a slight edge.
He glanced sharply at me.
I do believe ye, he said, with a similar edge. Ive reason to, aye?
I nodded, my lips pressed together. I didnt want to talk about the earlier Rising. I didnt want to talk about the oncoming Revolution, either, but there was little choice about that.
I dont know, I said, and took a deep breath. No one can saysince it didnt happenbut if I were to guess then I think the Indians might quite possibly do better under British rule. I smiled at him, a little ruefully.