Just Because I Can: Teaser from An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

I know it’s not Thursday, my customary day to provide teasers, but it’s my blog and, by golly, I can post a teaser on Tuesday if I want to! This passage just cracked me up as I read, so I wanted to share it with all of you. It reminds me of the fact that you really never know what will come out of a young child’s mouth.

“Have you kilt anybody?” the boy inquired with interest, looking at William’s dress sword.

“No, not yet,” William replied, smiling.

“My grandsire’s kilt two dozen men!”

“Jemmy!” Both parents spoke at once, and the little boy’s shoulders went up around his ears.

“Well, he has!”

“I’m sure he is a bold and bloody man, your grandsire,” William assured the little boy gravely. “The King always has need of such men.”

“My grandda says the King can kiss his arse,” the boy replied matter-of-factly.

“JEMMY!”

Mr. MacKenzie clapped a hand over his outspoken offspring’s mouth.

“You know your grandda didn’t say that!” Mrs. MacKenzie said. The little boy nodded agreeably, and his father removed the muffling hand.

“No. Grannie did, though.”

“Well, that’s somewhat more likely,” Mr. MacKenzie murmured, obviously trying not to laugh. “But we still don’t say things like that to soldiers — they work for the King,” (4).

Oh, and today is the release date for Megan Whalen Turner’s A Conspiracy of Kings! My silly town no longer has a bookstore (not that our old Waldenbooks would carry anything not vampire related in the YA section), so I had to order it via Amazon. Le sigh – I’ll just have to enjoy it a few days later than everyone else, unless I splurge and order the e-book, if there is one even offered.