Outlander Book Club: Book 1, Chapter 25 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

It all starts with Claire and Geillis being thrown into the thieves’ hole. This is where they’ll wait until the judges reach them for the witch trial to take place.

It’s soon clear that some of the things Claire things are wrong. It’s not Laoghaire who is pregnant with Dougal’s child but Geillis, and Arthur had found out. We also learn that Geillis had been slowly poisoning Arthur this whole time. He wasn’t meant to die the way he did, but she had to do something to prevent her being called out for her adultery.

This is also a chance for Geillis to share a little more honesty. The first is that the ill-wish was bought from her by Laoghaire. Geillis says she didn’t know that it was intended for Claire, but it’s clear she suspected it. After all, Geillis keeps pointing out that she warned Claire about the younger women at the castle.

Geillis also admits that everything she’s done up to this point has been for Scotland. She’s a Jacobite. She actually wanted Colum MacKenzie to work with her, but she realized that wasn’t possible when she saw him. Instead, she chose Dougal.

They also have a chance to talk about love. Claire admits that she does love Jamie. Geillis seems also shocked and upset to realize that love is possible.

Something that is clear throughout the witch trial is that Claire was never meant to be caught up in the matter. Colum had arranged for Geillis to be arrested as a witch as a way to deal with the baby. However, there is a little evidence aimed at Claire, including Peter the drover talking about Claire summoning the waterhorse. Nobody believes Peter, though.

Father Bain has the most condemning evidence against Claire. In a previous chapter he’d been bitten by dogs and Claire told him his wound would fester. Sure enough it has, and Father Bain thinks Claire put a curse on him. Of course, we know that’s not the case, but this is people of the 18th century. As Jamie pointed out in the previous chapter, the people haven’t traveled much and believe everything Father Bain tells them.

While there are some against Claire, there are many who speak highly of her. Sure, she knows how to heal, but she does it without charms and spells. The people who has seen her at the castle don’t think she’s a witch but a gifted healer.

Fortunately, Claire does have friends on her side. Ned Gowen shows up as her lawyer and tells her that he needs them to drag this out. Time is their friend in this matter. The longer it goes on, the less likely people are to kill Claire.

However, that’s not meant to be. The next morning, Claire and Geillis are taken to the loch for trial by water. If they drown, they were innocent. If they float, they are witches. Either way, they die.

Claire puts up a fight, but she gets a whipping for it. That’s when Jamie turns up and protects Claire. As all this happens, Geillis decides to take all the blame. She admits that she’s a witch and shows off the baby bump. Geillis is taken away, allowing Claire and Jamie a chance to escape.

Jamie managed to show up in the nick of time thanks to Old Alec and Donas. Alec had ridden to tell Jamie that Claire had been taken. He used Donas to ride back as quickly as possible. He even says that Murtagh was with him but left behind because Murtagh’s horse was too slow.

And so, they’re on the run again. This time, Jamie wants to learn the truth. He needs Claire to be honest with him, and so she is. She tells him all about when she was born, that she time traveled, and that she is vaccinated against many diseases. She also tells him that she’s been trying to get back to Craigh na Dun to go home to Frank.

Jamie says he believes her, but it’s only when he takes her to the stones and sees her starting to disappear before his very eyes that he really does believe it all. There’s one thing to believe someone’s words, but seeing it really hits home.

With that, Jamie tells Claire that she can leave. He’ll hang around just to make sure she can safely pass but that’s it. Claire has to make a decision at the stones. Does he choose her time or will she stay?

She makes the decision to stay with Jamie. He is the one with her heart now. And so, it’s off to Lallybroch.