Just the Outlander chapter
We start the chapter with Claire suffering from morning sickness. A lot of the start is about them trying to start a new life. They were supposed to be heading to Rome, but we find out that Bonnie Prince Charlie is in France so plans have changed. Their intention is to prevent Culloden from ever happening.
Of course, we know that isn’t the case. The question is why their plans change, something that we constantly wonder up to the point that it happens.
During this chapter, we learn that Jared Fraser has a business proposition. He knows that Jamie has a good taste for wine and other alcohol. Claire can host dinner parties. Jared realizes that the two could run his Parisian business while he heads out to another part of France to see if a business opportunity is viable for him.
One thing this chapter reminds me is that it’s about who you know. Had Jamie not had a cousin (or is it uncle? Jared at one point refers to Jamie as his nephew) in France they wouldn’t have been able to start this new life.
While meeting with Jared, there’s a commotion on the harbor. It turns out that a ship possibly has brought smallpox back with it, which is something Claire quickly confirms. Comte St. Germain’s ship has to be burned.
For Jared, it’s a good thing. Jamie points out that Comte St. Germain will lose a year’s income. For the Comte, well, he loses a year’s income. It’s a huge blow, and it’s not surprising to hear that Claire has now made an enemy out of him.
Jared goes off to pay off his crew, and Jamie notes that is what the Comte could have done had it not been for Claire. All Claire is thinking about is stopping the spread of disease (and I do have to note the fact that the crew on the Comte’s ship are described as wearing masks knowing how contagious this disease is) but it’s at the expense of someone’s business.
I don’t blame Claire’s thinking process. However, I can also see the Comte’s worries, especially with it being a woman who has damaged his business. It’s not surprising that we have an enemy.
At the end of the chapter, Jared needs to get Claire and Jamie out of the tavern they’ve gone to. Jared isn’t just paying off his men but arranging for a guard for Jamie and Claire. He knows the danger and is willing to do everything possible to protect them, probably knowing that Claire didn’t mean to do harm but she inadvertently helped his business.