Outlander Book Club: Book 2, Chapter 23 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

We start with Claire sharing that the bleeding had stopped. While that’s a good sign, she also knows that it’s time to stop working at the hospital. This is no longer about finding something to do, but about her putting her baby first. Eventually, she knew this would happen, but it’s sooner than she wanted.

However, Mother Hildegarde understands and sends some medicine with Fergus when he delivers the news. The medicine is to help prevent miscarriage, but Claire knows there’s likely nothing active in it. Of course, she can’t help but think of the hangman’s grease in the salve Monsieur Forez gave her.

Speaking of Monsieur Forez, he does pay a visit at the end of the chapter. He is there to share the news that he’s heading to England for a job, and he wants to know if Claire has any messages to pass onto anyone she knows. He goes into great detail about a traitor’s death and how it’s an art that takes precise skill.

Claire and Jamie get the sense that it was a threat toward Jamie. Is someone viewing him as a traitor?

That’s certainly possible, especially with the plan that Jamie has set in motion during this chapter. When Murtagh mentions smallpox on ships coming from Portugal, Jamie suddenly realizes how he can sink the business venture. He just needs to make it look like someone (Murtagh) has the pox on the ship carrying the port from Portugal. That will mean everything on the ship has to be burned.

Claire can mimic the disease. Jamie then shares that he’ll head to Spain where the ship will need to dock. He can buy the port instead of it being burned. While he won’t make as much selling it in Spain, it prevents Charles and the Comte from getting their hands on the money. Charles won’t be able to pay his loan back and then nobody will lend him money for his ships to get to Scotland.