Outlander Book Club: Voyager Chapter 8 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
The Voyager chapter opens with Lord John Grey arriving at Ardsmuir Prison. He’s taking over from Henry Quarry, who explains what the prison is like. Most of them are Jacobite soldiers who are relatively quiet. However, they do have the notorious Red Jamie. LJG reacts, and it’s clear that he remembers this man from Prestonpans. However, LJG doesn’t make it clear to Quarry that he remembers anything.
Quarry explains that Jamie remains in irons. He’s the only prisoner like that because he’s considered to be so dangerous. He’s also known as Mac Dubh, and he acts as the chieftain in the prison. He’s the one who will help solve disagreements, and Quarry says he dined with Jamie once a week.
After that brief introduction, we jump to Jamie’s views as the prisoners talk about the new governor. The focus is main on the other prisoners and the state of the cells. Jamie needs to help solve a disagreement in one of the cells, and he wants to get people to eat their greens to prevent scurvy.
Back with Lord John Grey, we get to know a little more about why he’s at Ardsmuir. While writing to his mother, he questions whether he should ask about “George.” It’s clear that this George is the reason for LJG’s disgrace, but his mother doesn’t know the truth. Hal managed to cover a few things up, saying it was “an affair of the heart.” Their mother believes Lord John had an affair with a married woman. It’s better than the truth.
He also gets to know a little more about what the prison is like, mostly that there are rats everywhere. After seeing a rat on his desk, he asks for a cat to be brought up from the storeroom. He also asks for a cat for each cell.
MacKay, who is the prisoner tending to LJG’s needs, says that the prisoners won’t be happy if the cats eat all the rats. That’s what the prisoners eat if they can get their hands on it. There’s not enough food for everyone.
It paints a bleak look at the life in prison. It’s no wonder people are getting ill.
There was something in this chapter that took me out of it, though. Lord John Grey mentions that Quarry is a relative of the Duke of Clarence. I’d love to know who the Duke of Clarence was at this time because I’m sure the title wasn’t in use during the 1750s. The one before it had been executed in the 1400s and the next one wasn’t born until 1765 and wasn’t given the title until the 1780s.
Most dukes wouldn’t stand out. I’ve just spent years reading everything I can about the Plantagenets and the Wars of the Roses, and the Duke of Clarence was a big figure during this time so has always stood out to me.