Outlander Book Club: Voyager Chapter 60 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
Claire and Jamie head out to Rose Hall. They have just five days to find Young Ian, and they hope Mrs. Abernathy can help. It’s immediately clear she can when they learn that Mrs. Abernathy is none-other than Geillis Duncan.
How did Geillis survive the flames? That is something she goes into. She shares the story of how she was allowed time to have her baby, which led to her threatening the child to get Dougal to help her escape. Dougal got her to France—and it turns out Claire had heard of her name while in Paris but never seen her—and then she married Barnabas Abernathy.
Later, she explains that she’s had five husbands in total. She doesn’t do very well at keeping them alive!
Geillis claims not to know where Young Ian is, but Claire and Jamie can both tell she’s lying. Now they need to find out why and where he is on the property. It’s not going to be easy with a big man named Hercules and a twin brother called Atlas as her bodyguards.
Jamie tells Geillis the sugar mill needs to and he will help with that. Meanwhile, Claire agrees to see a couple of patients. She manages to help one but the other is dead before she gets there. Seeing a pregnant slave, Claire uses this chance to see if she can find out anything about Young Ian. The slaves won’t talk. They’re clearly terrified of Geillis, but Claire knows they know something of Young Ian.
When Claire returns to Geillis, Geillis is looking at the photos of Brianna. Geillis had heard Claire calling out to Geillis that night in 1968 (the book says 1967 again but it should be 1968). Geillis also saw Brianna and Roger, although didn’t know who they were. Now that Geillis is looking at the photos, she recognizesBree.
The two discuss how time travel is possible. Geillis shares that gemstones and blood are needed to help with directing people through the stones and controlling the time a person will travel. That’s how she could go back five years before Claire arrived in the past. It is a relatively complicated explanation, and I’ll admit I prefer the show’s straightforward approach. The books are already so heavy in detail and plot that a complicated explanation about how time travel works really isn’t necessary. It takes away from the focus on the plot.
Claire also learns that Ishmael was Geillis’s cook, but not one that would cook her food. He would make medicines for her, including a zombie poison, which helps to keep Hercules and Atlas subdued.
Jamie returns from fixing the sugar mill, which is Claire’s hint to leave. Jamie now knows where Young Ian is, but he will need help to get to him. He also needs weapons, which means he needs to see Lord John Grey for some help. Claire doesn’t like it, but it’s tough. Lord John Grey is the only one who will be able to help right now.
While on the way back to the MacIvers, the Frasers are caught in a storm. After it, they see Reverend Campbell heading to Geillis’s house. Why would he be heading there?