Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 9 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
It all looks like a pretty normal boat ride. Claire and Jamie are on their way to River Run, and Claire is actually somewhat excited. It’s not about meeting more of Jamie’s family but about sleeping in a comfortable bed!
She does have some apprehensions about Jocasta, though. After all, Jocasta is a MacKenzie, and we all know what Colum and Dougal were like. Arguably, Ellen MacKenzie Fraser was a cunning young woman, finding a way to get exactly what she wanted when it came to a husband. So, this is setting the scene for what to expect when we meet Jocasta.
Claire also uses this time to mention the Revolutionary War. Jamie is considering the land grant from Tryon, and he thinks that it is possible to stay out of the war this time. The country is big enough, isn’t it?
However, the happiness and excitement can’t last. One night, Stephen Bonnet and his pirates come onboard the ship. They don’t kill anyone in the book, but they do injure Rollo and do steal from the Frasers. They take the gems and also one of Claire’s rings.
Claire manages to swallow one of the rings, but the other one is taken. She doesn’t know which one until Jamie gets her to throw it up. Her ring from Jamie is the one she gets to keep. Bonnet has taken the one from Frank.
While there are a lot of fans who question why Claire still wears the ring from Frank, Drums of Autumn Chapter 9 explains it. The ring is more than just about her marriage to Frank. It’s about her life for 30 years, her life before she even met Jamie. It’s about promises made and broken. it signifies love gained and lost, but Frank’s devotion to Brianna in spite of everything.
There is so much more to this ring than it coming from Frank. It’s not always easy to let go of the past. Claire will know that.
In the aftermath of the robbery, they head on their way to River Run again. Claire thinks about how they are basically paupers now without their gemstones. That’s not the way Jamie wanted to arrive at River Run, but it’s how it will have to be.