Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 40 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
We start with Brianna and Lizzie traveling over land to get to Cross Creek. At least, that’s the intention. They want to get to Jocasta, where Brianna knows that she can find out Jamie and Claire’s location.
However, their journey has been slowed down by Lizzie’s sickness. Brianna thinks it’s malaria thanks to the mosquitos they’d encountered around Charleston. Lizzie’s sickness comes in waves, and Bree needs a doctor. What she doesn’t get ready for is the medicine of the time. Blood letting was very common because doctors simply didn’t understand infections the way we do now.
In the end, Lizzie is well enough to travel again and they get to Wilmington. Lizzie has learned that Jamie Fraser is in Cross Creek. Brianna needs to get to him right away, but that’s put on hold.
Roger is also in Wilmington. He happens to find Brianna in the middle of the market, and he’s shocked to see her in pants. While he’s seen her in pants before, this is the 18th century and women wear skirts and dresses.
There is an argument that takes place. Brianna is shocked and angry that Roger has come to her, while Roger is still angry that Brianna even thought of coming through the stones without telling him. It turns out Brianna purposely sent her belongings to Roger in Oxford knowing that he should have been in Scotland at the time. She thought it would buy her more time.
Brianna didn’t want Roger here. She needed Roger to be in the 20th century so she could focus on him when she went back through. Her plan was to return to the 20th century, but she needed someone she loved on the other side, and there’s only Roger.
Yes, Brianna says the L word. She and Roger end up being handfasted and they spend the night together.
Through all this time, Roger doesn’t tell Brianna that he found the obituary. Brianna does tell him that she found it. In fact, she explains that she had a dream about Claire and Jamie in Jamaica that involved a crocodile. We know now that it all happened. Brianna had astral projected to the place to witness the events that took place.
After this “dream,” Brianna searched the manifests for Claire and Jamie heading to Jamaica. Roger had only looked at passengers, but Bree went one step further. She found out that Jamie was the captain of the Artemis and he sold some bat guano in Jamaica. Eventually, she came across the obituary, and she knew she had to do something.
Roger realizes that they may have another way back through the stones and explains Geillis’s book. He decides that he’s going to steal a gem, even if it means the risk of hanging. He needs to get back to Stephen Bonnet for that, and it means heading to New Bern. He wants Brianna to stay, but she needs to get to Claire and Jamie. Sure, they have time before the fire, but Lizzie needs Claire’s medical attention.
Finally, Brianna finds out the truth about Roger. He says that he never went to Lallybroch, and so he never really knew where Brianna would be. How did he know to come to North Carolina? She realizes he knew all about the obituary, and she gets angry about his lies.
Despite this, Roger tells her that he’ll return with gems. He still loves her.
They separate in anger and Brianna heads back to her room with Lizzie. Lizzie was worried. She’d seen Roger and Brianna arguing and doesn’t trust Roger at all. When she sees some blood on Brianna’s pants (due to her losing her virginity), Lizzie assumes the worst has happened. She’s sure that Roger has raped her.
And honestly, it’s an honest mistake. With the way Brianna acted and what Lizzie saw (remember, she’s only 14), it’s no wonder she immediately jumped to the conclusion that Roger raped Brianna. We know what comes later, and I will never blame a man’s actions on a woman, especially a young girl.