Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 4 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Roger heading over to the trinkets’ stalls to find a wedding gift for Brianna. He’s trying to figure out what to get her, knowing that she’s a fairly simple woman when it comes to jewelry and other items. She doesn’t wear much jewelry at the best of times, but that’s even more the case with Jemmy.
Roger considers getting her a wedding ring, but Bree has already made it clear that she’s happy with Brian Fraser’s ruby ring. It belonged to her grandfather, after all.
On the way, Duncan Innes finds Roger. The two talk about a couple of topics, both of which are on Duncan’s mind.
The main one is religion. It turns out that Duncan isn’t Catholic, and he wants to know if it’s something that he should tell Jamie or Jocasta before the wedding. I love that this chapter shows that religion choices don’t make a person. Jamie likes Duncan. In fact, Jamie trusts Duncan with his life, and yet the topic of religion has never really come up.
Roger shares what the priest told him. There’s no need for the man to convert to get married. However, there is the request that all children are baptized into the Catholic religion. Of course, that’s not something Duncan and Jocasta will need to be concerned about.
The other topic is money. Duncan and Roger are very similar in their stature. They are both men without land and without money of their own. And yet, they’re marrying women of wealth. Sure, Jamie isn’t rich but he does have the grand for 10,000 acres of land, which Brianna would inherit. And then there’s River Run that Jocasta wants Bree to inherit.
Roger now realizes that people all know this. They view him as a gold digger, and that’s something that plays on Roger’s mind a little.
In the end, the two men get to the trinkets’ stalls. Duncan buys some velvet and questions whether Claire will have some lavender. Jocasta struggles with migraines and the ability to sleep, and Duncan remembers that lavender helped his mother. Roger is touched by the care Duncan shows Jocasta.
Roger ends up back on the hunt for a gift. He realizes that the ring Bree has was never a ring for Roger to give. It was Jamie’s ring from his father that Jamie had given to Roger as a way back through the stones. Roger needs to find a ring of his own for Brianna, but his money will only buy a cheap ring.
It’s going to turn Bree’s finger green, but Roger has this thought about how she will be marked as his. The ending to this chapter certainly reminds us that Roger can be quite possessive.