Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 32 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire finding someone to nurse Baby Beardsley. She ends up with a three-month-old boy to look after, and eventually, she manages to steal some time for just herself with the goats. The goats are good company for her after spending her time with babies.
Alicia Brown finds her. Alicia wants to kill herself, especially when she finds out that Morton is married to someone else. She didn’t know anything about another wife, and Claire deduces that she’s pregnant. Alicia wants Claire to help her get rid of the baby.
There isn’t much time to focus on that, though. Governor Tryon sends word that the militia isn’t needed anymore. It’s disbanded and that means everyone gets to return home. Before they do that, they all celebrate in Brownsville. Claire gets a little tipsy on the cider, and that leads to her and Jamie taking a walk in the moonlight and snow.
Jamie wonders whether they should raise the baby. He’s willing to do it if Claire wants to raise the child. Claire has a few questions about the Beardsley baby. What happens when the family finds out that she’s not Mr. Beardsley’s daughter because of the color of her skin?
Jamie explains that under English law, the baby is the legitimate daughter of Mr. Beardsley regardless of the color of her skin. It doesn’t matter that Fanny had an affair, so that means the baby will definitely inherit everything, goats and all. Whoever raises the baby will have access to all that for the child’s care.
That’s a relief to Claire, although she does worry about how the baby will be treated when the pigmentation comes through. Jamie doesn’t worry too much about that considering the baby’s wealth and the fact that they’re so close to treaty lines with the local Native tribes.
Claire shares that she doesn’t want to raise the baby. It would be possible, especially with Bree and Marsali nursing babies, but it isn’t something she wants. She just wants Jamie. And Jamie just wants her.
Before they head back to Brownsville, Morton comes upon them with a pistol aimed at Jamie. He wants to speak to Alicia. Jamie and Claire aren’t scared about what Morton will do, but Claire does eventually go to get Alicia. She stays in Alicia’s room and watches from the window, seeing Jamie covering up Alicia and Morton’s tracks in the snow.
There’s suddenly a racket with the horses escaping. The people in Brownsville go to look at the commotion and decide the horses will return home. They don’t realize anything else is amiss, and it’s only in the next chapter that we find out exactly what happened. Alicia and Morton have run off together.