Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 43 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

Wylie takes Claire into the stables with the promise of something to show her. That’s not the case, though. He makes a move at her, and when she rejects him, he is hurt.

Wylie believes that Claire had been making advances on him. In the few interactions the two have had, he’s sure that Claire flirts with him and wants him to make a pass. That has certainly never been Claire’s intention, but Wylie is narcissistic and is a man of his upbringing. Naturally, he thinks he can do no wrong.

Claire manages to get out of the stables, and she runs into Jamie. He notices Wylie’s beauty mark that has transferred to Claire’s face, and he knows what happened. He knows people saw Claire go into the stables with Wylie, and he certainly knows some of the talk. He’s angry that Claire would put herself in that position.

Understandably, Claire is angry that Jamie blames her. Jamie doesn’t back down on his position. This is something Claire needs to take seriously. Even in her own time period, something like this would cause suspicion and gossip. Is it really that surprising that Jamie is angry with the current situation?

The focus turns to Betty, though. Jamie says that Betty has been poisoned, and that means there is someone out there who wants someone dead.