Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 85 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts with Brianna getting back to the cabin. There’s a man there, and Brianna initially thinks that it’s her Obadiah and she worries. Then she realizes that it’s Roger. He’s back from surveying the land.

The tension has eased between the two of them. Brianna is even able to touch the scar from the surgery Claire did to make sure he could breathe, and Roger doesn’t flinch away. Bree is going to use this chance to remain connected like this. She doesn’t know when Roger’s attitude will shift, and she wants to feel closer to him.

After that, we move to Claire and Jamie in the backcountry. Jamie mentions something about the two being burned to ashes, and Claire wonders if it’s poetry. Jamie realizes what she means, knowing what’s to come in four years’ time, and he apologizes.

The conversation moves onto grey hairs, but both of them actually like to see. Jamie notes that when his mom died, she didn’t have any grey hairs. Jamie peeked at the coffin Ellen was in and even got to see his baby brother in her arms buried with her. It’s a bittersweet moment as a very young Jamie had to say goodbye for a final time to both of them.

Jamie notes that he would rather see Claire with grey hair. It means that she’s getting older, and that means she’s still alive. It is a sweet moment between them as they just accept that aging is a part of life because it means life.