Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 103 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter initially starts with Claire learning about myrtle candles, and that’s what takes her, Brianna, and Marsali to the woods with the children. They’re picking berries for Claire’s candles, and they’re going to have a picnic while out there.

Claire is worried about Jamie and Roger at Wylie’s Landing. However, that worry subsides a little when Bonnet shows up. If Bonnet is in Wilmington, it means he’s not at Wylie’s Landing. That means Jamie and Roger are likely alive.

Bonnet spends some time explaining the situation at Duncan and Jocasta’s wedding. Lieutenant Wolff had learned about the gold at River Run, and that was the reason he actually wanted to marry Jocasta. He and Bonnet ended up working together with the plan to drug and then kill Innes. However, Pheadre’s mom ended up drinking the drugged drink and then Wolff had no choice but to kill her.

I’ll admit that I didn’t really need to know all this. It felt odd that Bonnet had explained it all. Clearly, it was to wrap a mystery that others would need to know. Sometimes, we don’t get answers to the mysteries in the world. Just look at the series Unsolved Mysteries or the fact that we still don’t know who Jack the Ripper was. It’s a flaw with storytelling for me when the villains explain everything.

However, I guess that Bonnet was actually trying to waste time. With that tied up, Bonnet revealed why he was actually there. He wanted Brianna and Jemmy to come with him, sure that Jemmy is his son. It’s clear that this is his way into River Run—Jemmy is Jocasta’s heir.

Marsali shows up with the gun that Claire had originally brought with them but left in the cart. Bonnet holds a knife to Claire’s throat to protect himself, but Marsali eventually fires the pistol. It misfires due to wet powder.

Brianna shows up, and she picks up Bonnet’s pistol which Claire had managed to dislodge during a fight. She does manage to shoot Bonnet with his, and it hits something in him. There are blood droplets in the sand. Germain finds the blood fascinating and Claire briefly wonders the blood type. However, the focus is on the fact that all the women are safe and Bonnet is in the wind again.

Two days later, Jamie and Roger show up banging on the inn door. They’re relieved to see that all the women are safe, and the women are relieved that the men are safe. Fergus also turns up with the signed paperwork from the survey. It’s time to get back to Fraser’s Ridge.