Outlander Book Club: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 2 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts with the Frasers and MacKenzies, and a couple of tenants with them, finding the burned-down cabin. They discuss who these people could be, with Roger and Jamie working most of it out.

Roger realizes that they were Dutch. They’re new emigrants, and Jamie notes that the woman has blisters on her hands. These weren’t people used to outdoor labor, but they had come to the Colonies for a new life. Sadly, that life came to an end much sooner than expected.

But why would they have remained in a cabin on fire? Why wouldn’t they have tried to run outside? Brianna notices now that there are mushrooms, and she knows from Girl Guides not to eat mushrooms unless you definitely know they’re safe. A lot of mushrooms are poisonous, and that was the case with these ones.

Jamie, Fergus, and others also find other men. They weren’t with the family. Instead, they helped kill the family, but they died as they ran away. This is where there’s a much bigger conspiracy and story, but I’ll get to that soon.

As the Dutchman and his family are buried in one grave, the two strangers are buried in another. Roger is the one to say words over the graves, but not the Lord’s Prayer. It’s something a little darker that certainly sets the tone for things that had happened.

Of course, Claire can’t help but think of the fire that is still to come. Claire and Jamie’s house is going to burn down. That’s coming up soon, and they need to be ready for that. Can they change that part of history?