Lord John Grey writes with an apology and a marriage suggestion in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 59
We start Outlander Book 6, Chapter 59 with a letter from Lord John Grey. It leads us into a conversation about marriages and the women of the Ridge.
Lord John Grey has an apology for Jamie. It turns out that Jamie’s name has ended up on a list of people who will end up against the Crown in the coming Revolutionary War. It’s clear at this point that John still has no idea that Jamie isn’t exactly on the side of the Crown, but he believes that Jamie will make that choice.
The topic moves onto marriage, though. Bobby Higgins likes a couple of the girls at the Ridge, and John has a marriage proposal to make. Will this turn into anything? We know now how this storyline plays out, but it’s hard to say at this point without the future knowledge.
There is some foreshadowing in the chapter, though. This foreshadowing all starts with the letter, and we’ll get into this in that particular section of the post.
As for the show, we haven’t seen it all adapted. Bobby Higgins wasn’t included in the show, and we’ll get to why that may not have been the case in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 59.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with the letter. The mail around North Carolina isn’t safe, and John has come across a list of names of those who are going to be part of the Revolutionary War. Jamie’s name is on that list, and John feels some responsibility for that. John was the one to introduce Jamie to one of the men.
John wants to keep Jamie out of trouble, and that means Jamie distancing himself from the men he’s making friends with.
After that, John has a suggestion for marriage. Bobby likes both Lizzie and Malva, but realizes that he would prefer Lizzie. Is there a marriage option with either of them? It’s something Claire and Jamie discuss after reading the letter. Lizzie would make the most sense and would be easier. Bobby is a convicted murderer and is penniless. Even if Malva liked him enough, it would be hard to convince Tom Christie to allow the marriage to happen.
Claire does start to think about marriage options, especially when there’s the comment of Roger trying to arrange a marriage between Amy McCallum and Tom Christie. Would Malva and Young Ian work out? Would Tom allow for that to happen?
In the end, Bobby asks Mr. Weymss for Lizzie’s hand, but Mr. Wymess refuses. It’s clear that Bobby’s conviction is causing problems. Jamie does agree to talk to Tom, but he can’t guarantee that it will be a yes for Malva.
After that, Bobby brings up a meeting that’s happening. Jamie realizes that this is likely where the Continental Congress is choosing delegates, and Jamie hasn’t heard anything. His actions around the time of the barbecue for Flora MacDonald wouldn’t have helped that, so it’s not surprising he hasn’t heard about the meeting time or place. He needs to work his way back into the group.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
The chapter foreshadows a few things without us really realizing it. The first is that John is going to find out about Jamie eventually. We know the two have to end up on opposite sides of the coming war, and it’s not going to be easy for either of them. John just can’t imagine Jamie being a traitor to the Crown again, though.
The second bit of foreshadowing is with Bobby. There is the talk of marriage to Lizzie and Malva, but both of them need their fathers’ permission. It’s going to be hard to get that, but there is a widow on the Ridge, a widow who has been mentioned as a problem for Roger. What about Amy McCallum?
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
Bobby Higgins hasn’t been introduced in the series just yet. I did wonder if he would be a character kept out of the story, especially with how short Outlander Season 6 is. With the Lizzie and Malva storylines already wrapped for the most part (we know about Lizzie and the Beardsley twins now) it is possible that the Bobby storyline will be completely avoided. This would suggest that Amy’s part in the story isn’t going to be as big now that Roger has stepped away a little from her.
The main part of this chapter adapted was the discussion of the delegates. Jamie isn’t named, but it’s not because the Continental Congress doesn’t trust him—that does initially happen but Jamie is able to quickly find a way to get back in with them. It’s all to do with the rumors of his affair with Malva. People don’t trust him enough to be a delegate, but he is still part of the Patriots.
In fact, the series pulled Jamie telling John forward in the series. This isn’t too surprising with the way the show has to speed some elements of time up. There isn’t as much time to go into the details of Jamie slowly telling John. It had to happen, and we had to see John give Jamie some time while questioning the end of this friendship.
I don’t mind the way the show handled all this. It’s not always easy to add everything in, and characters need to have a direct impact on the bigger storylines to really be considered for the series. The books are too big to include everything.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 59? Let us know in the comments below.
Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest from the Outlander Book Club and much more.