Claire receives an urgent note from River Run in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 71
Ronnie Sinclair arrives at the Ridge with a letter for Claire in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 71. It doesn’t initially seem urgent, but it turns out that it’s very important—and confusing.
There is a lot happening in the world of the Frasers in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. We don’t seem to get closure on one thing before another thing happens. Just look at how Claire still has no idea what illness she had and there’s still a search going on for Stephen Bonnet. Things in life don’t get wrapped up quickly, and that’s certainly something that’s clear in this book.
While Bree and Ian are on their journey in the woods to see the mammoth, Claire and Jamie remain at the Ridge. They’re not going to stay there, though. They’ll need to head off to River Run to get answers as to why they got the note.
This chapter doesn’t really foreshadow much. Instead, it’s focused on plot development. We need something that gets Claire and Jamie to River Run to make them aware that someone there is potentially in danger.
It hasn’t been used in the TV series, and it probably won’t. After all, this chapter leads to a plot with Stephen Bonnet, and that character is already gone. I’ll get to my thoughts on it in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 71.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire thinking about the development process of black pudding when Ronnie Sinclair shows up. He has a note for “the healer,” a note that someone passed to him and he doesn’t know who it came from. Claire decides that it isn’t that urgent so sends Ronnie inside to Jamie with it.
It’s only later that it appears to be on the more urgent side. The letter is from “Faydree” and it just says:
YU
CUM
Claire notes that this is Phaedre, and she knows that Bree taught Phaedre how to write a little. It’s enough to get a note out to Claire, and it makes it clear that this is on the more urgent side. Why would Phaedre want to get a letter to “the healer” unless it wasn’t something medical? Why wouldn’t Phaedre tell Jocasta, though?
Brianna is also back from her trip with Ian by this point. She and Roger later help Claire and Jamie to get to the bottom of the note. It is concerning that Phaedre wouldn’t want Jocasta or Duncan sending for help, which suggests the seriousness of the matter. Could she be with child and that put her in danger?
Roger shares that there’s only one way to get to the bottom of it. Claire and Jamie need to head to River Run. The good news is most of the outside work for the winter is done. Claire and Jamie can leave for now.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
The chapter is mostly about plot development. It’s clear that this note is much bigger than what it initially seems, and we know that Phaedre isn’t at River Run by the time Claire and Jamie get there. I wonder if she was even there when it came to sending the note. Phaedre is with a certain pirate by now.
The only bit of foreshadowing is the topic of Duncan. Jamie does wonder if Duncan and Phaedre were involved behind Jocasta’s back, but then he’s reminded that Duncan is impotent. Is it possible that’s changed? There is a story to come between the master of the house and his wife’s body slave.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
I don’t think this chapter is going to be used in the TV series at all, and there are a few reasons for that. The first is that Natalie Simpson hasn’t been available for Outlander for some time. That’s why she wasn’t at River Run the last time Claire and Jamie were there in Outlander Season 5. This is the problem with guest stars. They get other work and then their schedules aren’t available when they’re needed another time.
Another reason this won’t be used is that Stephen Bonnet is already dealt with. The show had to pull that forward in case Edward Speleers ended up with a schedule clash and that storyline couldn’t end as it was supposed to. There’s no reason to bring the Phaedre storyline back into the series without Bonnet around.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 71? Let us know in the comments below.
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