Claire and Jamie head to River Run for Phaedre in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 72
With the letter from Phaedre, Claire and Jamie have no choice but to head to River Run in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 72. It’s time to find out why Phaedre sent the note.
When they get there, Jocasta’s body slave isn’t there. She’s been gone for a while, and nobody knows why or where she’s gone. This opens up a much bigger mystery into why Phaedre sent the note, and whether she was even at River Run at the time.
But what happened at River Run for Phaedre to even consider leaving? That’s something Jamie gets to the bottom of. It turns out Duncan’s impotence may not have been all that permanent. What could that mean for Jocasta, who is of MacKenzie blood?
One thing this chapter does is continue the plot development. There is a reason Phaedre has gone, and it is connected to something much bigger. There’s one element of foreshadowing that I spotted in the chapter, and I’ll discuss that in the foreshadowing section.
This chapter hasn’t been used in the TV series, and I don’t think it will. I’ll get to my thoughts about that in the adaptation section of the series.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 72.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire and Jamie getting to River Run. They need to get to the bottom of Phaedre’s note, but it turns out that Phaedre isn’t at River Run anymore. She hasn’t been there for some time, and Duncan and Ulysses have been out looking for her. Jocasta notes that she woke one morning and Phaedre wasn’t around.
Jocasta doesn’t understand why Phaedre would run. Claire and Jamie initially wonder if there was some sort of connection to Manfred and syphilis. Is it possible that someone passed it onto Phaedre and she ran away not to bring shame?
Well, it turns out that it’s potentially something else. When Duncan gets back, he admits that he was attracted to Phaedre to the point where his parts started working again. He was shocked by this, but Phaedre just helped him with it. The two started up an affair behind Jocasta’s back.
Is it possible that Jocasta found out? This could have led to Jocasta getting rid of her body slave, and they should worry about what Jocasta could do to Duncan.
However, Claire gets to learn a little more about Jocasta’s past. It turns out that Phaedre is no ordinary slave. Phaedre was a love child of Hector Cameron and Betty the slave. This leads to Claire realizing that while Jocasta can be a jealous woman, she is also an honorable one. She kept Phaedre close to her when she could have sold Phaedre to someone else.
It’s clear that Jocasta is upset about everything that’s happened. Jamie makes it clear that he doesn’t want any harm to come to Duncan. Jocasta tries to play innocent, but we all know what she’s thinking. Jamie makes it clear that if she wants to keep Duncan and Phaedre’s liaison quiet, she won’t allow any harm to come to Duncan.
I do love how we get to see multiple sides of Jocasta in this chapter. When she’s angry at someone, she can be vicious, but she has also got a level of empathy that I don’t believe either of her brothers really had.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is a mention of the French gold and the person who had come to get it a few chapters before. At one points, there’s the question of whether Phaedre went off with this person or she was taken by this person.
It’s clear that there is more to the Phaedre situation. This isn’t just a slave who has run away. We’ll get to see how all that plays out and who she is with soon. It’s time for Stephen Bonnet to come back, and slowly all those pieces of the puzzle will end up forming together.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter wasn’t used in Outlander Season 6, and I don’t think it will be used in the show at all. This chapter all leads to Phaedre being with Stephen Bonnet. We already know what happened to Stephen Bonnet in the TV show. Bonnet kidnapped Brianna and eventually he was caught and finally executed.
The only reason we could see something in this chapter come up is if the French gold is brought up. There was a mention of the gold in Outlander Season 6, but it wasn’t made a big plot point. It’s clear that that was just something to help tease storylines to come. It’s a breadcrumb necessary in the show.
However, it likely won’t be Phaedre used if any of this chapter is developed. We haven’t seen Phaedre on the TV series since Season 4. Natalie Simpson hasn’t been available for the series. That could change for Season 7, but there’s no confirmation of that happening.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 72? Let us know in the comments below.
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