Outlander Book Club: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 80
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Malva and the Christie men turning up at the Ridge. After Tom says that she’s with child and will only share who the father is around Jamie, it’s soon clear why. Malva is accusing Jamie of sleeping with her.
Claire is shocked, but all she can do is slap Malva and walk away. Jamie is the one to stay and listen to the entire thing. Is it possible that he slept with Malva?
We know from his part of the chapter that he didn’t. Malva is lying, but she has some convincing stories. She knows all about the scars on his back, legs, and buttocks. It’s the one on the buttocks that is the most condemning.
She shares that it all happened when Claire was sick with the fever. Later, Claire thinks about that time. It’s certainly possible. She’s seen people cheat on spouses in a moment of weakness just looking for comfort. Claire could potentially forgive Jamie for that, but there’s nothing to forgive. One thing that Claire knows is that Jamie didn’t do it.
If Jamie was even potentially the father of Malva’s baby, he would claim it. He would do the right thing, knowing that he couldn’t leave a baby that’s possibly his out there with nothing. It wouldn’t matter how the baby came about. This is what tells Claire that he didn’t do it.
Yet, when Jamie first comes to find her, she worries. Jamie says he won’t apologize for something that he didn’t do, and then he apologizes. You see, he did have an affair, but it wasn’t with Malva. It was a very long time ago. He slepts with Mary MacNab before he turned himself into the British and ended up at Ardsmuir Prison.
Claire is shocked that he would admit to this now. He didn’t need to. Claire would have never found out, but it’s clear that it’s something that has played on his mind for some time. Now he’s had a chance to share the truth. She forgives him, of course she does, and she will stand by him knowing that Malva’s baby is not Jamie’s child.
One thing that is clear by the end of the chapter: everyone on the Ridge is going to know all about the lies.