Outlander Book Club: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 88 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire and Jamie waking the next morning. We find out that Mrs. Bug couldn’t find Arch so she had to head straight to Kenny Lindsay. That’s what took her so long to get back to the Big House. By the time they all got there, it was too late.
Jamie doesn’t want Mrs. Bug to worry about all that. He’s not angry. It’s not like she could have changed anything. The fact that the house is still standing is a big deal.
Mrs. Bug makes sure they have food for the journey, and so Claire and Jamie set off. The two are on horseback in the book, although the show changed it so they were in a wagon. It doesn’t really matter which way it was all done. Everything else in the chapter could play out.
Along the journey, which changes to a journey to Wilmington, Claire’s food is spit in and she does have rocks thrown at her. There is a moment when the man Claire shot in the previous chapter comes over and Claire smells the infection spreading. She isn’t going to help him, although her instincts as a doctor want her to. She says that he’ll rot, and it’s true. Later, Ezra falls of his horse and dies. Claire notes that he likely broke his neck when falling off his horse.
Jamie and Claire talk about how Jamie has once been tried for treason. Claire says she hasn’t been tried for anything, but it seems like everyone is going to overlook the witch trials in this moment. They were a farce, but then, that’s what this murder trial is also likely to be.
Jamie goes through what happened after he was tried for treason after Culloden. He had to walk from Inverness to Ardsmuir Prison, which surprises Claire. However, the focus has to turn to the upcoming trial. Brown is already doing the work he can to make Claire guilty before they even get to trial. It’s all stacking against her.
The only saving grace is Tom Christie who remains separate from Claire and Jamie, but he keeps an eye on them. Brown didn’t want Tom around. It’s only because of Tom that Claire and Jamie are even still alive. We need to keep an eye on what Tom is doing, because there is a reason behind it all.
The end of the chapter is the stone throwing. This turns into more of a melee with Brown’s men having to go after the horses. This leads to Brown no longer allowing anyone to stop at taverns. Blacking Claire and Jamie’s names didn’t go the way Brown expected.