Claire comes across Major MacDonald in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 95
Claire finds herself on board a ship, which is actually a little safer than the fort in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 95. It leads to her coming across a familiar face.
That familiar face is Major MacDonald. This could have been rather dangerous for Claire. After all, she’s currently still pretending to be the forger. She is still acting as a secretary to Governor Martin. MacDonald knows who she really is, and she could end up in a lot more trouble with all the lies she has told up to this point.
MacDonald knows the trouble he could create, though. He decides he wants to find out what’s really going on and whether the rumors about Claire are true. He also wants to know if it’s possible that Jamie killed Malva instead of Claire.
This chapter certainly develops the plot for the story. Is there any foreshadowing, though? I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.
What about adapting it for the series? I could actually see this being one of the chapters adapted, and I’ll get to why that is in the adaptation section of the post.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 95.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire heading on board the Cruizer. It turns out that the fort isn’t safe. John Ashe is planning to attack it, and that means the governor wants to stay away. Claire does wonder if John Ashe got her letter and has gotten word to Jamie.
Before she can worry about that, Major MacDonald is on the ship. This is where everything could go wrong, but Major MacDonald doesn’t tell Governor Martin just how he knows Claire. They both make a note that they have passed each other before. I do love that Mrs. Martin once made it clear that her husband doesn’t have a thing for names, which is why he wouldn’t recognize the name Fraser considering Jamie’s position as an Indian Agent.
Major MacDonald wants to know the truth from Claire, and she tells him. He believes that she didn’t kill Malva, but he’s not convinced that Jamie didn’t have an affair. Does he really not know Jamie that well? It’s possible.
So, is it possible that Jamie killed Malva? That’s something else MacDonald wants to know. Claire makes it clear that Jamie didn’t have any bee stings on him. The bee’s nest was knocked down, so whoever killed Malva would have had bee stings. Is this the first time the bees have come up? I can’t think of any other time there’s been a mention of the bees and the stings that the murderer would have had.
In the end, Major MacDonald agrees to talk to the governor when he can. He will put in a good word for Claire.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
This chapter is mostly about plot development. We’re slowly getting to the point when Claire will need to be tried. We’re also getting to the point where Governor Martin is going to find out the truth.
I think the main bit of foreshadowing though is in MacDonald’s comments that a cousin of his is getting pledges from Scots to raise a militia for the governor. The war is nearly here, but this is a plot that could lead to Jamie saving Claire. It is going to come up again.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
I could see this chapter being used in Outlander Season 7. It might not be in the full way that it was, but we’ve already met Major MacDonald. It wouldn’t be that hard to bring him back into the story and have him learn more about the rumors that he’s been hearing. This could also give Claire just a bit of hope that she can get out of trouble.
It is also possible that MacDonald’s role in this chapter could be handed to another character. Is it possible that Lord John Grey could appear in this to try to help Claire out? We’ve seen the show use John when other characters were in the book story, but this is usually because the book characters in question were already dead in the TV series.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 95? Let us know in the comments below.
Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest from the Outlander Book Club and much more.