Claire and Jamie find out who told the printer they had died in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 19
With knowledge that a printer shared they were dead, the Frasers seek out answers in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 19. They certainly get them.
This chapter starts with a trip to the printer who had made the announcement, but that printer is gone. As a Loyalist, the Sons of Liberty decided to burn the print shop down. That’s not surprising, as there were mentions of this happening as Fergus headed out to New Bern for his own print shop.
I certainly think it foreshadows something to come for Fergus and his family. I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the chapter.
The chapter is all about getting answers, though. Tom Christie returns, and we find out what happened to him when he confessed to a crime he didn’t commit. He also finally confesses his love for Claire, which we’d already had an inkling about.
I do expect this chapter to be used in the TV series in some sort of way. I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 19.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire and Jamie in Wilmington. It’s time to find out why it was printed that they had died in the house fire. However, the print shop has been burned down. The Sons of Liberty are getting rid of anyone they view as being Loyalist, and print shops aren’t faring well.
Jamie manages to find the apprentice while Claire heads off to the harbor. As she looks at the ships, she starts to think about France and her potential family there. She’s disappointed that Fergus didn’t want to find out about Beauchamp. He doesn’t have this longing for heritage as she does. It doesn’t help that Uncle Lamb had put something together for Claire about her family.
She also thinks about how she’s feeling conflicted. She fought for the British in the Second World War, but now she’s fighting against them in the 18th century. She needs to if she wants to survive the war.
This is when someone from her past comes up. Tom Christie is there, and he’s surprised to see Claire. He had thought she and Jamie had died, and he’d been the one to tell the printer. Claire is also shocked to see Tom. He was supposed to be hanged for murder, but instead, he became Governor Martin’s amanuensis. The two have a chance to catch up with Tom kissing Claire surprisingly.
Tom finally admits that he loves Claire. She may be a witch, but he doesn’t think that matters. She is loyal to Jamie, and that counts for something.
After that, Claire finds Jamie again, who has also heard that Tom is alive. Claire tells Jamie about Tom kissing her, and he’s just amused. He knew that Tom loved her, but it was clear that he trusts Claire. Claire realizes that only Jamie really knows her. Tom is in love with the idea of her, and Frank never really got to know his wife. She also thinks of Lord John Grey, who would like to know her.
The chapter ends with them together in bed again. It’s just the two of them.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is certainly some foreshadowing in this chapter. The first is with the fire at the print shop. We know that print shops don’t fare well, and Jamie had already worried about Fergus. This is a hint that Fergus’s print shop is going to burn. He’ll need to leave New Bern, and the Colony, soon.
I also see some foreshadowing in Claire and Lord John Grey’s connection. John wants to know Claire, but not in the way he eventually gets to know her. He is curious about her and about her mind, but he is going to connect with her on another level when they both believe Jamie is dead.
We see Jamie not so angry about Tom kissing Claire in this chapter. He didn’t feel threatened or betrayed. That’s not always the way he will feel.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I do think we’ll see this chapter with the Tom Christie scene. We need to see the house fire that leads to the obituary that brought Bree and Roger back in time. It’s important we see why that happened.
I’m curious about how it will all be handled. There have been no sightings of Tom in Outlander Season 7, but the show is great for keeping spoilers at bay. I’m excited to see how this chapter could play out. While it’s not important overall, it’s one of those chapters that just helps to offer the final piece of the fire puzzle.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 19? Let us know in the comments below.
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