William realizes Denys Randall-Isaacs is up to something in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 23
The time has come to meet Denys Randall-Isaacs in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 23. It’s clear immediately that he is the son of Mary Hawkins, but how much does he know?
I love this chapter for bringing the son of Jamie Fraser in a storyline that involves the “son” of Black Jack Randall. Denys believes that he is Jack’s son. Remember that Mary and Jack married, but Mary was already pregnant with Alex Randall’s child. The marriage was purely to protect Mary financially, and nobody can find out the truth.
There are some who question whether Denys knows the full truth, but I don’t think he does. If he did, there would have likely been something somewhere that meant Frank would have found out the truth. Mary would have kept the secret for as long as she lived, knowing that it was the only way to keep her son safe. It’s very much like everyone allowing William to believe that he is the son of Lord Ellesmere and not the son of Jamie.
I do see a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. I’ll get to that in the relevant section. When it comes to the adaptation, I hope that we see this play out. It’s clear that Denys is up to something, and I would love to see the next generation of Fraser and Randall on their journeys, especially as they are currently on the same side.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 23.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with letters. William writes to Dorothea and Lord John Grey. It’s then that we can get into the story, which is where he meets Captain Denys Randall-Isaacs. Jamie probably never imagined that his own son would end up being somewhat friendly to the “son” of his nemesis. The only thing that offers a bit of hope here is that Denys’s father isn’t actually Black Jack Randall. Alex was a much kinder man.
Denys does resemble the Randalls, and we know Alex and Jack resembled each other closely. Considering the way William resembles his own father, I adore this.
It’s soon clear that William wasn’t actually needed for the mission. Denys doesn’t need someone to translate for him. Denys seems to be up to something. He never speaks about himself, but has a strange obsession with Lord John Grey. He also makes sure people know that William is the son of Lord John at every opportunity. Why would Denys want to know so much about Lord John? We know we can’t really trust Captain Richardson, so what is that man up to?
Denys also spends a lot of time listening and not talking. There are certainly elements of Alex Randall in him. After all, Alex wasn’t the biggest talker from what I could gather in Dragonfly in Amber, but he was aware of everything going on.
At the end of the chapter, Denys leaves William to run some errands. What exactly are those errands? Is Denys spying for someone? I love how William is immediately suspicious. He really has gained some great traits from both Jamie and Lord John—and he doesn’t even realize that the traits come from the former.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is certainly some foreshadowing in this chapter. Captain Richardson is not a man to trust. There is something the man hasn’t told him.
However, this plot line isn’t connected to Richardson. Denys wants to know about Lord John because of someone else. We know Denys has information that William hasn’t mentioned, so how would he know it? Remember that Lord John Grey is on his own mission, and it’s all about to connect back to France.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I would love to see Denys Randall-Isaacs come up. He doesn’t have any major moments for the overall storylines, though, so it wouldn’t make sense when there are so many storylines to fit into Outlander Season 7. However, it’s all liked to Percy Beauchamp, and that is part of a relatively big storyline for John and William.
I do wonder how much of William and John’s storylines will be included. I could see them being skipped over and only the parts that bring William to Jamie to learn the truth about his paternity will be used. It’s the best way to handle the storyline having to be condensed so much.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 23? Let us know in the comments below.
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