William and the Hunters go their separate ways in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 42
There is a lot of talk about safety in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 42. It all starts with William’s realization that the Hunters aren’t safe with him.
Up to this point, William hasn’t shared much about who he really is. He hasn’t given his full name, or even the fact that he is in the British Army. He needed safety, and keeping his information quiet was the way to gain that.
Now it’s clear that he won’t remain safe for any longer. He and the Hunters need to separate if he wants to keep them safe. But he does finally tell them the truth about who he is.
I do see some foreshadowing in this chapter. Not only do we have the discussions of safety, but we also have discussions of identity. There is still much more to come when it comes to identity. I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the foreshadowing section.
I do suspect that we’ll see at least some of this chapter developed in Outlander Season 7. I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 42.
Just the Outlander chapter
William realizes that if he wants to protect the Hunters, they need to split up. William can’t speak like the Quakers, so he has to remain silent. That leads to suspicions, so the best thing for the Hunters is for William to go ahead alone.
Of course, William doesn’t want to leave them unprotected. He shares who he really is now, telling the Hunters to ask for Hal if they do run into trouble. The Hunters knew that William was in the British Army at some point, but believed that he may have been a deserter. No, he still plays to remain loyal to the British crown.
William decides to give Denny the money Ian had given him. However, Denny refuses to take it, and William is not going to leave them without it. So, he decides to give the money to Rachel.
There is a conversation between the Hunters. Denny wants to protect his sister, sharing that William may not necessarily be all that safe. Rachel calls him a hypocrite before William finally leaves them behind. It’s clear that we’re not done with the Hunters for now, but William doesn’t think he’ll ever come across them again.
While on the road, William runs into someone else. It’s Arch Bug, who wants to know where Ian is. Arch sees the bear claw that William has, and I feel like this is all the connection Arch needs. He’ll see the resemblance between William and Jamie. He knows, deep down, that this is someone connected to Ian Murray. Arch is still out for revenge.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
This chapter foreshadows a little. The first bit that I see is how Denny thought William is a deserter. It’s not that he becomes a deserter, but that William eventually does resign his commission. Life events lead to him changing his mind about everything. He needs to figure out who he is.
And the figuring out who he is comes up during this chapter. Arch running into William seems too much of a coincidence, and we know that coincidences don’t happen in this book series. Arch knows something. He would have taken one look at William and figured it out, and the bear claw almost confirms it. We will see William eventually find out the truth, and it all comes down to the strong resemblance between father and son.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
We are sure to see part of this chapter in Outlander Season 7. After all, we’ll likely see William and the Hunters on the road together, and that means they will need to split up at some point. Why change William’s character from the one who knows that the Hunters aren’t safe with him and vice versa when it comes to others’ opinions?
What I’m not sure we’ll get is the bit with Arch. This is going to depend on whether the entire Bug storyline plays out. Is it possible that the series will skip over Ian killing Murdina, leading to Arch seeking revenge?
The Bugs haven’t been major players in the TV series, but the weren’t really all that big in the book until it came to the gold. There is a chance that the Bugs have just been a slow burn in the TV series, leaving the bulk of the story for Season 7.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 42? Let us know in the comments below.
Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest from the Outlander Book Club and much more.