Outlander Book Club: An Echo in the Bone Chapter 45 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with John in a dream. The dream sequence is certainly confusing, just like any sort of dream is. It feels like we’re there in the dream with John, trying to figure things out with him.
When he wakes, he remembers that he’s looking at a fine Stubbs painting with two other people besides him. When he finally wakes, he remembers that one was Baron Amandine and the other is Cecilie Beauchamp, the Baron’s sister. Then he remembers that someone was touching his buttocks, but he can’t play who is was.
Dr. Franklin’s name comes up as he tries to figure things out. Franklin did seem to be there, and as he thinks more of it, he realizes that the paintings involved an Egyptian scene and some family portraits.
John fully wakes up in a start, waking Dottie up in the process. He manages to excuse himself and gets outside, where he continues to try to piece the puzzle together.
While out there, he’s reminded of a time in Virginia. He thinks about William catching fireflies and being gentle with them. I love that we see this parental side of John through his memories, as well as a little bit of who William was as a child.
As John worries about where William is now, he also thinks about why he’s just days away from Philadelphia. He needs to get to Henry. That’s when he touches his head and feels the sixpence Claire used to cover his skull once upon a time. This is foreshadowing, and I’m going to get to that soon.
While outside, he hears the sound of horses. He doesn’t want to be seen or get in trouble considering how late it is—only those looking for trouble are traveling at this time. John does watch from the shadows, though. He sees three men acting in secrecy.
John goes back to thinking about the Third Arrow and Percy. He is reminded that Percy said he married one of the Baron’s sisters, and that’s when John remembers that the Baron had three sisters. One of the paintings in John’s dream was of the family, and the second sister is likely the third arrow. John notes that Hal had never seen the second sister but had noticed.
Is the second sister the one Percy married? The plot continues to thicken, leading us down another rabbit hole.