Lord John Grey finds out why Percy needs Fergus in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 58
Lord John Grey has spent the whole of An Echo in the Bone trying to figure out what Percy is doing. It all comes out in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 58.
In a way, this chapter brings up more questions than it does answers. It certainly sets up theories about who Fergus Fraser is related to—who his biological parents in France are. We get more of a mystery to solve.
At the same time, we get to learn more about Mercy Woodcock and her relationship with John’s nephew, Henry. John is not impressed with this relationship, and it leads to concerns about how the family could even consider Mercy.
The chapter continues the plot of things for Fergus. However, there is some foreshadowing in the chapter at the end. I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.
I think the first part of this chapter is going to be used in the TV series. I’m not too sure about the Percy Wainwright parts of the chapter. I’ll get to that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 58.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with John with his nephew and Mercy Woodcock. He learns that Henry is considered a good prisoner, and it’s clear that Henry is a prisoner of war. Mercy is a rebel, and that makes her an unworthy partner for Henry. There’s also the problem of the fact that she’s married, and John isn’t too impressed with her attention on Henry when she is still married.
He really doesn’t like this woman. He’s worried about the scandal that she brings to the family.
He doesn’t have much time to think about this, though. They need a surgeon for Henry, and Dr. Franklin has introduced him to Dr. Benjamin Rush. John realizes that the two doctors are rebels, and due to his connection to Franklin, many seem to assume that he is also a rebel. They are warm to him because of his connection to Franklin.
This is when John runs into Percy Wainwright. It’s time to get some information from Percy, which is when we learn that Percy is looking for Fergus, who he believes is Amelie Beauchamp’s child. He shares that Amelie died 40 years ago in a brothel, and Percy believes that Fergus was the boy and is now a printer and the adopted son of Jamie Fraser.
We get a little bit of detail about her life, including how her father petitioned the “Comte” to marry her. However, Amelie disappeared with no word to anyone. Percy would eventually find a marriage contract between Amelie and the Comte St. Germain. Percy wasn’t going to approach the Comte when he found the contract, and the Comte died or disappeared 10 years after Amelie did. The Comte had a reputation as a sorcerer.
A lot of this is stuff that we know. We know what happened to the Comte, and we can read one of Diana Gabaldon’s short stories to get the truth about the Comte being a time traveler. This just adds so much more to Fergus’s story, and it leaves us wondering about who Fergus is really connected to. Is he a time traveler, too?
At the end of the chapter, John asks about Denys Randall-Issacs. The question about Denys throws Percy off-guard for a second. It’s long enough for John to figure out that Denys (and likely Richardson) is probably a rebel.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is certainly plenty of plot development in this chapter, and it also sets up more of the plot for Fergus. I think there is a hint that Fergus and Claire are likely related, but we still don’t have that confirmation in the book series.
The actual foreshadowing is in Mercy and Henry’s storyline. The two are in love, and they will want to find a way to be together. They need to get Henry well, though, and that means he needs surgery. I’m surprised John hasn’t sent word to Claire immediately at this point, but he’s soon going to find out that he’s surrounded by rebels in his life.
I don’t remember, but at this point, I don’t think John realizes that Jamie and Claire are on the rebel side just yet. It’s only a matter of time. He’s learning more and more people are rebels, and soon, they will all be celebrating July 4.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I don’t know if the Percy section of this chapter is going to be adapted for the TV series. The biggest issue is the way this takes up a lot of time. With Outlander Book 8 likely being used for some of the TV series, it’s difficult to see how there will be enough time for everything.
However, we know that Mercy is coming into the story. We will see the first part of this chapter developed, and I think it will help to bring William and Jamie together in the TV show eventually. It does make sense to have Claire come to help Henry (and bring Jamie) and then William to come to see Henry fearing Henry’s death.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 58? Let us know in the comments below.
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