Claire and Jamie go in search for Jamie’s printing press in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 74
We start with Claire and Jamie trying on glasses in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 74. That then moves on to a hunt for the printing press.
Well, it’s not really a hunt. Jamie knows where it should be, and he just has to hope that the printing shop hasn’t been burned down. This isn’t due to the loyalists as they’re back in Scotland now. It’s actually due to the way printing shops were designed and were likely to catch fire.
The two get to meet Richard Bell, a printer from the Colonies who had been shipped back to Scotland for being a Loyalist. Bell gets letters from his family, and he’s grateful for them.
Andy Bell, Richard’s brother, is going to be rather useful later in the chapter. It turns out that he’s very interested in dead bodies, and there’s a problem with Simon Fraser’s coffin.
This chapter certainly foreshadows a few things. I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section. I also certainly expect it to be used in the TV series, and I’ll get to that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 74.
Just the Outlander chapter
Jamie, Claire, and Ian are now in Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s time to find Jamie’s printing press, which has been stored by Andy Bell all this time. Well, it turns out that Richard Bell is at the shop, and he’s grateful for the letters. Jamie also sees that Andy has been using his printing press, and that’s not something Jamie likes.
Claire notices all the encyclopedias, and she also sees that Andy is a “graver.” While Jamie notes that means he engraves things, there seems to be another use for the name. In fact, at dinner with Andy, Claire asks how many specimens he used. It seems like a normal conversation, but I do feel sorry for the diners around them.
When Simon Fraser’s coffin starts leaking, Claire is able to turn to Andy to figure out what to do. Well, it turns out they managed to get the bullet that killed him, and Claire takes that to Jamie. By this point, Jamie and Ian have been to the brothel to see Madame Jeanine. Of course, she will know all the gossip, and it turns out that she also knows Percy Beauchamp. That is certainly interesting considering his connections in previous chapters.
Jamie and Ian want to go to France to investigate Percy. Meanwhile, Claire shares that Andy wants her to write a book about herbal medicine and first aid treatments. Jamie thinks it is a good idea, but he knows that Andy wants to get out of paying Jamie rent after using the printing press. Jamie makes it clear that printing the book is going to cost Andy a lot.
While Jamie and Ian are in France, Percy is in Edinburgh and talks to Claire. He shares that if Fergus is the son of the Comte, he stands to inherit a large fortune. That money could be used to help the American cause. Percy claims not to have a stake in politics, but is that really true? There is a link to a Spanish company that Fergus could hire, which would make Percy rich.
At the end, Claire asks Percy if he has children. He doesn’t think so. Why would she ask this? Is she trying to figure out if she’s a descendant of his line?
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. We get this hint that Claire could be connected to Percy. Or maybe she’s connected to the Comte through Fergus. Either way, there’s this hint that we may just find out who Claire’s ancestors are now that she’s in the past.
There’s also a moment when Jamie talks to Claire about going back to America. It’s clear they are heading back there, but things aren’t going to work out the way Claire thinks. She thinks they’ll head back to Fraser’s Ridge right away, and Jamie says they’ll need to stay in a city so that he can print. We know neither of those things happens. Claire ends up in a city, but not with Jamie for a while.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I do think we’ll see some of this chapter used. I’m not sure how much of the Percy part will be used in the TV series. Is there time for that? What I do think we’ll see is Jamie going for the printing press. I am curious about whether it’s going to be for him or for Fergus.
We haven’t seen any sign in Jamie that he wants to go back to printing. Of course, we don’t see that in the books either once he’s at Fraser’s Ridge. With the war, he could find a passion to get the materials out for the Americans. This could be what initially drives him and Claire to Scotland.
We know Scotland is coming up, but not the full context.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 74? Let us know in the comments below.
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