Denzell Hunter saves Henry Grey’s life in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 86
William Ransom heads behind enemy lines in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 86. He needs Denzell Hunter’s help to save Henry Grey’s life.
This is a huge moment for William. John is worried, understandably. William isn’t just going behind enemy lines but is also doing it in full uniform. He’s making it clear that he doesn’t belong there, but he is bringing supplies and help for George Washington, which should help him get what he needs.
This is all about saving Henry Grey’s life. Who better than Dr. Denzell Hunter? I love that William is willing to trust Denny at this point, and I also love that Rachel heads to Henry to assist Denny. This leads to some questions about who William’s father really is, showing us just how observant Rachel is.
There is certainly foreshadowing in this chapter when it comes to William learning the truth. I think we also get foreshadowing of who Rachel will choose when it comes to a man to marry. There is also some foreshadowing in who will actually fully save Henry Grey’s life.
As for the adaptation, I do hope to see this chapter used. In fact, I think we will see it used in the series, and I’ll get to why that is in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 86.
Just the Outlander chapter
We start with William heading to the area the Continental Army holds. He needs to get Denny to perform surgery on Henry Grey. William knows that Denny can help, but he needs to get past enemy lines first. He does so by taking supplies to George Washington to offer some sort of truce for this moment.
It works. Denny and Rachel head to Henry Grey to perform the surgery. William is surprised to see Ian’s dog, Rollo, with Rachel. Meanwhile, Rachel has now seen Jamie and she can see the resemblance in William. This is a topic that comes up, although not with William.
Denny is able to extract one of the metal balls from Henry’s stomach. It’s not both of them, though, and that means Henry’s life is still in danger. John is impressed though. He’s all the more shocked to learn that Denny and Claire have been working together. It’s when Denny makes a poultice for Henry’s healing wounds that John realizes just how much Claire has taught him.
The chapter moves to Denny and Rachel. She wonders if William realizes that he has a striking resemblance to Jamie Fraser. She also wonders if Ian will return. Denny makes a remark that Ian will come back for Rollo, but we know it’s not just Rollo he wants to come back to America for.
It’s clear that Denny doesn’t approve of Rachel potentially marrying Ian. Ian is too violent, and Denny says that dogs may not be that much of a good judge of character. Rachel wonders if she should marry William then, but Denny doesn’t seem all that happy with that idea either.
At the end of the chapter, Dorothea turns up. It’s clear that Denny is the man Dorothea has taken a liking to. Dorothea is willing to leave her life behind for Denny. Rachel wonders if Ian would leave his life of violence behind for Rachel. Is that possible? She’s so torn between what she wants and what she feels she should want. She just hopes that God will show her the way, and he seems to do that with Rollo being so affectionate with Rachel.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
This chapter has a lot of foreshadowing in it. Henry Grey isn’t fully healed just yet. There is still another piece of metal that Denny couldn’t extract. The mention of Claire makes it clear that Claire is going to be the one to step in at the last minute. She’ll be able to do the impossible.
Then there’s the reveal of William. Rachel has figured it out just by seeing both Jamie and William. It’s only a matter of time that William will learn the truth. Too many people around him are starting to put all the pieces together.
Finally, we have Rachel and Ian. It’s very clear that they two love each other and they want to be together. They just need to find a way to make things work. I think we get this foreshadowing that they will both sacrifice a little of who they are for each other, as is the way of love and compromise.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I do expect to see some of this chapter used in the TV series. We need to see Denny’s skills as a hunter, and we need to see William go behind enemy lines. I think we also need to see Rachel with her dilemma about Ian. I want to be able to see Rachel and Ian’s love story from both of their sides and not just one. I think it has more of an impact this way.
It all depends on time, though. The most important part is going to be saving Henry Grey’s life. Everything else can be worked in through slightly different ways. It’s really only the surgery and John seeing that Denny and Claire have worked together that seems to be important, especially with Claire on her way back to America.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 86? Let us know in the comments below.
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