Claire and John share an intimate moment in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 95
As readers, we know that Jamie is still alive. Claire and John are grieving his death, though, in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 95.
This is the moment the two come together in a moment of grief. They are both drunk, and they are struggling to accept that Jamie is gone. They are all each other has in this moment, and they will use it.
However, there is another form of intimacy between the two of them at breakfast. They talk about John’s past with Isobel and who John is with now. We learn that John really never has anyone to be fully intimate and connected with. At least, not since Culloden, and that was when he was really just a boy.
The chapter itself certainly sets up some trouble. Does it foreshadow it or is it more just about plot development? I think there is foreshadowing of something involving Bree in this chapter, and I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.
I do expect to see this in the adaptation. I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section of this post.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 95.
Just the Outlander chapter
Claire is no longer thinking about suicide, but she is struggling to sleep in her grief. She is drinking a lot of plum brandy, and it brings me back to thoughts about the ether use in Outlander Season 6. Claire has turned to alcohol to cope. It’s not all that crazy to think that she’d turn to ether if it was easily available.
Focused on the chapter, though, John comes into Claire that night. He is also drunk, and the two end up sleeping with each other. They both admit the next morning that it wasn’t each other they were “making love” to. It was Jamie for both of them.
John uses this chance to tell Claire about the time Jamie offered himself to John. The reason John didn’t take Jamie up on it was because Jamie wouldn’t promise commitment. However, John was happy to get a friendship out of Jamie after that moment. He also tells Claire that he and Isobel weren’t intimate.
Instead, John has been sleeping with his cook, Manoke. Claire wonders if Manoke would hurt her out of jealousy, but John doesn’t really know how Manoke feels about him. They don’t talk that much, and John doesn’t seem to have ever had a lover he’s spoke to a lot in bed. Is that because John doesn’t feel that connected with anyone, or does he struggle to open up to people?
Claire doesn’t bring up Jamie, partly because she feels like her bedroom activities with him aren’t just for her to talk about. Instead, Claire wants to know if John believed Brianna about time travel. John doesn’t, but he will act as if he does for the sake of their marriage. It’s clear that John is willing to make the marriage work. He will do what he can to ensure that, but also to make Claire happy in it.
In the end, Claire is left wondering what life with John is going to be like. Well, there isn’t long with him.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is a little bit of foreshadowing when it comes to John mentioning the friendship with Jamie. That is about to come to an end, but it’s not just about the marriage. It’s the events of that night—and John thinking about Jamie while in bed with Claire. As violent and jealous as Jamie can be, I know deep down he would have liked that John acted to protect Claire from Richardson.
The other bit of foreshadowing I see is in the topic of Brianna. It’s clear that Bree is going to end up back in the past. Will this lead to John believing that she can time travel?
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I fully expect this chapter to be used in Outlander Season 7. It is everything when it comes to John and Jamie’s friendship after this. Jamie can’t get over what John did with Claire that night. Based on photos of filming that have been shared on social media, it certainly looks like the aftermath of this has been filmed, so we need this chapter to make it all make sense.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 95? Let us know in the comments below.
Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest from the Outlander Book Club and much more.