Claire and Lord John Grey attend a party in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 98
Life has to continue for Claire and Lord John Grey in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 98. It’s time for a party, but Claire doesn’t want to be there.
We’ve never really seen Claire all that happy about dressing up and going to a ball. As the wife of a lord, she will have to do that more, but it’s clear she’s not really changing her preferences when it comes to dress and hair.
There are a few things that stand out in this chapter, with Claire telling Lord John Grey how the war is going to turn out being one of them. However, meeting Major André is another. This is another figure from real history, and things don’t work out for him.
I don’t really feel like this chapter foreshadows all that much, though. There’s not really all that much in the way of plot development, either. We’re focused on life throughout it.
Will it be used in the TV series? This is hard to call, and 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 98.
Just the Outlander chapter
We start the chapter with Claire and Lord John Grey already at the ball. Claire doesn’t really want to be here, but she has to be. She is John’s wife now, after all. She’s even called Lady John by one of John’s colleagues.
Claire does have some fun telling John just how history is going to play out. She makes it clear that the British Army will lose in three years, although she can’t tell John what happens to him exactly. John doesn’t want to believe that. Of course, he doesn’t. Why would he as a member of the British Army? He’s going to want to think that the British will win, just like they did in the two Jacobite rebellions.
When Claire goes off, she wonders about stealing some of the diamonds. However, soldiers are watching, and Claire notes that John gave her diamond earrings anyway. I get a sense that Claire is considering going back through the stones at this point.
She also thinks about listening in to conversations. She is still working as a spy, even though she knows that Captain Richardson is keeping an eye out for her. The spy thing comes up in even more earnestness. She finds out that Major John André is there. This is a man who is later hanged for espionage, and Claire can’t help but think of his fate the whole time he’s talking to her.
There is something from the chapter that I want to mention. Claire thinks back to the balls in Versailles during this, and she thinks of the last time she was separated from Jamie. I don’t think this is the only thought of Paris, though. She thinks about how she wishes William wouldn’t call her “Mother Claire,” feeling like a nun. This reminds me of Mother Hildegard, connecting back to Paris.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
I don’t sense all that much in the way of foreshadowing or plot development in this chapter. I guess the main bit of foreshadowing could be in that William is dressed as a Templar knight at the party. There are rumors that the knights ran off and became the first masons. Is this a hint of what’s to come of William in the story? Will he follow in Jamie’s footsteps or is it just a connection to Jamie?
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
It’s hard to say if this chapter will be used in the TV series. We do tend to get at least one lavish event per season, so I could see this being the one. It also helps to develop William’s story a little more as she continues to connect with Claire.
However, there isn’t anything major that happens in the chapter. We’re just really biding our time for Jamie to turn up and find out what happened while he was gone.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 98? Let us know in the comments below.
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