Outlander Book Club: Written in My Own Heart’s Blood Chapter 39 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts with Roger returning to the MacLarens after talking to McEwan. He asks about a croft nearby that has burned down, and it’s very clear that there is a story behind it.

Mr. MacLaren takes Roger outside to explain it all. A man and a woman once lived there, but nobody knew how they were related. The woman spoke strangely, with a Scottish accent but not quite right. Roger considers whether it was like she was out of time. It’s clear that Roger has his suspicions about the story.

Mr. MacLaren goes on to say that the woman would work with herbs and treat women at first. Then the man went away for a long time and the woman started getting more male visitors. Then suddenly, another woman walked in to find a man hanging from the house. The woman who lived there was gone.

A priest said that the house had to be burned to cleanse it. When Mr. MacLaren sees the scar on Roger’s neck, he believes that Roger is a ghost. That night, Roger and Buck are confined to a room with the rest of the MacLarens staying far away from them.

Roger has to explain things to Buck the next morning, but also wants to know what Buck felt when being healed. Buck doesn’t remember anything. As they’re about to go back, a group of people with six horses turn up. It’s clear that Buck and Roger are in trouble.