Outlander Book Club: Written in My Own Heart’s Blood Chapter 80 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts with William, who is confused and in and out of consciousness. He was hit hard over the head, and it’s clear that he has a concussion. He can hear Ian, but he can also hear British soldiers. Ian has been captured, but William can’t do anything to help any sort of situation.

Meanwhile, John has also been “captured” by the British Army. He surrendered himself and nobody seems to want to hear that he is actually a member of the British Army. He needs to find a way to get someone to listen to him, but a young lieutenant and zealous private aren’t interested. In fact, the private hits John with the butt of his musket, potentially breaking John’s arm.

Ian has definitely been captured. He’s put in the same place as John, and John wakes to hear Ian praying in Latin, something that took a while for the British to allow. Ian prays The Lord’s Prayer and it’s a chance to communicate with John. The two will need to work together to get out of this situation, and John isn’t exactly going to let something happen to Jamie’s nephew.

Ian tells the guards John’s real identity. John is able to write a letter, but it takes some time for the private to agree to deliver it. John admits to Ian that he now owes Ian a debt. Ian is just grateful the whole thing worked.

Back with William, we find out that he’s now with Hal, who wants to make sure that William is okay after the hit to the head. When William can tell Hal a tune, Hal notes of a man he once met who couldn’t hear any song now after being hit over the head with an ax. We know that’s Jamie. William doesn’t, but the topic of Jamie comes up anyway.

Hal wants to know where William’s “father” is. Hal means John, not realizing who Jamie is. William is done pretending to be the son of an earl with everything that’s happened, so he asks “which one.” Hal figured things out about three seconds earlier, but now has confirmation that Jamie is William’s real father.

Hal agrees that Jamie is a traitor, but he also tells William some of the good things about Jamie, including him being a damn good swordsman. It’s not really something that William wants to hear. Hal decides that William needs to rest, and he needs to find John. One thing Hal says before leaving William is that William is still his nephew, and I adore that.