Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with William storming out of the house, leaving John perplexed at the whole situation. Why does Cinnamon think that John is his father? And how does John tell him the truth? John decides to pour some brandy and ask Cinnamon about his connection to William first.
This storytelling helps to calm Cinnamon’s nerves. It also gives John some time to decide whether Cinnamon should know the full truth. Just look at how William has reacted to learning the truth. However, John decides that this is different.
He explains that he isn’t Cinnamon’s biological father. He just left Cinnamon with the Catholic brothers. Cinnamon’s mother was half French and half Native American, and Cinnamon knows that. He realizes that his mother was part of the Assiniboine tribe.
What about his father, though? John explains that his father is Malcolm Stubbs, a man who lost his foot and part of his leg in Quebec. Malcolm now lives in England with his wife, and John is sure that the wife has no idea about Cinnamon. That’s okay; Cinnamon isn’t looking for any recognition or to destroy anyone’s life. He just wants to know more about his heritage.
This whole story is so important for what’s going on in the world today. There are so many Indigenous people who want to know more about their heritage. They were taken away from their parents, and now they want to get that connection back. John can at least give some of that to Cinnamon.
Something that Cinnamon realizes is that Malcolm wasn’t his benefactor. Lord John Grey was, and Cinnamon finds out that John named Cinnamon after himself. Well, John liked the baby, even if he wasn’t the baby’s father. It’s kind of sweet.