We head back to London to get caught up on Hal’s storyline in A Fugitive Green chapter 17. He needs to find Minnie.
We’re caught up with some good news for his career, which we knew would happen. After all, we know that Hal serves in the British Army during the Battle of Culloden, and that he’s still in the military later on in the Outlander books.
This chapter is more of a look at how it all happens, and why Hal ends up wanting to find Minnie. He knows that she had something to do with his success, but also knows that she did it in a way that wouldn’t hurt him.
Breaking down A Fugitive Green chapter 17
We start with Hal and Harry celebrating. Hal has just seen the Secretary of War, Yonge, to get a certificate of commission. This is great news considering everything that had recently happened, as Hal was sure that it would go the opposite way.
While they head to the Beefsteak to enjoy a meal, Hal can’t help but think of Minnie. He doesn’t even know that that is her name at this point, and he can’t help but think of her, especially as he is offered some eel pie. That’s what Minnie had said she wanted to eat the night of the ball before slipping out of the back of the place she went to.
Harry is suspicious as Hal mentions Minnie in the study, and Hal knows that he’s told Harry about the night — well, at least about Minnie being in the desk drawer. Harry tries to play coy, but he has to confess that he hired Minnie to find out information to help Hal, but he didn’t tell her to steal the letters.
Hal believes Harry, because it is true, and Hal then realizes that Minnie wasn’t there to steal the letters. She’d already got them and likely read them, but there’s no way that she dropped them off to the Secretary or War. If he had read anything, he would have been shocked at Hal and not apologetic for his loss. So, Minnie must have found another witness. At least, that’s what he thinks.
To end the chapter, Hal decides that he needs to find Minnie.
Could this chapter be used in a TV adaptation?
There is no doubt that in an adaptation of A Fugitive Green that we would need this chapter. It gives us that push for Hal and Minnie to end up together in the way that we know them to be in the Outlander books.
I think we would need to see Hal go to see Yonge, though, rather than that being off the screen. It’s much better when we’re shown it, especially since Yonge offers his sincere condolences. I also think we would need to see something with Reginald Twelvetrees, since he backs off from everything he was pushing for, suggesting that he knows he’s lost. Maybe we could even see Yonge get the poem that Minnie made sure was delivered to him.
Then we could see Hal piece little parts together for himself, as he decides that he needs to find Minnie and be with her.
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