Outlander Book Club: Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade Chapter 9 breakdown

Lord John continues to search for some answers about his father in Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade Chapter 9. People continually tell him to leave things alone.

The chapter is split into three sections with distinct conversations in all. The first two chapters connect to the overall story, and it’s clear that everything is going to connect at some point. The last chapter is focused on wedding fitting.

This chapter did take me a couple of read-throughs to really gather my thoughts. I still feel like I’m missing something.

Breaking down Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade Chapter 9

The chapter starts with John and Hal together in Hal’s regiment office. There is focus on the gossip of the Adams-Bates-Ffoulkes scandal. It turns out that this is much bigger than it initially seems, and the O’Higgins brothers, who we met trying to rob John, seem to be involved.

Bates and Otway, along with a lawyer called Jeffords, were arrested on charges related to sodomy. We learn that these charges aren’t exactly treason, which leaves us feeling a little better about John’s fate should he ever be found out. However, Hal notes that the charges are a coverup for the First Secretary of the Ministry of Ordnance.

It turns out that Secretary Adams was tricked by Bates and robbed by Otway and Jeffords. The money stolen, which amounts to around £15,000 was sent to France via Ffoulkes. This money was stolen from the Crown, and Adams was almost assassinated.

There is a connection to the O’Higgins brothers through an Indian fortune-teller automaton in Hal’s office. They either stole it or won it dicing, and now it sits in Hal’s office.

Hal goes on to tell John that John’s regiment is being moved to Prussia instead of France. This is under the orders of Nathaiel Twelvetrees’s older brother, and it’s clearthat there is something more to it.

Sure enough, the next conversation brings that up. Harry Quarry explains that Hal and Nathaniel dualed. Nathaniel died from sepsis from his injury, and now the family is looking for ways to honor the man’s death. Of course, they blame Hal.

This dual happened to be linked to the bet made about whether Gerald Grey is a Jacobite traitor or not. Harry wants John to leave the discussion of Gerald and the journal page turning up alone, but John is not going to do that.

When he gets back home, there are a few people around getting fitted for clothes for the upcoming wedding. Percy is partially undressed, but John manages to make it a little lighter. There is definitely a sexual charge between the two men as they enjoy some flirting. John would like to arrange a meeting with Percy later, but Percy declines.

Could the chapter be used in a TV series?

There is a lot going on in this chapter, but not a lot at the same time. It would be easy to fit in the important conversations should there ever by a Lord John Grey series.

We would need to see Hal and John’s conversation. Not only does this explain the scandal, but it gives us more time with the two brothers together. Considering the way things develop for the two of them, we need to see it all play out on the screen.

We would also need to see Harry’s conversation with John. It’s important to continue to grow this bond, while also getting to find out that Harry and Hal know each other from before being in the same regiment. We would also need the warning for John to stay away from looking into his dad’s death. It’s clear there is something more going on here.

I also see the part with the wedding clothes fitting being included. This offers more of John and Percy’s relationship development. We know what that leads to in Outlander. Even if Outlander doesn’t include much of them together, this relationship at this point in John’s life is still important.