Outlander Season 8: Who is Amaranthus Grey in the Outlander books?

There are some new characters joining Outlander Season 8. One of them is Amaranthus Grey, who does turn up briefly at the end of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, but she plays a much bigger part in the Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone storyline.

Carla Woodcock will take on the role of the character. As you may realize, she has the surname Grey, which makes her related to Lord John Grey in some way. If you haven’t read the books yet, you may want the spoilers to find out how.

Let’s take a look at the book storyline to see what we may expect in Outlander Season 8.

How is Amaranthus Grey related to the Grey family in the Outlander books?

During Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, the Grey family learn that Hal’s son, Benjamin, has been killed in action. There are rumors that he married and had a child before being killed, so Lord John Grey and his niece, Dottie (Ben’s sister), head out to find Amaranthus.

Her maiden name is Cowden. She is potentially related to the Grey family through marriage. That is if all the rumors are true. Amaranthus claims that they are, and that her son, Trevor Wattiswade Grey, is Benjamin’s son.

Lord John wants to protect her. There is so much more to the story, though. Amaranthus doesn’t act like a grieving woman. Is it because she’s not actually married to Ben? It turns out that Ben isn’t actually dead. He’s a traitor, switching over to the side of the Americans in the Revolutionary War. For Amaranthus and Trevor’s sakes, it’s better for him to fake his death.

Amaranthus Grey has her eyes set on William in Outlander

We do get to see more of Amaranthus in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. William is infatuated by her throughout the book, and she certainly has her eyes set on him. It’s clear that Amaranthus is up to something much bigger.

There are a fair few theories about who she is and what she wants. Something in my gut tells me that she’s connected to Captain Richardson. It’s Richardson who comes to tell the Greys that Benjamin is dead after being held as a prisoner of war, which starts the hunt for Amaranthus. Yet Amaranthus knows that he’s not dead, and it seems Richardson should know this too.

By the end of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, William makes it clear that he wants to marry Amaranthus. With the presumed death of Ben and his change of name to Raphael Bleeker (and subsequent marriage to an unnamed Black woman), Amaranthus is potentially free to marry. Everyone can go with the fact that Ben is dead. This is sure to set up some big plot in the 10th book, so it will be interesting to see where Outlander Season 8 goes with this.