We get another chapter where John and Jamie are in the scene together in The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 12. It’s time for Jamie to meet a few people.
Everyone seems to know about Jamie, and there are a lot of comments about his clothing. I love how Tom Byrd always notes people’s clothing and is so focused on making sure people look good, especially Lord John Grey or his company.
Jamie learns that he will need to meet with Stephan von Namtzen. Will he have to meet anyone else, or anyone who may have been connected to the Cause? Probably not. But you never know.
Breaking down The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 12
Tom Byrd is rather negative about Jamie Fraser. That’s probably not surprising considering everything that he knows. Jamie is able to hold his own, though, so when it comes to Tom showing Jamie and John suits he has for their trip to Ireland, Jamie decides to name drop. The “couleur puce” was something the Duc d’ Orleans wore in Paris. This is where the title of the chapter comes from. The color translates to “the color of the belly of a flea.” Interesting.
We also get a moment for Jamie to show that he knows more about Quarry than most would think. Jamie knows that Quarry is a poet, asking for a rhyming word for “virgin.” John realizes that he didn’t know Quarry wrote pornographic poetry.
Tom notes that Jamie’s shoes will need to do for the Beefsteak that night. Jamie will meet Namtzen to go over translations. Jamie decides to create a backstory just in case he runs into anyone from the Jacobite cause. He knows that Quinn is in town, so it’s not surprising he’s creating a backstory.
Jamie does end up running into Twelvetrees at the place, and Twelvetrees goes to complain to management that there’s a traitor in the area. Jamie also comes across Thomas Lally, who is assisting Namtzen. Jamie knows Lally from before the Rising, and the two converse in Gaelic. Jamie gets this moment of nostalgia, and I do feel for him.
Lally asks Jamie if he left anything out of the translation, to which Jamie admits to leaving out the references to the roses. Lally seems to leave that out too, and Jamie notes to John that Lally translated it to the best of his abilities. Why would Lally skip over that? It’s surely a sign of things to come.
It does seem odd that John would allow two prisoners to confer over the translation and allow them to speak in a language he doesn’t understand. John clearly wants to trust Jamie, but he should know that he can’t.
Could this chapter be used in a TV adaptation?
This chapter would need to be used if The Scottish Prisoner was adapted. After all, it is plot heavy with the translation of the poem. We need to see that Jamie and Lally know each other, and we need to see that they both cover up the part of the roses. It’s a sign that Lally, especially, is still connected to the cause.
I would also like to see Tom’s reaction to Jamie’s clothing and the discussion about the suit color. This is just such a lighter moment to the rest of the story, and we need these types of moments. They show personality and add to the humor. There should be enough time for this considering it connects to the larger plot.
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