Outlander Book Club: The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 14 breakdown

Jamie Fraser heads out for a place to think in The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 14. Of course, Lord John Grey joins him.

This is a great chapter for Jamie as he works through his thoughts. He starts to think about what the Greys want, but he really focuses on what he wants after all this. All he wants is to be able to get back to William, and it’s such a homely and beautiful thought.

Jamie isn’t given much time to think, though. Lord John Grey interrupts his thoughts, and it leads to memories of the past.

Breaking down The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 14

The Grey household is a busy one, and Jamie hasn’t had a moment to think for himself. There is always someone looking to do something for him, so he goes out in search for a quiet spot to think. He calls this his fridstool, which is something that a nun at Helwater called a spot to think.

We get a reminder of the way Jamie is a gentleman. An elderly nun came to Helwater to recuperate, and one day, she was a little frail and nearly collapsed. Jamie carried her to her fridstool, but he didn’t really want to leave her behind. He made her promise that he would be able to accompany her back to make sure she got back okay.

Jamie eventually finds somewhere to think, and he realizes there that he needs to get back to William. Whatever happens in Ireland, his main fear is that he won’t see Willie again, and he will need to do whatever it takes to get back.

Of course, there are questions about what the Greys actually want. Why would they pull him into this? He starts to fear that Hal knows that Jamie killing Siverly would lead to Jamie getting into more trouble. Who would care about a Jacobite prisoner?

John interrupts Jamie’s thoughts, and as Jamie asks the questions he’s been thinking, John makes it clear that Jamie can really only trust him. Jamie has to take John at his word, and we know that this is the case for both men. They need to trust each other, despite knowing that each other could end up betraying them.

In the end, Jamie decides to take John at his word. It lightens the situation a little, and John can look forward to the trip to Ireland.

Could this chapter be used in a TV adaptation?

We’re getting into the bigger moments that connect to the plot. We need to see this play out. While I don’t suspect we’ll have the moment that involves the nun at Helwater, I fully expect to see the moment with John. We need to see as Jamie questions everything that the Greys want and the way Jamie just needs to trust John.

I could see the ending being the end of an episode for this adaptation. It would make sense to wrap things up with Jamie, John, and Hal enjoying dinner and laughing about Quarry’s poetry together. There’s a sense of lightness before the trip to Ireland; almost like a calm before a storm.

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