Many of the adventures have come to an end in The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 38. Jamie Fraser heads back to Helwater.
There’s a sense of peace for Jamie in this chapter. He is returning to his routine, and he is close to Willie again. There’s an important moment in this chapter that sees Jamie finally claiming Willie has his own son personally.
Meanwhile, Lord Dunsany has a request of Lord John Grey. It’s one we knew had to come, and now we see how the future stories fall into place.
Breaking down The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 38
With the court martial over, it’s time for Jamie to head back to Helwater. Lord John Grey is a little disappointed about this. It will mean that the two are no longer equals. The good thing to come from the mess in this book, though, is that John and Jamie are friends again. In fact, they’re much closer than they once were.
John would like to keep Jamie away from Helwater, but he decides that he can’t. He can’t begrudge Jamie a chance to be with Betty, fully believing Jamie’s lie about why he wants to go back to Helwater.
When Jamie gets back, he learns that the lead groom has died. Jamie is now going to take that place. So, Jamie gets ready for the life again, looking into his stash of personal belongings. We see the collection of stones that he has, with a different color to represent all the important people in his life, including one for the unborn child Claire had, who Jamie believes will be called Brian.
Jamie realizes that he needs a stone for Willie. It is time to recognize him as his son personally, and I think Abbott Michael really helped with this.
Meanwhile, Lord Dunsany is talking with Lord John Grey. Dunsany wants John to be the guardian for Willie after his death. This is a shock to John, but he accepts the position. It will mean he can come to Helwater more to see Willie and to spend time with Jamie. I think we can see where this is going, as we know John will marry Isobel. It makes sense to do that at this point in the story.
The end of the chapter brings a sense of peace for Jamie, but also brings him sharing the bad news with Betty about Quinn. He turns to a Welsh kitchen maid who is Protestant, asking her to pray for Quinn’s soul. He helps that the Protestant prays are more accepting than the Catholic ones, believing that Quinn is going to be damned for eternity. Jamie will continue to pray for Quinn, and I think this shows just how guilty Jamie feels about how it all played out.
Could this chapter be used in a TV series adaptation?
This is an important chapter as it puts Jamie back at Helwater and sets up the storyline for John to marry Isobel. So, if The Scottish Prisoner was adapted into a TV series, we would need to see this chapter. And I do think we’d need to see all of it. The best way to show that Jamie is at peace with routine is to give us a look at it as well as see him looking through his personal belongings. He is back where he is viewing somewhat as home for him, even if he is a prisoner.
There’s no way around not including the majority of the chapter. As so many other chapters have been so short, it’s not like there is the excuse of lack of time!
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