It’s clear that secrets threaten to come out in The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 39. This chapter is also about setting the path for what we know will come in Outlander.
This chapter is split in two parts. The first is with Lord John Grey and Lord Dunsany, as they discuss legal matters with children when they are born in wedlock. It’s an intriguing chapter that sets up Lord John Grey’s story.
In the second part of the chapter, we follow Jamie, who realizes that Betty knows a lot about him and Geneva. Could she unleash that secret?
Breaking down The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 39
The chapter starts with Lord John Grey and Lord Dunsany heading to the lawyer to draw up the paperwork for John being Willie’s guardian should something happen to Lord Dunsany. We quickly learn that Dunsany knows that Willie is not Lord Ellesmere’s child.
He doesn’t outright say that Willie is Jamie’s son, but we know that Willie looks a lot like Jamie. It’s a constant concern, especially the older that Willie gets. Dunsany talks about how children who are born in a marriage are considered the child of the two parents even if they’re not. This is something we know Jamie looked into as well, but it’s interesting that Dunsany paid attention to this.
Dunsany isn’t going to see his lawyer either. They’re seeing a different lawyer, making it clear that there is something that Dunsany wants to keep quiet. Lord John Grey hasn’t clicked in on anything just yet.
As for the second part of the chapter, it’s all about Jamie, Willie, Betty, and Isobel. There are others there, but these are the four more important people in the chapter. Willie is being on the bratty side. He’s a spoiled little boy. Of course he’s going to act bratty at times. Jamie can’t say or do anything, though, because he can’t let on that he is Jamie’s father.
What’s he’s shocked about is feeling that Willie is wearing a corset. He’s appalled at the way Willie is being raised, but again, he can’t say anything.
During all this, Betty and Jamie are able to talk. She makes it very clear that she knows about him and Geneva. As Jamie thinks about her being Quinn’s sister-in-law, he realizes that she likely knows a lot more about him. This now makes some of her comments about her being below his social station make sense. It’s not like Jamie has ever cared about that as long as he loves someone. He had no idea what Claire’s social station was when he feel for her.
Jamie also learns that Isobel is interested in Dunsany’s lawyer, Mr. Wilberforce. She flirts with him a lot, but the family isn’t happy with this marriage. Mr. Wilberforce spends too much time with his widowed clients, and there are comments of him being a kept man. He couldn’t be trusted if he was with Isobel. It’s clear where all this is leading to for us, but nobody in the moment can tell.
Willie goes missing in a fog that rolls in. Jamie gets everyone to hold hands and call for Willie. When he’s found, Jamie realizes just how much he loves the boy. I find this interesting. He’s always cared for Willie because he is Willie’s biological father, but it’s in this moment that he notes that it’s love.
Could this chapter be adapted for the TV series?
If The Scottish Prisoner was ever adapted, I would love to see this chapter. It connects so many dots during Voyager. I did always find it odd that John and Isobel ended up marrying. It didn’t quite make sense because not everything was fully explained. Well, now we get the explanation, and it all makes sense.
I would also love to see the start of John realizing the truth about Willie and Jamie. This is so important for later on, that we need to see how he works it all out. We also need to see that the family always knew, but they chose not to say anything. They also likely knew that Jamie never did force himself on Geneva knowing what she could be like.
I would also want to see that moment Jamie realize that he loves Willie. That can’t be mentioned, but we all know Sam Heughan can do an amazing job with his facial expressions.
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