Can we trust Amaranthus in the Outlander books?

The Greys and William meet Amaranthus in the Outlander books. She does show up in Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, but she doesn’t really come into the story until the ninth book, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.

She has certainly told the story of her and Ben. Well, she’s told a story about her and Benjamin Grey. Now the question is whether we can trust anything Amaranthus has shared. How reliable is she of a narrator?

Before we jump into it, Diana Gabaldon has made it clear that we shouldn’t trust everything she has to say. Why is that? Well, let’s go into what Amaranthus could be playing at.

What does Amaranthus want in the Outlander books?

People tend to share what they want based on what they think they can gain. It’s clear that Amaranthus wants to gain something from the Greys, but it’s not yet clear what that something is.

We have learned that Amaranthus has lied about a few things. She knew that Ben wasn’t dead and yet pretended that he was. She claims that the lie was developed to avoid shame for Hal, but that still doesn’t make sense in the way that Amaranthus has acted around William.

When everyone thought she believed Ben was dead, she didn’t show any emotion or signs of grieving. She started immediately flirting with William, especially after she realized that he is an earl. She didn’t want him giving up his birthright, and instead encouraged him to pass it onto someone else. Her son came up in conversation.

It all hints that Amaranthus is after some sort of position of power. Either that, or she is working on causing trouble for the Grey family, which could be the case if she is connected to Captain Richardson’s storyline.

I’d say to trust Gabaldon about Amaranthus. She’s up to something and we can’t trust her.

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