Bree is taken aback by that last statement of Laoghaire's and she has the thought that of course, Jamie would have remarried seeing that he and her mother had been parted for so long. She's reeling now and so worried about her mom and what happened when she went back. Young Jamie sees she probably wants to sit and takes her to the parlor where she meets some one else....

It was the tall man who calmed the racket and brought everyone to order, extracting from the confused muddle of voices an explanation of her presence.
"Jamie's daughter?" He glanced at her with interest, but looked much less surprised than anyone else so far. "What's your name, a leannan?"
"Brianna," She was too upset to smile at him, but he didn't seem to mind.
"Brianna." He eased himself down on a hassock, motioning her to a seat opposite and she saw that he had a wooden leg that protruded stiffly to one side. He took her hand and smiled at her, the warm light in his soft brown eyes making her feel momentarily safer.
"I'm your uncle, Ian, lass. Welcome to ye." Her own hand tightened on his involuntarily, clinging to the refuge he seemed to offer. He didn't flinch or draw back, just looked her over carefully, seeming amused by the way she was dressed.
"Been sleeping in the heather, have ye?" he said, seeing the dirt and plant stains on her clothes. "You'll have come some way to find us, niece."
"She says she's your niece," Laoghaire said. Recovered from her shock, she peered over Ian's shoulder, her round face pinched with dislike. "Belike she's only come to see what she can get."
"I shouldna be callin' the kettle black, Laoghaire," Ian said mildly. He twisted round to face her. "Or was it not you and Hobart a half-hour past, tryin' to squeeze five hundred pounds from me?"
Her lips pressed tight together, deepening the lines that bracketed her mouth.
"That money's mine," she snapped, "and well ye know it! It was agreed to; you witnessed the paper."
Ian sighed; evidently this wasn't the first he had heard of the matter today.
"I did," he said patiently. "And ye'll have your money--so soon as Jamie's able to send it. He's promised, and he's an honorable man. But--"
"Honorable, is it?" Laoghaire produced an unladylike snort. "Is it honorable to commit bigamy, then? Desert his wife and children? Steal away my daughter and ruin her? Honorable!" She looked at Brianna, eyes bright and hard as fresh rolled steel.
"I'll ask again, lass--what's your mother's name?"
Brianna simply stared at her, overwhelmed. The stock around her throat was choking her, and her hands felt icy, despite Ian's grasp.
"Your mother," Laoghaire repeated, impatient. "Who was she?"
"It doesna matter who--" Jenny began, but Laoghaire rounded on her, face flushed with fury.
"Oh, it matters! If he got her on some army whore, or some slut of a maidservant when he was in England--that's one thing. But if she's--"
"Laoghaire!"
"Sister!"
"Ye foul-tongued besom!"
Brianna put a stop to the outcry simply by standing up. She was as tall as any man, and towered over the women. Laoghaire took one quick step back. Every face in the room was turned to her, marked with hostility, sympathy, or merely curiosity.
With a coolness that she didn't feel, Brianna reached for the inner pocket of her coat, the secret pocket she had sewed into the seam only a week before. It seemed like a century.
"My mother's name is Claire," she said, and dropped the necklace on the table.
There was utter silence in the room, save for the soft hissing of the peat fire, burning low on the hearth. The pearl necklace lay gleaming, the spring sun from the window picking out the gold pierced-worked roundels like sparks.
It was Jenny who spoke first. Moving like a sleepwalker, she reached out a slender finger and touched one of the pearl. Fresh water pearls, the kind called baroque because of their singular, irregular, unmistakable shapes.
"Oh, my," Jenny said softly. She lifted her head and looked Brianna in the face, the slanted blue eyes shimmering with what looked like tears. "I am so very glad to see ye--Niece."

 

Of course, they were Ellen's pearls, the pearls Jamie gave Claire on their wedding night and that we saw Claire give Brianna before she left to go back in time. They go on and on for several pages more. Accusations are flying even going back to Claire being a witch and stealing Jamie (better than on the show though, but this is way too long already, lol) Brianna finds her voice and lets ole Leg Hair have it. Finally things wind down and Leoghaire and Hobart go to leave but she has to have the last word.....

"If you're Jamie Fraser's daughter," Laoghaire said, in a cold clear voice, "and ye may be, given your looks--know this. Your father is a liar and a whoremaster, a cheat and a pander. I wish ye well of each other." She gave in then to Hobart's tugging at her sleeve, and the door swung to behind her.
The rage that had filled her drained suddenly away, and Brianna leaned forward, resting her weight on the palms of her hands, the necklace hard and lumpy under her hand. Her hair had come loose, and a thick strand fell over her face
Her eyes were closed against the dizziness that threatened to engulf her; she felt, rather than saw, the hand that touched her and tenderly smoothed the locks back from her face.
"He went on loving her," she whispered, as much to herself as to anyone else. "He didn't forget her."
"Of course he didna forget her." She opened her eyes to see Ian's long face and kind brown eyes six inches away. A broad work-worn hand rested on hers, warm and hard, a hand even larger than her own.
"Neither did we," he said.

In the book she spends those few days before sailing to America getting to know her relatives and the history of the family. It's a really nice read. Makes you want to go awwww....lol

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all Outlander fans!
I traditionally post a video of Anuna (or another group) singing Gaudete, one of the author's favorite holiday songs.

 

Merry Christmas


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The question of whether the show would follow Brianna’s story line from the book has been answered . I’m on pins and needles about Roger now.


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Oh yes, saw it today and the only question I have about it is the way they parted. Yes, they argued in the book but Roger set off to steal the gems back that Bonnet took from Jamie and Claire on their way to Aunt Jo's. No mention made of that so I'm wondering how or even if they'll go that route. Maybe the gemstones won't come into play again but golly Miss Molly, they need stones to travel safely. The only thing now perhaps is if

We all know Roger isn't leaving after all that. Cooler heads will prevail and he'll make his way to the Ridge and his fate. It's gonna be good even if we only get the bare outline of the book narrative

.As far as Bree goes, I'm rather glad we didn't get a close up view of the assault cause it was rather graphic in the book and we didn't need to see that. Listening to it was bad enough. Especially since his card playing, pirate cronies were ignoring it like it was an everyday occurrence which it probably was. Bonnet always pays for his pleasures and he would have told any constable that they had an agreement. I'm glad they didn't use Bonnets language from the book either. We didn't need to hear about Leroy but what he said to Bree in the aftermath would have really got the viewers to hate him if they don't already; "Not bad, sweetheart, though I've had livelier rides. Move your arse more next time, hm?" Aargh........

 

A few of us who have read the books were trying to explain to the ones raising hell about the rape on Facebook that they did in fact tone it down. They are up in arms about it and don’t want to hear it.

It was difficult to watch/hear. I guess having read the books we knew to expect it so it didn’t take us off guard. Sophie has done a good job with Brianna’s character IMO.


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Oh for heavens sake, what is wrong with those people? They do understand that this is adapted from a book that was written years ago. No one just thought this up as they were writing the script for this episode. They need to look at what Bonnet's character has done so far. Are they really shocked he would force Brianna to have sex with him in exchange for the ring?

What I take away from this whole incident is is Bonnet doesn't see himself as a rapist. He feels he paid for what was fair exchange. That's how whacked he is but it's also the 18th century. Most well bred, proper women would not be traveling alone with another woman without a male escort. Not only was she alone, but she went into the room with him willingly, although Bree's expectations were that she was going to purchase the ring. Well, he didn't want money and he wasn't going to take no for an answer for what he did want for it. He hit her because she was fighting him. Notice he made sure she took that ring before she left to bolster his self view that it was just a business arrangement.

Then too, Bonnet's a user and for a man like him, what good are women if you can't use them for sex? Again, welcome to the past where women had very few rights and lived under a strict code of conduct, the weaker sex. It's taken a couple of centuries for attitudes to change and we're still going through the process as evidenced by all the sexual assault cases that we've seen lately. If anyone should get mad, they should get mad that we're still dealing with this shit.

 

S04E8 Wilmington

This episode deals with what's happening not only with Jamie and Claire at this point in time, but with Roger and Bree as well, now that both couples are in America. Let's start with the young'uns.

Roger has been searching in vain for his girlfriend, using the pic that the artist drew of them at the Scottish Fair a life time ago.
He's getting discouraged cause like no one has seen her when....can it be? yes! He hears her voice in the next room and lo and behold it's her!! They're both happy and a bit angry to see each other. They decide to take their little discussion outside while Lizzie watches the action from inside the inn. She can't hear what they're saying but it looks like Bree is being forced to go with him although in truth that's not the case, but it will become relevant later on.

They end up in an abandoned building, I'm not sure what exactly it is or why no one is coming and going to it but whatever. They continue their discussion and we have an airing of the grievances. He because she didn't tell him about this little adventure to which she replies she didn't cause she knew he would try and stop her. Damn straight! Being a historian he knows how dangerous it is for women to be traveling alone in this time period. In the books, and I don't think they brought it out on the show, Bree also had this reason for having kept Roger in the dark (from the Drums of Autumn)

"Why?" she sobbed. "Why did you have to follow me? Didn't you realize? Now what are we going to do!"
"Do? Do about what?" He couldn't tell whether she was crying from anger or fear---both he thought.
She stared up at him through strands of tangled hair.
"Getting back! You have to have somebody to go to--somebody you care for. You're the only person I love at that end--or you were! How am I going to get back, if your'e here? And how will you get back, if I'm here?"

At any rate on both the show and in the books it comes out that they love each other. Roger is still interested in marriage so they do a handfasting ceremony which was a custom in the Scottish Highlands that allows a couple to marry themselves for a year and a day until a priest comes around that can perform the rites via the church. It's considered binding and Bree is all in. They consummate their new marriage and seem happy enough until they have this argument about the obituary. It comes out that Roger knew about it and Bree can't believe he didn't tell her. He ends up saying she's acting like a child (which I heartily concur with but that's just me) and they part once again. She to go find her folks and he to go back in time, I guess, but we'll see.

Distraught, Bree returns to the inn to find Bonnet playing cards with his pirate cronies and he grabs hold of her and wants her to hold something for him for luck. Turns out it's the ring that he stole from Claire. Bree recognizes it and wants to buy it back from him. He tells her he doesn't haggle in public and they should go in a back room. When they get there he changes his tune. He doesn't want money he tells her cause he has plenty of that but maybe she can earn it. WTF? Bree recognizes this is going south and tries to get away but he hits her and then rapes her. She's yelling and you can hear her plainly outside of the room but no one makes a move to help her. They act as if it's only another day playing cards. Afterwards, she musters what dignity she can and returns to her room.

Interestingly, Jamie and Claire are also in town. They're visiting Fergus and Marsali who have had their baby, a little boy named Germaine (pronouned in the French way...unlike the way I had been saying it in my head all these years, lol)
They've also been invited to take in a play by Gov. Tyron later in the evening. While there they meet several people including a man (Fanning) who seems to be suffering with some sort of abdominal problem and is in pain. Of course Claire offers to help but he reassures her that he is being treated by his doctor. The look on Claire's faces says, "Not well, I can see" but she backs off. She also gets to meet George Washington and his wife Martha and she's all fan girling about that! So cute!

While talking to the Gov. Jamie discovers that he's set a trap for the regulators who through a spy in their midst, has informed him that they'll be robbing a coach carrying tax money. However, the coach will have armed soldiers in it instead and they hope to capture the regulators. He also reveals that they're aware that the leader is Murtaugh Fitzgibbons. Yikes! Jamie has to think fast....which fortunately is his forte. In order to create a diversion he gives ole Fanning (who's sitting next to him in the theater) an elbow to his gut. While the man creates all sort of a ruckus due to the pain, Claire.... did someone cry , "Is there a doctor in the house?" lol, comes to the rescue and rushes to the man's aid.In the confusion Jamie asks Claire to give him as much time as she can while he slips out to get a message to Murtaugh. She performs surgery to fix what turns out to be an inguinal hernia (John Quincey Meyer's hernia in the book) on a table while the theater crowd looks on in horror and fascination. Sucessfully, Jamie gets a message to Fergus who warns Murtaugh. They call off the robbery in the nick of time, so they escape capture. Later when Tyron finds out they missed the opportunity to get those pesky regulators, he figures that someone must have warned them off. The only ones who knew about the plan were in the theater so who left early.? Coincidentally George and Martha took the opportunity to leave cause the play was a snooze but now suspicion is turned in George's direction....Jamie going along with it,lol.Tyron concludes that you can never trust a Virgianian.,

 

Images from episode 8- Wilmington

 

THANKS, Purriwinkle! I learn so much from your reviews!

As a non-reader, I was horrified by the rape, but I though it was absolutely true to the times. I was so sad for her. OMG I hope Jaimie kills him. KILL HIM, KILL HIM. (Don't tell me. lol)

I didn't know the pronunciation of Germaine even after I brought my two years of high school French to bear, so I googled to hear it. I guessed the G, as in my French class name, Gigi, but that was as far as I could get. I don't remember baby Germaine on the show.

I did NOT know you had to have someone you loved on the other side to draw you back through the stones. I forget what else I didn't know, but there were lots of eyeopeners, and I thank you.

Oh, I didn't even know the Scottish for breeches, but at least I could guess that one. lol I love all of the Gaelic that gets slipped in, including the endearment for Brianna. Loved all of the relatives meeting her. And Hairy Legs--LOL

 

It is rather entertaining isn't it. I love Gabaldon's books, long though they may be, which is ok cause you don't want them to end.

Unfortunately, Mr. Bonnet is with us for some time, off and on but eventually he gets his just deserts as they say, but I won't spoil it for you.

As for having someone on the other side that you care about, let's say it's not an absolute. What I've gathered from reading the books is that it serves more or less as a GPS to get you back more precisely to the time you want to be in as time travel can be tricky and you could over or under shoot the year in which you want to end up I don't think Brianna is aware of that yet. She only knows what Claire told her and mom must have said that she was thinking of Frank when Jamie sent her back. In the books, Gellis told Claire that she went back in time a little further than she wanted to and in the case of the man who's skull Claire found with the amalgam fillings she'll find out that he didn't go back far enough for what he was intending to do, although that comes out much later.

Here's an interesting thing in the books and so far it's been mentioned on the show, but not elaborated on. Jamie has a particular talent. He can't physically pass through the stones but he can do astral projection. Do you remember in the first season, Frank came home to find a man dressed in Highland garb staring up through a window at Claire brushing her hair? The man disappeared and when Claire did too, he thought the man might have abducted her. Turns out it was Jamie. Much later in the books he tells Claire he saw her once in a dream, brushing her hair by a strange light (he had never seen electric lights). He also told Claire, in Blood of my Blood, that he dreamed of Brianna. He asked his wife if she had a diamond shaped birth mark behind her ear which Claire confirmed although she had never told him about it. Jamie said he kissed his daughter there. This ability of his to travel to different times while in a dream comes up once again much later in the books although even then the author doesn't really dwell on it. I just think that's an interesting thing. Being these books/show are partly romantic fiction and all, it makes me wonder if Jamie randomly came upon Claire that night and when she went through the stones, he somehow metaphysically drew her to him. I always think of that old Disney song, " A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" lol. so it was their destiny to be together. *sigh* lol. Yeah, I like my share of sap...

 

Astral projection! I didn't make the leap. Fascinating that you can over- and undershoot the time. I never thought about it, but it makes sense that what you are thinking about governs where you go. I guess the first time Claire went through, she had been hearing the history of those times so that was what was on her mind. Cool!

 

It's roughly two hundred years but that's a general leap. It can be more or less. As for the astral projection, that's my theory cause what the hell else is he doing if not that? I don't know if other readers have come to the same conclusion but it sounds like it to me.

 

That's EXACTLY what it sounds like. It's just been years since I thought of astral projection.

 

S04E09 The Birds and the Bees

We pick up where we left off last week. Bree has returned to her room. She's very shaken as she would be. As she undresses we can see that Bonnet bashed her up pretty good. Besides her bloody nose, she has contusions on her back and there's blood on her undergarment from between her legs. She wan't a virgin but considering Bonnet thought she was, can you imagine the sheer terror and trama he would have inflicted on a totally inexperienced and intact woman? As it was the violence speaks for itself and IMO that guy needs to be fixed....like the dog he is. Lizzie surmises what has happened but of course not who it happened with. She only saw what looked like an argument with Roger through the window and Bree refuses to discuss the attack with her. If only she had....

The next morning Roger arrives at the tavern but understandably Bree is sleeping in. Like any new husband who really loves his wife he's come to apologize profusely, and throw himself on her mercy (lol) regretting his harsh words. He never gets a chance cause that a-hole Bonnet is still there rounding up his crew to continue on to Philadelphia. Roger tells him that he was only planning to go as far as Wilmington, to which Bonnet replies...*buzzer sound* WRONG ANSWER. He explains that when he took him on that Wilmington was only one of the stops and he expects Roger to remain with his crew until the end of the voyage. After that he can go where he pleases. If he refuses, Bonnet tells him he has men in town who will take it out on his hide....will it be the lass or a limb he asks Roger. Roger leaves with the captain.

When Bree finally gets up, she realizes that she was an idiot by sending Roger away because she loves him and that she really wants him to stay. The bar keep tells her that Roger was there to see her but has left with Bonnet. She runs to the docks but the Glorianna has long left. Along comes Lizzie with some local gossip. Turns out everyone is talking about the surgery Claire performed at the theater the night before and Bree realizes her parents are in town! Asking after a tall red headed Scot she finds Jamie taking a whiz in an alley of all places. When he turns around he asks her what she wants. You, she replies.
Mistaking her for a 'hoor he tells her he's married. When she puts her hand up to him he asks if she has a message for him. "I'm your daughter, Brianna" she tells him. Talk about Gobsmacked. "Can't you tell?" "I can", he replies tears in his eyes, it's only that he's always thought of her as a wee bairn. They embrace and he can't wait to take her to see Claire, who also can't believe her eyes. It's heartwarming and they all go off to the ridge. On the way, Bree tells them why she came, to warn them about the fire and shows them the obituary. They're not overly concerned, concentrating more on the joy of having their daughter with them.

She meets her cousin Ian, and later Murtaugh who is laying low up at the Ridge till the ruckus dies down. Weeks go by as she settles in to pioneer life. She makes an effort to fit in but Claire can see that something is wrong. Since she's told her mother about being handfasted to Roger and that they fought and she thinks he went back home through the stones, they think she's just missing him. Bree finally tells her mother about the rape but doesn't really fill in the details. She also tells mom she's pregnant and can't be sure who the father is as the time period between being with both men was very close. She tends to think the baby isn't Roger's cause they tried to be responsible by having Roger pull out. Bonnet wasn't as thoughtful. In the book Claire puts it this way to Bree, from the Drums of Autumn:

"I thought at first I could just pretend it didn't happen." She took a deep breath, and looked at me. Her hands folded over her stomach, as though to hide it. "But I guess that won't work, will it?"
I was silent for a moment, thinking. It was no time for delicacy.
"When?" I said, "How long after...um, after Roger?"
"Two days."
My eyebrows lifted at that.
"Why are you so sure it isn't Roger's then? You weren't using pills, obviously, and I'll bet my life Roger didn't use what passes for condoms in these times."
She half smiled at that, and a small flush rose in her cheeks
"No. He ...um...he...ah..."
"Oh, coitus interruptus?"
She nodded.
I took a deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips.
"There is a word," I said, "for people who depend on that particular method of birth control."
"What's that?" she asked, looking wary.
"Parents," I said.

Well, readers know the paternity issue won't be settled for some years to come but what's important is what will happen next. While out hunting with her father, Jamie tells his daughter that he is grateful to Frank for having raised her, a girl who was not his blood but loved her for her mother's sake never being able to see himself in her. Obviously, the question is what kind of man will Roger be if he is ever reunited with Bree. Will he be like Frank especially if there's a question of paternity? Surely Brianna must be wondering.

While Claire is gathering clothes to do the laundry, her Lallybroch ring falls out of Bree's pocket and it dawns on her who the rapist was. She confronts her daughter who confirms it was Bonnet, but she tells Claire she didn't say anything because she knew how guilty Jamie already felt over having helped Bonnet and being repaid by the robbery. She didn't want Jamie going after him because, "You know what kind of man he is." She wants her mother to promise she won't say anything.

Roger finally gets done with sea duty and is in line to get his pay. He sees a few gems on the table and asks Bonnet if he can have a couple in lieu of cash. He gets them and takes off to find his wife.
He makes it to Frasers Ridge but unfortunately, Lizzie sees him first and recognizes him as the guy back in Wilmington who she thinks raped Bree. She tells Jamie who furiously takes off to intercept him. Roger barely gets out, Is this Fraser's Ridge before Jamie is beating him silly. Ian stops him from killing Roger but Jamie tells his nephew to get the man "out of my sight". Ian is left to decide what to do with an unconscious Roger who is thrown over a horse and led away.

 

Images from episode 9 The Birds and the Bees

 

A few more epi 9 pics while we're waiting for episode 10..