While being held up for gemstones by Donner; his crew finds a bar of gold in Mrs. Bug’s sewing basket. Jamie immediately recognizes it as the Frenchman’s Gold. Jamie is outraged and asks Arch Bug where it came from. Arch tells him it is not his concern but Jamie disagrees. They don’t have much time to discuss it because Donner accidentally blows up the Big House.
While fleeing from Scotland after Culloden, Hector and Jocasta Cameron appear to be in the custody of a trunk of the Frenchmen’s Gold. Jocasta seems surprised by it’s presence and it is believe Hector uses this gold to finance River Run after they come to the Colonies.
If Hector and Jocasta took a trunk of the French gold to the Colonies after Culloden then what was the trunk on the Selkie Island? Is there more than one trunk of gold?
Needing funds to pay Laoghaire her alimony, Jamie decides to take stones from the Selkie Island treasure (The Frenchman’s Gold). He can’t swim out there with an injured arm (Laoghaire shot him) so Young Ian is recruited.
At the shore, Jamie and Claire watch as Young Ian swims out to the island and then watch as a ship approaches and men capture Young Ian and take him aboard. The two look on helplessly as Young Ian is kidnapped.
Obviously someone knows about the treasure and they took Young Ian. Who is after the Frenchman’s Gold?
The English have discovered Duncan Kerr who is babbling about curse gold and white witches. Jamie translates for Major Grey but doesn’t give him all the information. Grey believes it could be the Frenchman’s Gold which was promised to Charles Stuart.
Jamie then disappears from a work crew and when found tells John all he found was a jewel but John doesn’t believe him until Jamie gives him the jewel.
In an attempt to change history by stopping the Jacobite Rising, Jamie and Claire manage to thwart Charles Stuart’s attempts to raise funds for the Jacobite Rising by preventing a shipment which would reap funds for the Stuarts.
However, money is then promised elsewhere. Is it possible to change something with so many moving parts?
Jamie and Claire enlist the help of Mother Hildegarde to help them decode a message:
“I have successfully concluded negotiations with our three partners, all of whom are willing to contribute to our cause. I can guarantee the ant of £40,000 will be made available to you. I will be back in Paris at the month’s end, and am eager to finally meet you face-to-face to solidify our arrangement. S”
This is the Frenchman’s Gold promised to Charles Stuart?