Jamie’s days and nights are dominated by political machinations, while Claire finds solace in her healing skills. As their plan to stop Culloden progresses, the past threatens to derail their forward momentum.
Claire awakens to the sound of horses. Jamie’s returned home from a night of plotting with Charles Stuart and only has time to change. The butler tells him a couple letters from Jared. Charles is anxious to meet Monsieur Duverney and Jamie is determined to arrange it but first he has to get to Jared’s warehouse to deal with government inspectors. Jamie tells Claire about his full day to come and how he’s been losing sleep. He recommends Claire get more rest before her tea with Louise. Jamie’s hoping Claire will be privy to some information about the Rebellion though Claire doubts it.
Before Jamie leaves he discovers his wood snake Sawny given to him but his older brother is missing. Claire assures him the servants will search the house.
At Louise’s, Mary tells Claire and Louise she can’t marry a Frenchmen because they do such horrid things to their wives. Claire and Louise are a little baffled but soon Mary tells them how Frenchmen put their manhood inside their wives and she believes Englishmen and even Scotsmen wouldn’t do such a thing. Louise thinks this is funny and Claire tells her they need to talk. Mary tells Louise that where she comes from men don’t do such a thing and Louise wonders if she’s from the moon. Mary informs her she’s from Seaford in Sussex and Claire realizes where she’s heard the name Mary Hawkins.
Claire flashes back to Frank showing her the old family Bible with their family history inside of it. Inside the front cover it says that Mary Hawkins will be married to Jonathan Wolverton Randall.
Claire leaves thinking that if Jack Randall had died then Frank couldn’t exist later. Now she is faced with the problem that Jack Randall must live another year for Frank to exist in the future.
Claire returns home in distress only to be met by the butler who asks if a bit of lace is hers as he found it in the kitchen. Claire says she wanted Suzette to mend it and is upset that it wasn’t done. Claire goes in search of the maid only to find her and Murtagh going at it.
Murtagh finds Claire in the sitting room. He tells her he won’t apologize for spending time with her ladies maid but Claire wonders if he has something better to be doing; she knows Suzette does. Murtagh asks when she because so priggish about frolicking in the sheets and Claire gets upset telling him to mind his own business and remember who runs the house. Murtagh gets upset and turns to leave but Claire quickly apologizes saying she isn’t herself. Murtagh is concerned she isn’t herself and Claire tells him Randall is alive that she spoke with his brother at Versailles who confirmed he’d heard from Randall recently. Murtagh is stunned as he was sure he’d seen Randall dead. Murtagh is sure Randall is the Devil’s spawn but doesn’t think Claire should tell Jamie unless they want to watch Jamie run back to Scotland for revenge only to be captured and hanged.
Murtagh is willing to keep the secret with her but for now he has some unfinished business with Suzette. Claire asks if Murtagh’s thought of birth control but Murtagh is puzzled by the word control as it relates to birth. Claire plans to pick something up for Suzette.
Jamie and Monsieur Duverney are playing chess. Jamie beats Duverney at chess as Duverney tells Jamie the King isn’t willing to fund Charles Stuart. Jamie brings up that Duverney said he would be of service to Jamie in the future. Jamie wants his help now and Duverney says it wouldn’t come amiss if Jamie lost a game or two though Jamie respects him too much to throw games but Duverney would like him to respect him less.
Duverney asks how he can be of service and Jamie wants him to tell Charles that the King won’t finance a rebellion. Duverney can’t speak to Charles officially but Jamie tells him he could unofficially in a place that regards discretion such as Maison Elise. Duverney is willing to go and says he can tell his wife he is out with Jamie playing chess.
Claire goes to Master Raymond’s shop and spies Raymond and the Comte St. Germain talking. Raymond noticed her introduces the Comte saying they are acquainted. Claire confirms this as does the Comte who seems cold. When the Comte leaves Claire asks Raymond why he would be friendly with an enemy. Raymond tells Claire that sometimes circumstances forces them to interact with those you do not like or trust.
Raymond asks how he can help and Claire tells him she needs something to stop a pregnancy for someone else. As she goes through her shelves she finds monkshood which is a poison and wonders why Raymond would have such a thing on his shelf. He says he has it but when a customer comes in wanting to poison an enemy he provides bitter cascara which doesn’t kill the enemy. It makes the person visibly ill but no one dies.
Raymond points out it is normally the ladies maid buying the pregnancy prevention for her lady not the other way around. Claire says she is an unusually lady or at least used to be. Ever since she came to Paris her life has become more conventional. Raymond suggests that she go to the charity hospital L’Hôpital des Anges to put her healing skills to use.
Claire convinces Murtagh to take her to L’Hôpital des Anges. He’s not very happy about it and doesn’t think Jamie would be either though Claire believes he will be happy if she’s happy. Claire goes into the hospital and is shown around but Sister Angelique. Claire wonders if the men helping are physicians but is told there is a butcher who is a specialist with muscles and bones and a man who makes trusses but acts as their urinoscopist. Claire sees a dog and Angelique says his name is Bouton then introduces Claire to Mother Hildegarde who isn’t impressed with a lady coming to practice her medical skills.
Claire comes across a woman who is very sick and notices a beaker of urine next to the woman’s bed. Claire smells it and then tastes it. Mother Hildegarde wonders if Claire knows what is wrong with the woman. Claire asks questions and determines it is diabetes but in the 18th century it is called sugar sickness though the woman can’t recover. Mother is stunned and suggests she help Sister Angelique with a young boy who has Scrofula.
At Maison Elise, Jamie is drinking with Duverney and Charles Stuart. Duverney is telling Charles of the current financial plight of France and how France cannot assist his rebellion. Charles is understanding and says he wouldn’t approach King Louis with empty pockets and announces he’s already raised the majority of the funds for the campaign. Duverney and Jamie are shocked and Duverney apologizes for his assumptions about Charles’s financial situation. Charles confesses that some British Aristocrats have pledged money for the Rebellion. Duverney wonders what Louis part would be and Charles offers France an alliance with Britain if Louis supports his cause. Duverney does agree an alliance between England and France will be formidable. He needs evidence of these funds to approach King Louis.
Jamie returns home with the devastating news but Claire is nowhere to be found. Suzette tells Jamie Claire has not returned since she went out with Murtagh earlier. Jamie goes through his correspondence all the while waiting for Claire return which happens late into the night. Claire comes in excited about her work at L’Hôpital. Jamie isn’t excited about the prospect of her being there and Murtagh says I told you so. Claire tells Jamie of her time at the Hospital and how Mother Hildegarde isn’t making things easy for her but how when she tasted the urine that turned things around a bit.
Jamie is stunned and tells her she is with child and could catch a filthy disease though Claire assures him she won’t be treating anyone with anything she can catch. Jamie informs Claire that Charles announced he’s secured funding from several prominent Englishmen and he offered Duverney with England. Claire is shocked and says it will be a century before Britain and France are allies.
Claire tries to comfort Jamie as says she’s sorry. She knows it was all her idea and she knows everything falls on him and she’s willing to help him any way she can. He believed that to be true but when he came home she was out indulging in her poultices and potions. Claire says there was no indulgence that she was helping people to give her day meaning.
Jamie wants to know when he gets to feel good or find meaning in his day what with all the lying he’s doing. Jamie stomps off and Murtagh looks on as Jamie goes. Suzette approaches and says it is sad. She asks how there can be love in a marriage when love leaves the bed. Murtagh wonders how she knows and she tells him knows what happens in her mistress’ boudoir. This revelation seems to alarm Murtagh.
At Maison Elise, Jamie is drinking and looking on as a serving boy cleans up both the dishes and money from customer’s pockets. Jamie chases the boy down who isn’t interested in being a whore though Jamie assures him he doesn’t want that but would rather hire the boy to pick pockets for him. Jamie shakes out the boys pockets and finds Sawny his little snake.
Claire is restless in bed and hears a crash downstairs. She goes down to investigate and finds a boy sitting at their dining room table. Claire asks what he is doing in her house and he compliments her breasts. Murtagh comes in and smacks him in the back of the head saying he said the same thing to Suzette. Jamie comes in sends the boy to the servant’s quarters. He tells Claire the boy’s name is Fergus, well it is actually Claudel but they didn’t think it very manly and he’s a pick pocket. She wants to know why he’d hire a pick pocket and Jamie says he can steal Charles’s letters so they can copy then and then Fergus puts them back. Claire thinks this is a good plan which makes Jamie happy.
Later Fergus is stealing letters which he hands off to Murtagh. Jamie and Murtagh copy them while Claire works at L’Hôpital.
Jamie and Murtagh are copying letters and decoding them though most are just gossip. Murtagh takes some over and lies down on a chaise and wonders about one that is music. Jamie is puzzled by a German music which was sent by and Englishman. Murtagh tells Jamie there is someone who can read it but he won’t like it.
At L’Hôpital des Anges, Claire is seeing to a patient with Mother Hildegarde. The man is sick and showing symptoms of infection though they can’t find the infection. Mother has Bouton sniff the infection out and Bouton finds it in the man’s leg where there is a neatly healing wound. When Mother Hildegarde presses on it they find a sack of pus underneath. Claire cuts opened the wound and pulls out a shard of wood. Mother Hildegarde tells Bouton Claire will do.
Jamie appears saying he needs Mother Hildegarde’s help. Jamie gives Mother Hildegarde the music and wonders if there is something odd about it. Mother doesn’t want it to be part of something illegal or dangerous and Claire tells her it is for a good reason. Mother Hildegarde plays the music and then says she’s seen it before. A friend Herr Bach has done some music like that. She says he sends her music now and then that are clever but they won’t endure because there is not heart in his music.
Mother Hildegarde says the mysterious composer has repeated the variation but changed the key.
Back at the house, Jamie decodes the message using the “key” Mother pointed out. The note reads:
“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”
Jamie tells Murtagh £40,000 is not enough to fund a rebellion but it is enough to convince Duverney and King Louis that the Jacobites have a chance.
Jamie and Claire realize the S at the end is likely for Sandringham. Jamie thinks Sandringham is hedging his bets for and against the Rising. Jamie thinks if they can convince Sandringham the cause will fail they can he’ll pull out of the commitment.
Jamie is excited they figured it out. But Murtagh is concerned if Jamie talks to Sandringham Jamie will learn about Randall’s survival. Murtagh wants Claire to tell Jamie now but Claire can’t bring herself to ruin Jamie’s excitement. Jamie raises a glass to Mother Hildegarde and to Claire who is always there when he needs her. Jamie asks Claire if something is up and tells him she loves seeing him so happy. Jamie hugs her and she looks to a Murtagh who isn’t happy.
