Jamie discovers Arch Bug has been keeping a dangerous secret. In the 20th century, Roger and Brianna find a link to Jamie and Claire.
Death Be Not Proud opens in Scotland at the manse which is now owned by Fiona and her husband. A delivery is made and an ornate box with the inscription “Jeremiah Alexander Ian Fraser MacKenzie” is inlaid into the lid.
The MacKenzies are visiting Fiona who brings the box down to them. It was delivered previously, long enough that Fiona’s been keeping it safe. It has been in the bank vault for 200 years.
Brianna and Roger sit down and crack it open to find letters from Jamie and Claire, and what they believe is a musket ball. They explain that when Donner lit the match they all fled and therefore were not in the house when it exploded.
18th Century
Jamie and Claire just make it out when the explosion goes off. Neighbors come to help them put the fire out but it spread quickly and the entire house was quickly engulfed. Jamie tells everyone it is a loss and they watch it burn to the ground. Jamie and Claire comment about the obituary Brianna found in the future and Claire determines the newspapers never get anything right.
20th Century
Roger kisses Bree and tells her she’s the reason the house burned down. She made matches in the past and that is what Donner lit which ignited the ether. They believe they changed history because they went back and prevented the fire that killed them. Because the house burned there was or will not be anything else to burn.
18th Century
Claire, Jamie, and Ian are going through the house salvaging what they can. Claire finds her doctor’s book and Jamie finds some chests with his tartan in it that was under the house. He also finds the French gold.
They sit on the porch stairs and declare they will go on. Ian found a small portrait of William and gives it to Jamie. Ian then lets Jamie know he realized William is Jamie’s son. Ian has known since William visited years ago. William was so like a Fraser and he looked like Jamie. Jamie let’s Ian know William can never know and Ian promises to keep the secret.
In the barn, Claire is cleaning the clothing she found. Josiah and Lizzie come into the barn with soup and clothing. Lizzie wants to help in their time of need which is so touching to Claire. I don’t know why she wouldn’t. Lizzie’s life has been so improved with the knowledge of the Frasers and MacKenzies. She has a home and family because of them and they’ve done so much. You can see in Lizzie that she knows this and she wants to take care of them as family.
They give her the news that Adso hasn’t been found. They clearly fear he died in the fire but nobody is willing to say it.
Arch Bug returns to the smoldering house and Jamie asks him to explain the gold. Arch confesses he was one of the men who accepted the gold back in Scotland; the other two being Hector Cameron and Dougal MacKenzie. The gold Arch took went to the good of the clan but Hector he realized must have used the gold to get River Run. Arch considers him a traitor. Jamie seems stunned to learn the gold is in the Americas which I find a little annoying seeing as in the book; Jamie figured it out long before Arch did.
Arch proceeds to tell Jamie he searched for the gold every time he went to River Run and soon realized Hector would try to take it with him and discovered it in Hector’s crypt. In the book, it is in Hector’s crypt but because Jocasta has it put there knowing the superstitions of Scots and the slaves. No one would go looking in a crypt. Jamie wants to know where the rest is but Arch tells him he’ll never find it. Jamie gives Arch the gold bar and tells him to go and never return.
I love that Ian is lurking in the background listening to everything. Ian is Jamie’s man much like Murtagh was.
Arch goes to Mrs. Bug who gives him a speech about how they’ve worked for the Fraser’s and now it is their time. It seems like she’s the one egging him on.
That night Jamie and Ian watch as Arch digs up the gold from inside the house, which would have been under the house when it stood there. Jamie confronts Arch who pulls a pistol and shoots at Jamie. Ian shoots an arrow at Arch. When the two go to Arch they realize it is Mrs. Bug dressed as a man. She’s dying but asks for Arch before expiring. Ian is beside himself. He says he didn’t know it was Mrs. Bug and wouldn’t have shot her if he’d known.
I feel bad for Ian because he cared for Murdina Bug but she fired a weapon at Jamie meaning to do harm.
The next day, Claire tries to comfort him. Ian feels bad because she kept the secret of killing Allan which I’m not entirely sure is so bad. He’s struggling wishing there is something he could do to make it right.
Upstairs in the barn, Claire is cleaning and dressing Murdina’s body. Jamie gives a small eulogy over Murdina.
There is a funeral procession taking her to the cemetery. There is a superstition that the last person who was buried would watch over the cemetery. The previous guardian would be Malva but now it will be Mrs. Bug.
They meet Arch on the road there and he requests that Mistress Fraser sing. She sings Ave Maria. Jamie’s men open the casket so Arch can see her and leave something in her grave. He cries over her and then they bury her.
Ian offers his life for the death of Murdina. Arch thinks that is too easy and promises to take what Ian loves in the future, something worthy of a wife.
Time passes and Jamie’s scoped out a place to put the new house. They also talk about where they would want to be buried but Jamie doesn’t want to think of Claire dying.
Jamie wants to go to Scotland and keep his promise to Jenny to bring her son home. Plus, Jamie is hoping to not face William across the barrel of a gun. They are on opposing sides of the war and he doesn’t want to possibly be they one to kill him.
Later, Claire wakes to Jamie praying. She listens as he asks God, “And God, please, let me be enough.” She pretends to be asleep.
Jamie wakes the next morning having had a dream of the future. He saw them all in the manse in Inverness and describes a phone to Claire saying Jem picked it up and said, “I want to talk to Grandda.”
Later, Jamie, Claire and Young Ian are melting gold bars into balls and rolling them in something to make them look like musket balls. So the one in Jem’s box is gold!
Jamie takes Claire to a cave that he found when he was on a walk with Jemmy. He calls it the Spaniard’s cave because there are the bones of a Spaniard inside. Jamie hides the gold back in the cave so nobody can find it. He doesn’t want rumors of the gold going around as then they’d all be in danger.
In the next scene, Claire is writing to Brianna about teaching Lizzie about healing and their plan to go to Scotland.
Jamie offers a postscript telling Roger and Bree about the gold in a cryptic manner saying that Jem would know about the Spaniard guarding the property that was held in trust by the Camerons for and Italian Gentleman.
20th Century
Roger and Bree figure it must be the gold for Charles Stuart. They are surprised that Jem would know where it would be. The decide not to ask Jem anything about it. Roger goes to read another but Bree doesn’t want to read them all right away so they decide to ration them. I don’t understand it as I would just read them all.
18th Century
Jamie gives Claire and new blade and bloods it which means he cuts himself so that the blade always knows it’s purpose. Claire cuts her finger too.
20th Century
Brianna takes Roger to see Lallybroch. Roger breaks some of the boards off the window so they can see it. Looks like someone was remodeling but stopped. He wishes he could have seen it in its heyday.
Brianna and Roger are sitting on the doorsteps of Lallybroch and seem to be watching and waiting for Jamie. They are about to leave when a woman pulls up. They apologize for trespassing and the woman asks if they are interested. She then show them to sign that says it is for sale.
18th Century
Lizzie’s child is now learning to walk. They all watch him and then Lizzie gets upset that they are leaving too. Jamie and Claire say goodbye. They are riding off the ridge when Claire hears something in the woods and dismounts. She goes off into the brush and finds Adso. She says her goodbye to him and sends him off to Lizzie. Everything is hitting Claire. This is her home. She doesn’t really want to leave. She finds the stake they put in when they first came to the Ridge and then she confirms with Jamie that they will return. Jamie assures her they will. Claire let’s Jamie know he will always be enough.
