Lord John Grey is put in a precarious position. William struggles to understand a surprising revelation.
Jamie & Lord John
Jamie and John make it through town. Jamie explains the British were inspecting people as they entered the city, and he had something on him he didn’t want them to see. John is surprised Jamie allowed himself to be cornered but he says, “Even foxes grow old.” I love this line. To be it harkens back to Jamie’s grandfather the Old Fox, Simon Fraser.
Jamie came to Lord John’s, effectively cornering himself, because he learned of the Euterpe’s demise and knew Claire would be worried. He came to assure her he is alive. He tells John to tell anyone who asks that Jamie forced him to come with him.
The two ride out of the city. Jamie thanks him for caring for Claire. John seems a bit pale and then confesses, “I have had carnal knowledge of your wife.” Jamie doesn’t believe it but when John tells Jamie they believed him dead, and they were both f-ing him. Jamie is neither amused nor unbelieving and punches John.
Jamie wants to know everything that happened, but Lord John refuses and tells Jamie to kill him. They are stopped by some of Dunning’s Rangers. One of the Ranger’s remembers that Lord John is an officer. The suspect Jamie isn’t who he says he is. They plan to take John for questioning and threaten to take Jamie as well. Jamie let’s them take John but tells him they aren’t finished. However, John is not sorry… I’m guessing for being with Claire as a replacement for Jamie.
Lord John
The Ranger’s find John’s unopened letter which gives John an active commission. He tells them he just received it and hasn’t read it. They believe him to be a spy and plan to take him to camp where Colonel Smith will want to hang him, considering he is kin to General Charles Grey. The men all say, “Remember Paoli.”
Lord John arrives at camp and is brought before Smith. The two know each other and John calls him on his “treasonous bent.”
Smith tells John, Charles Grey sneaked up on General Wayne’s camp and killed them all in their beds using bayonets. They are calling it the Paoli Massacre. John looks horrified. Smith wonders if he is a spy but John denies it. He wants to know if Jamie was passing John knowledge or if it was the other way around. John assures him their encounter was purely personal. John offers his help with influence over his brother, which Smith thinks Washington will be interested in and suggests they take him to the medical tent.
In the Medical tent, Denny is tending to John it will take a week to a month for his eye to improve. He believes John has a fracture of the bony orbit and the ocular muscle is trapped. Denny wishes Claire, John’s wife, were there as she’d know what to do. John informs Denny Claire is no longer his wife as Jamie is not dead and he’s the one who hit him. BUT he was asking for it. Smith talks to Denny about moving John. Smith is calling on Wayne then because they mean to hang John.
Lord John’s Home
Back at Lord John’s, William reappears with questions for Claire. He inquires what to call her and she informs him no matter the circumstances, she is his stepmother. William wants to know if the thing between his mother and Jamie was rape, and Claire assures him it was not. He wonders if it was love. Claire generously tells him that they loved each other as much as they could have because they only have one night. She lets him know his mother wasn’t married when he was conceived. William wonders if Lord John knew. Claire says he did as did Isobel. William is overcome with his anger and goes on something of a rampage.
Mrs. Figg and Claire are discussing all the damage at Lord John’s. Mrs. Figg worries after Lord John who, she tells Claire, has been recalled to duty.
William
William walks down the street saying, “Bastard,” when a prostitute stops him asking, “who is a bastard?” He tells her he is, and she invites him in. William goes with her. Upstairs she pours water for him to wash up. When she comes back with wine, she laughs at him for washing down below rather than just his injured hand. William gets upset again and knocks the wine from her hand and she screams for help. William tries to stop her, but she bites him and then yells at him to leave. He does.
Jamie
Jamie goes to see Colonel Morgan with a letter from France. Morgan introduces Jamie to General George Washington. Jamie reminds him they met in Wilmington at the theater. Morgan gives Washington the letter and Jamie explains he was in France and thought to bring word about the generous contributions to their cause.
Washington is impressed. He’s heard about Jamie’s bravery at Saratoga and his cunning on securing documents. Washington offers Jamie a battalion. Jamie is stunned but exceedingly honored, becoming Brigadier General. Of course, Congress has to approve it but they all act as if it is a forgone conclusion.
Ian & Rachel
Ian and Rachel come across William. They greet him and tell them they went to secure approval with the Quakers for their marriage but it was not given. William congratulates them but turns to leave. Ian goes to say something to him but William punches Ian. Rachel is shocked, as is Ian.
William confronts Ian about knowing they are cousins. William says he’s the get of a Scottish Criminal and Ian takes offense telling him anyone would be lucky to be the son of James Fraser. Rachel isn’t as shocked as William would like and says she figured it out because they resemble each other.
Ian and William begin fighting again until some soldiers separate them and William has them arrested. She tells him to fix it or else. He taunts her saying as a Quaker she won’t strike out at him, but Rachel slaps him anyway telling him he’s doomed his kinsman, repudiated his father and caused her to betray her principles. He kisses her and Rachel is not amused or into it.
William is very much a hothead like his father. I know some fans don’t love William, but I think you could easily replace him for Jamie in all these situations. Jamie was and is as destructive and rash when he is angry as evidenced by his treatment of John. While I don’t love Jamie or William’s actions currently; I understand why both of them are upset.
Jamie comes upon the fleeing Loyalists and sees Ian in shackles. Ian is surprised to see Jamie alive. Jamie goes to Rachel and asks what happened.
Next, we see Jamie with William. Jamie tells William he WILL have Ian released or he will go to the camp and tell them who William is and the reason for the fight. Jamie uses a bit of force, and one can assume William remembers an angry Alex MacKenize or Mac from his childhood. William gives his word he’ll do it but tells Jamie, “God damn you to hell.”
William goes to the soldiers and has Ian released. Rachel rides up on them and the two are reunited.
William
William ends up back at the brothel where a sadistic soldier is talking about his mistreatment of women. William realizes the man means to go after the woman he met earlier and steps in saying he wants to be with her for the night. Harkness protests that Arabella is his, but William doesn’t back-down giving up his gorget in trade.
Upstairs, William apologizes for before. William tells her they aren’t going to do anything. William tells her that Lord John knew a madam who told him sleep is the best thing you can give a whore. That is what William means to do for her.
William asks what her real name is, and she tells him Jane. He says goodnight as she crawls into bed. Jane has him get into bed with her and then she makes the choice to be with him. William protests as he gave his word, and it is the only thing he has left. Jane doesn’t stop and then asks if he ever thought a whore has a sense of honor as well.
Back at Smith’s Camp
Denny goes to John to tell him they will hang him and gives John a knife to assist him in escape. Denny wants him to hide in his wagon, but John won’t put Denny in the middle. Denny gives him directions and wishes him well.
At Lord John’s
Jamie comes in and confronts Claire about sleeping with John. Jamie goes to Claire’s room and asks if it happened there. Claire tells him it was, but it wasn’t them sleeping together exactly.
Claire tells him she was contemplating suicide when John came in. He said he wouldn’t mourn alone, and he didn’t. Jamie seems calmer but then asks if John buggered her. Claire is angry now and tells him he’s a bastard and walks out.
Downstairs, Jamie comes in and Claire wants to know if he killed John. Jamie says he’d have been within his rights, but Claire tells him he had no rights because he was dead.
Claire tries to explain that what happened was about their grief and when she hit him she was hitting Jamie. She tells him it was triage. He stopped her bleeding by putting his grief over hers.
Jamie tells her he’s sure John is alright. Claire tells him Clinton is looking for John because they reactivated his commission.
Jamie tells Claire when Geneva died and William’s presence gutted him, John bandaged him too.
Jamie says there is nothing that can take them away from each other.
The two head to the dining room where they definitely do more than make love.
Smith’s Camp
John is cutting himself free. Smith wakes finding him gone and sounds and alert. John runs through the woods in shackles while the Continental soldiers fire shots at him.
