An Echo in the Bone

In a letter to Brianna dated June 1777, Claire details the military preparations at Fort Ticonderoga and writes of the arrival of the Hunters. Claire likes Denny, who has some knowledge of early germ theory, more than her assistant, Mrs. Raven, who is attracted by the most gruesome events of the hospital. Reading the letter, Bree realizes that Burgoyne will soon attack Fort Ticonderoga and worries for her mother.

Meanwhile, in late June 1777, William joins Burgoyne’s forces.

Captain Stebbings, still recovering under Claire’s care while a prisoner at Fort Ticonderoga, insists that she examine his servant, Mr. Ormiston. Claire arrives at Mr. Ormiston’s bedside to find Denny arguing with Stactoe. Denny wants to amputate Ormiston’s leg above the knee, but Stactoe wants to amputate lower down. Claire examines Mr. Ormiston’s leg and agrees with Denny, as Mr. Ormiston has an aneurysm behind his knee. Stactoe refuses to lend Claire his medical saw for the amputation and tries to prevent her from performing the surgery. Denny defends Claire and aids with the amputation, forming a friendship while Mrs. Raven looks on in horror and glee.

Now in Pennsylvania, still June of 1777, Lord John Grey wonders who the “third arrow” of Trois Fleches could be. Recalling several portraits at the Baron Amandine’s estate that featured three children, John deduces that the Baron has another sister who somehow relates to Percy Beauchamp’s secret motives.

In 1980, Rob speaks in Gaelic with Bree while they admire the fish-viewing chamber at Pitlochry, another hydroelectric dam site.

An excerpt of Roger’s book on time travel describes “Ley Lines” or “an observed alignment between two geographical features of interest” (638). Roger and Bree believe that Ley Lines may help identify time portals. Roger debates including excerpts from the journals of Geillis Duncan, whose theories on time travel were especially violent. Bree considers how some things become “diluted by time,” noting that Roger has “nothing in common” with William Buccleigh “Buck” MacKenzie (644), Geillis’s son in the 18th century and Roger’s direct ancestor. In the 18th century, Buck was responsible for Roger’s near-fatal hanging.

Roger’s Gaelic class is a great success. Afterwards, Rob Cameron asks to visit Lallybroch to see some of Roger’s old music, as Rob is also a traditional Scottish musician. Rob returns Roger’s notebook on time travel, saying he accidentally passed it out with the class materials. Rob claims to believe that the notebook contains notes for a novel. He asks to bring his archaeologist friend along to Lallybroch to examine the ancient structures on the estate.

Rob visits Lallybroch with his archaeologist friend, Michael, and Rob’s nephew, Bobby. Roger goes with Michael to examine the ancient chapel while Rob looks through his music in the study. Michael notes the various ages of the structures at Lallybroch, and that buildings for similar purposes are often constructed on top of each other, such as Christian chapels replacing sites of Celtic worship. Roger hears Rob singing, but overcomes his jealousy by recalling the quote, “Love is strong as death” (655). Michael shares that Rob’s wife recently divorced him, taking Rob’s young son to France, and that Rob has been unhappy since. Later, Roger and Bree share a bottle of wine from Rob while Bobby and Jem have a sleepover. Bree and Roger have sex, thrilled by how well things seem to be going.

In 1777, John finds his nephew Henry in Philadelphia, convalescing at the home of his lover, a married free Black woman named Mrs. Mercy Woodcock. Henry can barely eat or drink after multiple surgeries failed to find the two bullets lost in his abdomen. A dowser tries to find the bullets, but Henry says that he does not think he could survive another surgery. John asks Henry to hold on until Dottie can visit him.

William writes a letter to John expressing his reservations over General Burgoyne’s strategic deployment of Indigenous American troops. William drinks with his friend, a Scotsman, and teases him, saying “I’ll be sober in the morning and you’ll still be a Scot” (665).

At Fort Ticonderoga, Claire worries about Mrs. Raven’s increasing preoccupation with the rumored violence of Burgoyne’s Indigenous American troops. Knowing the Continentals are outnumbered, Claire wonders why General Arthur St. Clair delays evacuating the fort. Jamie explains that while “to fight and lose to a superior force” is honorable (669), St. Clair struggles to admit defeat without a battle. Jamie goes to speak with St. Clair. Later, Jamie and Claire make love in a private garden. Meanwhile, Ian spies the extensive British encampment on his way back to Fort Ticonderoga.

William talks with the Brigadier General Simon Fraser, who is a second cousin to Jamie. William awkwardly blurts out that Lord John Grey is not his biological father, intimidated by Fraser’s rank and reputation. Fraser kindly offers to help William get a command on the forward lines so he can see action and have more opportunity for advancement. 

At Fort Ticonderoga, a captured British soldier reveals that Burgoyne’s army does not have enough supplies for a siege and so will soon attack. St. Clair orders an evacuation, and the army hastily prepares to retreat. Chaos ensues, as the occupants try to leave before the British realize what is happening and attack. Soon, Mt. Independence is on fire and the spreading flames illuminate the American retreat for the British. Jamie insists on staying with Claire. They escape by boat across the lake and Mrs. Raven goes with them.

William enters the deserted fort on Mt. Independence, disappointed to miss the fighting once again. Unable to stop his troops from looting, William must call on Fraser to establish order.

Ian arrives at Fort Ticonderoga to find it occupied by the British, who assume he is one of Burgoyne’s Indigenous American troops. Ian hopes the Hunters escaped, as he wants to see Rachel again. Ian sneaks out of the fort.

General Simon Fraser sends men after the retreating Americans on the lake. William sees a group of Indigenous troops present scalps to Fraser and demand payment for the battle. One of the scalps, however, belongs to the fiancé of a British soldier.

Claire and Jamie arrive at the other side of the lake, along with a few other boats. Stactoe and Claire discover a group of corpses. The next day, a terrified Mrs. Raven takes her own life using a penknife. That night, the escapees hear what they think are Indigenous Americans in the woods. Ian catches up with the evacuees and warns that it is actually the British forces corralling them, pretending to be Indigenous Americans. Claire is captured by the British along with other women, children, and the sick and wounded; no Continental officers are caught. While tending to the wounded, Claire sees William, who recognizes her from Fraser’s Ridge. Claire takes advantage of his surprise to request supplies. Later, Ransom sends her a few supplies and a canteen of brandy.

After dark, William arrives to talk to Claire at the same moment Ian arrives to rescue her. Ian tells William that he owes him a life for saving him in the swamp and demands he let Claire go. A nearby explosion distracts William and Claire and Ian flee, rendezvousing with Jamie, who created the diversion. Jamie asks Claire about the brandy, and she tells him, “your son gave it to me” (711).

Claire, Jamie, and Ian travel with the Ticonderoga refugees toward the main encampment of the Continental army. The Hunters reunite with Claire, Jamie, and Ian at a village along the way.

Jamie devises a plan to confuse General Burgoyne’s pursuing forces. Continental soldiers pretend to be deserters, give false information to the British in exchange for a good meal, then return to camp. Denny takes a turn as a “deserter,” and returns deeply shaken. Claire scolds Jamie for putting a badly needed doctor in danger. Jamie concedes that he should be more careful with the lives of younger men. Claire asks if he will consider the age of enemy soldiers from now on and Jamie replies, “I’ll kill them, I’ll just mind it more” (724).

In Philadelphia, John Grey compares his nephew Henry’s romance with Mrs. Woodcock to the intimacy he felt with Claire when she healed him at Fraser’s Ridge. John wonders if Claire could help Henry and remembers buying her the materials to make ether years before. John searches for a Dr. Rush on Benjamin Franklin’s recommendation and finds Rush celebrating the first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. John cannot associate with Dr. Rush, as he is a rebel. Percy Beauchamp appears, and John and Percy go to a graveyard for privacy.

Percy admits that the Baron Amandine had another sister, Amelie. Amelie secretly married the Comte St. Germain after an affair. To cover up the scandal, the pregnant Amelie was sent to a Paris brothel where she gave birth to a son called Claudel. Percy believes that Fergus Fraser is Claudel, and the Comte St. Germain’s legitimate heir. Grey leaves to write to Hal, Jamie, Harry Quarry, and Norrington.

General Howe refuses to send reinforcements to Burgoyne’s troops as they chase the fleeing Continentals toward Bennington. While in search of food, William’s party is ambushed by continental soldiers. William prepares to report the failure to General Burgoyne, noting that he has still not killed any rebels.

Jamie meets an unmarried Polish immigrant and reflects on his reasons for supporting the American Revolution and his commitment to his wife and children. He believes that “a man [wants] more for his children than he would ever have” (745), and that fighting for liberty is a noble goal. Jamie finds comfort knowing that Claire could return to the 20th century if he died.

Rachel tells Jamie and Claire that Denny was caught while pretending to be a deserter. Jamie and Ian promise to rescue Denny. Ian spots William when they infiltrate the British encampment, so Jamie stays hidden to avoid being recognized. Ian finds Denny in chains, complicating the rescue. William appears and helps Ian sneak Denny out of camp.

The fleeing Continental troops join the main Continental army near Saratoga in New York. Famous soldier and politician Daniel Morgan recruits Jamie as a rifleman due to his excellent aim. The two men bond over their scars from past punishment by British soldiers.

Ian infiltrates the British camp again but is spotted by William. Ian’s friend Glutton, who fights with the British, helps him get away. William catches up to Ian and asks him to take a message to Rachel, saying they are now even.

Jamie goes with Morgan’s troops to attack the British. After the fighting, Claire searches for Jamie on the battlefield and finds him, injured but alive. Claire saves Jamie’s life by fighting off a mother and son who are scavenging the corpses, sometimes killing soldiers who could be saved.

As Claire tends to the wounded, she hears praise for Jamie, who single-handedly saved 50 men. Claire amputates Jamie’s finger and operates on his hand. She expresses her concern for him through anger, but he is sweet and understanding. Jamie hopes that at least one of the 50 men he saved is a “just man,” because that would be enough to warrant his sacrifice.

William survived the battle and finally killed his first American rebel. He waits miserably with the British army for relief from General Clinton. The British are short on supplies, but the Americans are short on ammunition.

While walking to visit Rachel, Ian trips and hits his head, becoming disoriented. A Scotsman named Hamish helps him, and they discover that they are related; Hamish is a MacKenzie. Meanwhile, Jamie asks Claire if they might hold a funeral for his amputated finger. Ian brings Hamish to Jamie and the two men reminisce about Scotland.

American General and infamous traitor Benedict Arnold visits Claire and trades laudanum for cinchona bark. They briefly discuss whether the tenacity of the American army is foolhardy or brave. After Arnold leaves, Claire tells Jamie that he will eventually betray the Americans. Jamie promises to be careful.

The Americans get word of a British reconnaissance party, and Jamie goes with Morgan’s men to meet them. Benedict Arnold follows and orders Morgan’s men to shoot General Simon Fraser, who leads the British party, which also includes William. Jamie intentionally aims wide, unwilling to kill his second cousin, but accidentally shoots William’s hat off instead. Another rifleman shoots Simon Fraser, mortally wounding him. A brief skirmish ensues, and Arnold is superficially wounded. Arnold tells Jamie he wishes he had been killed.

Simon Fraser sends for Jamie on his deathbed under a flag of truce, wanting to see a kinsman before he dies. William is also at Fraser’s bedside, but the room is dark, and William is distracted by his concern for the general. Jamie speaks with Fraser in Gaelic before the general dies. Jamie overhears William describing how he lost his hat and realizes that he almost killed his own son. Jamie hastily gives William his own hat before rushing away. A Colonel tells William that Fraser made William a Captain in one of his final acts before dying. The colonel remarks on Jamie’s relation to General Fraser, saying Jamie “Looks more like [William] than the brigadier” (822).

Claire learns that one of Simon Fraser’s doctors is the twin brother of Dr. Rawlins, the original owner of her beloved medical kit, a gift from Jamie that was lost in the fire at Fraser’s Ridge.

Dr. Rawlins visits Claire and gifts her several medical supplies. The British agreed to surrender, but Rawlins explains that it may take weeks to negotiate the terms. A suspicious man visits Claire’s medical tent, asking for Jamie. Later, while collecting possum fat to treat one of Denny’s patients’ hemorrhoids, Claire senses danger in the woods and has a flashback to her sexual assault, which occurred in a previous novel. Ian finds Claire and takes the grease to Denny for her, as it also gives him an excuse to see Rachel. Ian spontaneously kisses Rachel and announces that he knows she loves him. Rachel scolds him for his presumption but does not deny it.

Jamie and Claire discuss Ian’s romantic activities in camp, including a brief liaison with the wife of an American officer. Ian arrives and declares his feelings for Rachel but concedes the difficulty of any relationship between them. Ian cannot convert to Quakerism, and he does not want to ask Rachel to give up her faith, knowing her devastation at being put out of meeting.

The suspicious man returns and reveals that a dying man told him that Jamie killed his uncle, Dougal MacKenzie, years ago. The man intends to blackmail Jamie, but Ian cuts his throat. A passerby witnesses the murder and Ian’s dog Rollo is injured in the ensuing chase. Rachel agrees to care for Rollo as Ian flees.

One condition of the British surrender is that Jamie take Simon Fraser’s body back to Scotland. Jamie cannot believe his luck in finally securing passage to Scotland and hopes he can sneak Ian onto the ship in disguise. Rachel and Denny prevent the incensed troops from killing Rollo. Meanwhile, William, devastated by the British loss, badly wants to see his stepfather. Claire and Jamie watch the British retreat, and Jamie is relieved to see that William is safe.

At Lallybroch in 1980, Roger restores the ancient chapel to reconnect with his sense of self. He reflects on his “bone deep urge to protect” that caused him to “abandon all his Christian principles […] on the eve of ordination” so he could rescue Brianna from Stephen Bonnet (864). Suddenly, Roger’s ancestor William Buccleigh “Buck” MacKenzie appears, having accidentally traveled through time. Buck asks Roger to explain “what in the name of God almighty are we?” (865).