Jamie tells his sister, "Young lan's made enough dall for a month's supply of fuel. The lad's paying for his crimes."
Jenny reasons, "Our father woulda had ye over the gate."
"Aye, but a thrashing's not the only way to teach a lesson."
Jenny says snidely, "Ye're an authority on raising bairns now? No."
"No, but I am an authority on being a 16-year-old lad that lives on a farm. Ye treat him as a child, but he's a man now. Ye ought to give him a taste of freedom, while he still thinks it's yours to give."
Jenny spits out, "Listen to you, telling me what I should do. Ye must ken it's a mortal sin to take another wife while the first still walks the earth."
Jamie tries to explain, "I would never have taken a bride if I thought Claire was still alive."
Jenny is skeptical, "Since ye believed her to be dead, why didn't ye share yer grief wi' me?"
Jamie remembers the pain, "I barely wanted to breathe, let alone speak of it."
Jenny demands more information, "I ken. But ye must speak of it now. I need to know what happened."
Jamie tries. "I was prepared to die on the battlefield at Culloden. With me dead, it would've been dangerous for Claire to stay, so So I arranged for her to hide at an inn. Gave her money for safe passage to the Colonies after things had settled down. Later, I heard the British went through the village, killing everyone Man, woman, and child."
"But she got away?"
"Aye. She thought I'd died in battle. So she boarded a ship to the Colonies. I didna ken it at the time."
Jenny still doesn't buy it. "I sat on these very steps watchin' this very road with Claire when you were taken by the redcoats. When you didna come home, we rode together to find you. The Claire I kent would never have stopped looking for you."
Back in their room, Jamie and Claire are discussing their options.
Jamie proposes, "We could build a cottage, on the western edge of the land. We could make a life here, Claire."
Claire is skeptical, "Except that Jenny can barely stand the sight of me. Yet, perhaps perhaps we should tell her the truth."
"We say ye traveled from another time, ye may as well convince her ye're a mermaid."
Claire counters, "Murtagh understood."
"That was a chance we had to take wi' a a man that's been out in the world. Jenny has never left this farm. We're always at loggerheads. She'll be full of questions we have no answers for."
"But if I don't tell her the truth, then there will always be this wall between us. Jenny casts a very warm light on those that she trusts and a very cold shadow on those that she doesn't."
"Aye. Sometimes I still canna believe ye're truly here. I went searching for ye once. The day I escaped Ardsmuir."
Claire is surprised, "You escaped?"
"Aye. There was a man named Duncan Kerr. Claimed there was treasure hidden on an island. He was fevered. Kent he was dying. It was his only chance to tell someone he thought he could trust. His last words were that the treasure was guarded by a buidseach bàn."
Claire understands the term. "La dame blanche. A white witch."
Jamie continues, "My heart almost stopped when he said it. I thought maybe you'd returned, that you were out there."
We see a flashback as Jamie explains what happened. "There are hundreds of isles all down the coast, but only one where the selchs live. Silkie Island. I swam to it. Out of my mind with cold. Claire. Claire! Claire! Of course, I didn't find you there. I realized it was foolish to think you'd come back. If he hadna been dead already, I I woulda gone back and killed Kerr myself. For giving me hope. And then I noticed it. The MacKenzie crest. Etched into stone, just like Kerr had told me. That's where I found the treasure. At least Kerr had been right about that. The box was full of ancient coins and gems Rubies, emeralds, three large sapphires. I took one and gave it to the governor of the prison."
Claire asks, "You were free. You had the treasure. Why did you go back to the prison?"
"Couldna take it with me. Besides, the prisoners needed me. I was their leader."
Claire says sympathetically, "I wasn't on an island. But I was out there. Wishing you'd come and find me. Sounds silly, but whenever I would hear birdsong I would pretend it was you talking to me."
"Hmm. Ye ken the greylag, yeah, it mates for life? You kill a grown one, out hunting, you must wait For its mate will come to mourn. Then ye must kill that one too, otherwise, it will grieve itself to death Calling through the skies for the lost one."
They have a moment together, kissing, but Jamie is clearly struggling.
Claire asks, "What is it? Jamie?"
Jamie is ready to confess the secret he's been keeping from her. "Something I've been meaning to tell ye, Sassenach. Hasna been easy keeping it from ye. I was hoping to speak to Ned Gowan before I told ye, to see if the law was in our favor."
Surprised, Claire asks, "Ned Gowan is still alive?"
Jamie is afraid to tell her, but he must. "It's very complicated. Ye must listen wi' all yer heart."
Then the door opens and a little red-headed girl named
Joan (Layla Burns)
says, "Daddy."
Her big sister
Marsali (Lauren Lyle)
adds, "Daddy, who is that woman?"
Claire is really shocked! "Daddy?"
Then
Laoghaire (Nell Hudson)
barges in, sees Claire in her shift, and screams, "Sassenach witch!"
Jamie tries to get the situation under control, "Laoghaire, what the Laoghaire, what the hell are you doing here?"
Laoghaire is still out of control, "Ye're ye're supposed to be dead! How? How could ye do such a thing to me, Jamie Fraser? Slip home behind my back? Put yer prick in that whore?"
Marsali pleads with her mother, "Ma, please. We shouldna be here."
Jamie says to Laoghaire, "Be still. I havena done anything to ye."
Joan pleads, "Daddy! Ma! Stop!"
Claire is trying to put the pieces together, "Daddy?"
Laoghaire says cruelly to Claire, "He didna tell ye? He's my husband now. Have ye no shame, you adulterous bitch? Go back to the hell ye came from. Let me go! Let the English cunt stand up for herself!"
Jamie grabs her and orders, "Get yerself downstairs, right now."
Laoghaire resists, "Oh, get your hands off me! Ugh!"
Jamie escorts Laoghaire out but turns and says to Claire, "Oh, wait here."
Laoghaire continues ranting as he is leading her away, "Can't believe you did this to me!"
"Laoghaire!"
"That woman!"
"Laoghaire, wait!"
"With that witch!"
Joan, clearly distressed, calls out, "Daddy!"
Jamie is trying to explain the situation to little Joan.
"Who's that woman? Why'd she upset Ma so?"
"Well, that woman is Claire. My wife. My first wife. I thought she was dead, but by the grace of God, she came back to me. I-I planned on telling you and your sister about her, but I didna get a chance."
Joan, heartbroken, asks, "What about Ma?"
Jamie tells her honestly, "Well I tried very hard to be a husband to her, but your mother and I We didna have a bond that keeps people together forever."
Joan asks, "An' ye have that bond wi' that other woman?"
"Aye."
Joan is so sad. "Now, ye'll go away forever?"
Jamie tries to comfort her. "Dinna fash, Joanie. I love you and yer sister. I'll always look after ye. I promise. Now, go and find Marsali. She'll take ye home to yer ma. Go on. She needs ye."
Joan starts to walk away, then turns and throws herself into Jamie's arms for a heartbreaking hug.
Jamie comes back to his and Claire's room, where she is packing to leave. "Claire. Will ye let me explain?"
Claire is understandably cold to him. "It's a little late for that."
Jamie tries to explain. "I dinna live with her. She and the girls live at Balriggan. I-I didna think they'd come here. It was a great mistake, the marriage between Laoghaire and me."
Claire spits out, "With two children? That took you quite a long time to figure that out, didn't it?"
"The lassies arna mine. I-I'm not the father."
"Really? That little girl with the red hair?"
Jamie reasons, "Well, there are other redheaded men in Scotland, Claire. Look, Laoghaire was a-a-a widow wi' two bairns when I wed her. It's been less than two years, and we've lived apart most of that time."
"Oh, and I suppose that makes it all right, does it? It's Laoghaire? She she tried to have me killed!"
"Well, ye're the one that told me to be kind to the lass!"
Claire points out, "I told you to thank her not marry her."
Claire tries to walk out but he physically restrains her. "Ye're not going anywhere."
Claire bites back, "You cannot stop me. You lied to me. You told me that you never fell in love with anyone else."
"I didna fall in love."
"You told me about your son. Why couldn't you tell me about this? Why?"
Jamie is crestfallen. "Why? Why? Because I am a coward. That's why. I couldna tell ye for fear I would lose ye, and I couldna bear the thought of losing you again. I wanted you so badly that nothing else mattered. I would sacrifice honor, family, l-life itself to see you, to lie with you again, even though you left me."
Claire picks up on that. "Left you? Left you? You forced me to go back! I would have died gladly at Culloden with you. And now you want to blame me for that?"
Jamie concedes, "I dinna blame you for it. Ye had to go for Brianna's sake. I c-canna regret that."
"But you blame me for coming back."
"No. Yes. No. God, no, I Do ye know what it is to live 20 years wi'out a heart? To live half a man and accustom yourself to exist in the bit that's left?"
"Do I know? Do I know how that feels? Yes, you bastard, I know! What did you think, that I went back to Frank and lived happily ever after?"
"Sometimes, I hoped ye did. And sometimes, I could see it Him with you, day and night, lying with ye, taking your body, holding my bairn! And God, I could kill ye for it!"
Claire throws out passionately, "Well, I don't have to imagine Laoghaire!"
"Laoghaire? Christ! I dinna care about Laoghaire, and I never have!"
"Oh, so you would marry a woman you don't even want and then just discard her the second you're done?"
"No, I'm damned one way or the other. If I felt anything for her, I'm a faithless lecher, and if I didn't, I'm a heartless beast!"
"Well, you should have told me."
Jamie reasons, "And if I had, ye would've turned on your heel and left without a word. But having seen you again, I would do far worse than lie to keep you!"
He grabs her and kisses her even though she's fighting him. "Get off me!"
Jamie confesses earnestly, "Claire! Claire, no! Claire, I-I love you and only you."
The tide turns then, and she's not fighting any more. She's grabbing and kissing him.
Then Jenny throws a pitcher of water on them and says, "Stop it! Both of ye. Fightin' and ruttin' like wild beasts, and no carin' if the whole house hears ye!"
Later, Janet asks Claire, "Would ye like a whisky?"
Claire grudgingly concedes, "Suppose I could do with one. Thank you. I apologize for disturbing the household."
Guiltily, Janet admits, "I should be apologizin' to you. I told Auntie Laoghaire ye were here. That's why she came. I didna have it in mind tae cause such a kebbie-lebbie. Truly not."
"Well, I suppose one of us would have found out sooner or later. Why did you tell her?"
"Mother told me to."
Jenny walks into the room as Janet leaves, and Claire asks, "You told Laoghaire to come?"
"She's his wife."
Claire asserts, "I am his wife."
Jenny counters that with, "Then why'd ye no try to find him after the war? And why'd it take ye 20 years to come back here?"
"Because I thought he was dead."
Jenny admits sadly, "In a way, he was. Took him an age to start livin' again, and now you're back no more than a week, and ye've killed a man, his print shop's razed to the ground, and he's on the run from the law."
"I suppose that's all my doing?"
"Well, there's no denyin' trouble finds my brother, but ye didna help matters much."
"I wanted to come back to be part of this family again."
Jenny bites back with, "Well, family writes letters. Telling one another they're alive. What, d'ye think we were all just frozen in time waiting for you to return?"
Claire admits, "No. Look, I I had another husband in America, and it was a matter of survival. Now, it wasn't easy, but I had to put my past behind me so that I could make that marriage work."
Jenny asks, "Does Jamie know?"
Claire answers honestly, "Yes."
"Did ye have any bairns?"
Claire gives a partial answer, "No. I never had children with him. But when he died, I decided to come back to visit Jamie's grave, to tell him that I never forgot him. But instead, I found him alive."
"I hear truth in what ye're tellin' me. But I can see it in yer eyes, there's still something ye're keepin' from me. I don't know if I can or even want to put my trust in you again. When a horse breaks its leg, ye put it out of its misery because it'll never heal right. Neither will we."
Jenny is picking up the broken pieces of the vase that Jamie shattered in his anger. Ian comes into the room.
Jenny tells Ian sadly, "If my mother was still alive, this would kill her all over again."
"Jamie's retired to the stables, and Janet's given Claire blankets in the guest chamber."
Jenny asks, "This doesna bother you? Him laying wi' both wives?"
Ian states the facts, "He and Laoghaire are not living as man and wife, - and ye ken it."
"He makes a fool of this family."
"Ye're the only one being foolish. If there's a pot of shite on to boil, ye stir like it's God's work."
Jenny asks, "Oh, this is my fault then?"
Ian reminds her, "D'ye forget I hear yer prayers every night? And all ye ask for is Jamie's happiness, after all the sorrows he's seen, and here he is, but ye canna let him have it."
Jenny throws out, "Does this look like happiness to you?"
The next morning Claire is packed and leaving the house. Jamie catches up to her and begs, "Claire. Claire. Please."
Claire says sadly, "I should never have come back."
Jamie states, "Canna take back those 20 years Or the life I've lived. But I mean to make things right."
"I knew coming back was a risk. That you could be a different person, that we both could be different people, but "
Jamie cuts in sincerely, "I'm still the same person you fell in love with."
Claire quotes, "'When you tell me something, let it be the truth, and I promise you the same.' Those were your words, Jamie. We could have secrets, but not lies."
Jamie says, "I'm sorry, Claire. Truly. I've only known one love in my life. And that was with you."
Laoghaire walks into the courtyard, having heard Jamie's confession. She's waving a gun at Claire. "There's the truth of it then?"
Jamie tries to get between the gun and Claire, "Oh, God, Laoghaire. Laoghaire, p-put the pistol down."
"No. I will not just sit at home and let her walk away with ye. I've come to protect what's mine."
"This isna Claire's fault."
Laoghaire states, "Time for her to leave us be. To stay out of our lives."
Jamie reminds her, "You and I have not dwelt in the same house for many a month."
"Mebbe it wasna perfect, but you were mine. If not under my roof, ye provided for me and ..." Suddenly the gun fires and Jamie is shot in his left shoulder.
Laoghaire screams, "Jamie!"
Claire pushes her away yelling, "Aah! Get away from him! Jamie!"
Inside the house now, Claire orders, "Help me get him onto the table."
Jamie tries to sluff it off. "Och, what's a few more scars? Leave me be. I'm just fine."
But Claire is a doctor and goes into doctor mode, "Get me some alcohol, please. Here. Take this off. Take your shirt off."
Jenny enters and sees Jamie shot. "Oh, dear God. Who did this?"
Claire gave her a look. "Laoghaire."
Jamie states, "It's nothing Claire canna fix."
Jenny jumps into action, "I'll get clean towels and bandages."
Claire orders Young Ian, "Go get my medical kit. It's in my bag in the courtyard."
He dashes out saying, "Yeah."
Claire asks Ian, "Can you get hot water and see if you can find an apron?"
"Aye."
Jamie is still downplaying it. "It's only bird shot. Nothing serious."
Claire reminds him, "Have you forgot what I told you about germs?"
Then to Young Jamie, "Aye, thank you."
Young Jamie says, "I'll help my father."
Claire hands Jamie a glass of whisky. "Here. I'm going to have to dig those pellets out."
Jamie drinks it, then reaches for the bottle and takes a swig. "Ah. Mm."
Claire orders, "Lie down."
Jamie does as instructed, "Mm."
Later, Jamie is mostly passed out and the surgery is underway. Young Ian notices, "Those're very fancy knives ye've got there, Auntie."
Claire explains. "I, uh, I knew a very fine cutler in the Colonies. Mm. All right, this is the one I'm worried about. If the pellets penetrated the artery, then you'll bleed to death, and there'll be nothing I can do about it."
Young Ian asks, "Did it penetrate the artery?"
Claire answers, "No. He was very lucky."
Later, Young Ian hands Claire a glass filled with whisky, saying, "Auntie."
Claire declines his offer. "Eh, he has enough alcohol for now. Thank you."
Young Ian asserts, "It's not for Uncle Jamie. It's for you, Auntie."
"You're the only one who calls me that."
Young Ian observes, "Uncle Jamie's lucky you're here."
Jamie is awake now. Claire tells him, "She made a nice Swiss cheese of your arm."
Jamie tries a joke, "I dinna ken what Swiss cheese is, but if it looks like that, I wouldna want it on my bread."
But Claire is very business like. "Well, the pellets are out, and your artery's intact."
Jamie states, "I need a whisky."
Claire corrects him. "You've had enough. You need liquids. Water or broth."
Jamie attempts more humor, "Whisky's a liquid, no?"
Claire isn't taking the bait. "No. Here. Drink this. I'll never understand what you saw in that woman."
"Well, she wasna toting a pistol when I chanced upon her again."
Claire clearly was after more details. "That's it?"
Jamie is skeptical, but asks, "You truly wish to hear? You won't get angry?"
Claire sets him straight. "I haven't stopped being angry. So you might as well explain yourself."
Jamie explains. "I'd been away so long. When I returned from Helwater, from England, everything was different. Jenny's bairns didn't recognize me. I was a ghost. If ye ken what I mean."
"Yes I do."
"I was here but I wasna home. I suppose I was lonely. It was my first Hogmanay at Lallybroch since I was a lad. Everything about Lallybroch was shining, warm. Jenny had dressed the parlor. Never seen it so bonny. The fiddler was by the window there, playing jigs and reels. Every table laden wi' food, drink."
We see a beautiful, joyful flashback of Hogmany at Lallybroch.
"I could feel my father and mother there and my brother Willie. I was filled with joy and loneliness at the same time."
Little Joan and her big sister approach Jamie and Joan asks, "Do you like figs?"
"Aye. Thank you."
Joan continues, "Would you like to dance?"
Jamie says sheepishly, "It's been a very long time since I tried."
Marsali asserts with a smile, "We can teach you."
Jamie continues his explaination to Claire, "After a few moments, my heart felt lighter. The music wrapped around me, and I was laughing. I realized I hadna truly laughed since that last time well, the last time I was with you."
After the dancing, Joan tells Jamie, "Ye're a bonny dancer."
"Thank you. So are you. Ha! Ye've fair worked up my appetite. You Cousin Aileen's daughters?"
Marsali answers his question, "No. Our mother is Mistress MacKimmie."
Jamie explains, "So there she was. Twice widowed and two bairns aching for a father. That was plain enough. I found something to fill the hole I had in me. Jenny kent it as well. Urged me to make the match. I wanted to be a a father, a husband all the things I thought the future held when I was with you. All the things I had to forget when I said good-bye to you at the stones. To care for Willie or Brianna Watch them grow up, to show them how to be in the world. I thought if I married Laoghaire, I could have all those things."
Claire asks softly, "And did you?"
Jamie continues, "My fondness for Marsali and Joan grew. It was a very special time for me. And not always easy. But it was all right."
Claire wants the full account, "So then what happened? How did you end up living in Edinburgh?"
"There were days, weeks where she wouldn't speak with me. To be honest, I-I didn't mind that. Meant we wouldn't be fighting over this or that. I tried to be gentle wi' her, but it was no use. Maybe it was her first husband, Hugh, or her second husband, Simon. Well, nobody kens what happens in the marriage bed. She was hurt. I could see the fear in her eyes. So I left. I couldn't bear the thought of someone being afraid of my touch."
Claire reaches over to touch his hand, then is surprised, "Christ you're burning up."
"Huh?"
Claire asks him, "Why on earth didn't you say something?"
"Huh. I thought it was the heat of shame. If you won't stay with me, then I'd rather die and be done with it if that's all the same with you."
"I'm not going to let you die, tempted as I might be."
Claire pulls out her medical kit and starts filling a syringe.
Jamie looks worried, "What in God's name is that?"
"Something that will help bring down your fever. Now, roll over onto your right side."
Jamie reluctantly complies, but states the obvious, "Uh ... Yeah, that that, uh, that looks mighty sharp."
"It is, so you better hold still and relax."
"Look, will ye please explain why jabbing needles in my arse is going to help my arm?"
"Because germs are no match for penicillin."
Later Jenny is talking to Claire.
"I had a vision of ye, ye ken. When Jamie wed Laoghaire, them standing by the altar, ye were there wi' them, standin' betwixt him and Laoghaire. I didna ken who ye were or what. We didna know your people or your place. Even when Jamie told me you might tell me things that might no make any sense, I didna question it. Ye said plant potatoes, I did as told. The crop kept us alive for more than one winter after Culloden. You saved us, and I never asked ye about any of it, did I? Jamie chose ye. That was enough."
Claire asks her, "But it's not enough now, is it?"
Jenny states, "I suppose ye'll never tell me the full story."
"What I can tell you is that I love your brother very much. I never forgot him. Or any of you. I never stopped wearing his wedding ring."
Jenny tells Claire, "You were a sister to me."
Claire says sincerely, "I loved you too, Jenny. Still do. I'm only asking for a second chance."
Claire is walking down the hall and encounters an old friend.
