The Fiery Cross

Claire partakes in the quiet Christmas celebrations, looking ahead to Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve), which will be much more raucous. The housekeeper, Mrs. Bug, is intrigued but somewhat suspicious of Claire’s efforts to use local food and herbs to manufacture medicines like penicillin.

Everyone from Fraser’s Ridge and the surrounding area joyfully celebrates the new year with traditional dancing and drinking. Unexpectedly, Josiah and Kezia Beardsley turn up at the house, ready to begin their new life as tenants at Fraser’s Ridge.

Later, Jamie shares some memories with Claire: He talks about an incident in which he was severely wounded, shortly before the two of them met. Jamie now believes that the unknown assailant who injured him was his own uncle, Dougal MacKenzie. Jamie killed Dougal to avenge Claire the night before the Battle of Culloden, and, just before he died, Dougal admitted to attacking him. This information is soothing for Claire, who has long felt guilty about her role in the confrontation between the two men.

Early one morning, Claire inspects several samples with her microscope. She shows Jamie what semen looks like under a microscope, leading them to discuss reproduction and speculate about whether Roger is Jemmy’s biological father. Claire also notes with satisfaction that she seems to be able to simulate penicillin by growing mold. She later uses this when she removes the tonsils of both Beardsley twins, feeling much more confident in performing increasingly complex medical procedures under rudimentary conditions.

January and February pass quietly. Claire notes with sadness that Jamie’s sister Jenny, who lives in Scotland, has not written. Jenny was very angry when Jamie informed her that Ian, her beloved son, had gone to live with the Mohawk people and might never be seen again. Jamie grieves for his nephew and feels that he has let down his sister.

In mid-February, Claire and Brianna intercept a letter to Jamie from Hayes, which says that Stephen Bonnet, though elusive, seems to be working as a smuggler. Hayes promises to continue gathering information about Bonnet, as Jamie has requested. Claire is distressed to learn that Jamie is trying to locate Bonnet, but Brianna explains that she intercepted another letter, from Lord John Grey, and already knew about her father’s efforts. Claire admits that Jamie will not give up until he locates Bonnet and kills him. Brianna expresses her frustration that her father is acting without her consent or consultation, explaining that “I do want [Bonnet] dead. But I want [Jamie] and Roger alive, more” (584).

Roger happens upon a notebook in which Brianna records her dreams and reads it. He is distressed to realize that Brianna has dreams involving Stephen Bonnet, and she has difficulty being fully present when she and Roger have sex.

In March, Jamie and Claire, along with many other guests, gather at River Run, Jocasta’s plantation, to celebrate her wedding to Duncan Innes. Claire notices that many of the guests are gossiping about whether Jocasta and Duncan will consummate the marriage—the arrangement is a practical one, not a romantic union. Claire also runs into Abel MacLennan, one of the men involved in the Hillsborough Riots, and is pleased to learn that he was released from jail due to the intercession of sympathetic friends. Claire also meets a man named Major Donald MacDonald, and they witness confrontations between men who do and do not support the Regulator movement.

Observing these events leads to Claire explaining about the recent conflicts with the Regulator and General Tryon’s efforts to raise a militia. A short time later, Herman Husband tells Claire that he is leaving the wedding early; he doesn’t want to cause tension or problems. He tells Claire that the Regulators are gathering again, at a large camp near Salisbury. Claire runs into a wealthy local man named Phillip Wylie, who has previously flirted inappropriately with her.

Meanwhile, Jamie encounters Major MacDonald. In exchange for an introduction to Governor Tryon, MacDonald shares information about Stephen Bonnet: He infers that Bonnet is well-known in wealthy and elite circles and may be employed by some of these men as a smuggler. Jamie is pensive; the information that Bonnet is valued by influential men for his criminal services complicates his hope to kill Bonnet. This conversation is cut short by Duncan Innes, who urgently seeks help from Jamie.

Jamie and Claire slip away for a quiet moment together. Jamie explains that Duncan has confided to him that he is not capable of intercourse because of an injury he sustained as a young man. Jamie wants Claire to break this information to Jocasta in advance of the wedding. Claire is confused as to why the couple has never discussed this, but Jamie explains that Duncan assumed Jocasta would have no interest in a sexual relationship and has only recently become alarmed that he might not be able to fulfill her expectations.

Roger meets a man named Seamus Hanlon. They both observe that Lieutenant Wolff, another guest at the wedding, seems embittered and angry, presumably because he once aspired to marry Jocasta himself.

Brianna finds Jamie next to the unconscious body of Betty, an enslaved Black woman on the estate. Betty has seemingly passed out due to consuming a large amount of alcohol, but they wonder if she could have been drugged. Brianna and Jamie carry Betty into the house, and Brianna catches sight of Claire going into the stables with Philip Wylie.

After getting Betty safely into bed, Brianna notices that Betty was drinking from a cup that was part of a set Jocasta gifted to Duncan. If Betty was sneaking sips of alcohol from someone else’s cup, she posits, it’s possible that one of the guests was intending to poison or drug a wedding guest. Because Betty is still unconscious, they can’t ask her any questions. Jamie and Brianna are left pondering the idea that “if it was neither attempted suicide nor accident—then it might be intended murder. But of whom?” (660)

Meanwhile, Claire reluctantly agrees to admire Philip Wylie’s horses. When they are alone in the stables, he kisses her and tries to fondle her. Claire is outraged and demands that he leave her alone. She rushes out of the stable and runs into Jamie. They discuss the news that the Regulators are gathering again; this is worrying, because if Jamie and the militia are summoned to deal with them, the crucial spring harvesting season will be disrupted. Jamie also fills Claire in on the news that Betty has been poisoned. The two of them argue about whether Claire has been flirting with Philip Wylie but eventually reconcile.

Claire breaks the news to Jocasta that Duncan cannot have sexual intercourse. Jocasta is unbothered by this news and sympathetic to Duncan.

Claire goes to see Betty, who is receiving treatment from a physician named Doctor Fentiman. The doctor forces Claire to leave; she later tells Jamie that she suspects Betty consumed laudanum as well as alcohol, but she can’t be sure. They will learn more once they are able to question Betty directly.

Jocasta and Duncan are married in a quiet ceremony, and the celebrations continue. A man named Mr. Lyon approaches Jamie to ask about plans to set up a business operation trading and smuggling the whiskey that Jamie distills at Fraser’s Ridge. Jamie declines but decides to learn more about Lyon.

Later, Philip Wylie challenges Jamie to a game of cards, and Jamie agrees, eager to punish Wylie for pursuing Claire. However, Jamie offends Claire by asking her to give him the wedding ring she received from Frank, her first husband, so that he can gamble it in the game. Angrily, Claire gives Jamie both of her wedding rings, the one from Frank and his own.

Roger and Brianna enjoy a romantic moment before they receive word that Jemmy is sick. They hurry back to the house. Claire quickly tends to her grandson but is called away by news that one of the guests has been wounded by an accidental gunshot. Roger and Brianna nurse and tend to their young son together.

Claire provides medical treatment for a variety of minor wounds and ailments. Satisfied that both Betty and Jemmy are in stable condition, she goes to sleep in a large room crowded with various wedding guests. She wakes up in the darkness to a man fondling her feet and legs; she presumes it is Jamie but then second guesses herself. Before Claire can figure out what is happening, the mysterious man slips out of the room.

Claire wonders if the man who caressed her was Jamie, Philip Wylie, or someone else. She slips downstairs just as dawn is beginning to break. Jamie finds her, and they rush into the stables, where they find some privacy and make love. Afterward, Jamie returns Claire’s rings. He was up all night drinking and playing cards and has won Wylie’s prize stallion. A servant comes rushing to Claire, begging her to come and help Betty.

Claire rushes to the room where Betty is profusely vomiting blood. Dr. Fentiman looks on helplessly, and Betty dies within moments of Claire's arrival. As others begin tending to the body, Claire and Dr. Fentiman talk about what happened. Neither he nor Claire can understand what led to Betty’s extreme bleeding. Fentiman thanks Claire for her kindness toward him and defends her after Wylie comes upon them and insults Claire.

The wedding guests begin to depart. Claire becomes convinced that Betty’s death was not natural. She shares these suspicions with Jamie, who explains that Betty’s body is lying in one of the sheds on the property. She will be buried the next day. Claire hatches a plan to gain more information.

Under the cover of darkness, Claire and Jamie sneak out to the building where Betty’s body is located. Claire performs an autopsy, and Jamie assists as Claire examines the contents of Betty’s stomach, noticing that Betty seems to have consumed an unusual substance.

Suddenly, Wylie enters the shed, followed by Stephen Bonnet. Jamie lunges at Bonnet, and a lantern is knocked over, causing a fire. The three men rush off, and Claire pauses to ensure that the fire spreads, consuming the shed and evidence that she had tampered with Betty’s body. Claire slips away as the household awakens and rushes out to contain the fire.

Claire gathers with a group of servants and wedding guests to watch the fire, ensuring that no one suspects she had anything to do with it. They hear Jocasta screaming and rush back to the house.

Claire and Major MacDonald rush into Jocasta’s bedroom. Jocasta has been tied up, and Duncan has been struck on the head. Jamie arrives a few moments later. The men who attacked Jocasta and Duncan have gotten away, but servants are quickly sent to look for them.

Jocasta tentatively recounts what happened, although she is blind, so she did not see what happened. She awoke to the sounds of two men in the room, one of whom had an Irish accent, potentially Stephen Bonnet. The Irish man demanded gold. Brianna and Duncan are startled by the mention of gold, but Jamie has heard rumors that the French King Louis XV sent gold to Scotland to support the uprising at Culloden and Charles Edward Stuart’s efforts to claim the British throne.

Jocasta begins to tell the story: In 1746, she was living in Scotland, married to her third husband, Hector Cameron, and the mother of three daughters (the elder two from her first two marriages). Jocasta witnessed the arrival of the shipment of gold, entrusted to her husband, her brother Dougal MacKenzie, and an unknown third man. The gold arrived after significant delay, too late to be useful to the Stuart cause and its followers, known as Jacobites. After much debate, Dougal, Hector Cameron, and the third man each took a portion of it, swearing to safekeep it for the rightful Stuart king. Hector and Jocasta hid their portion in their home, and after the Battle of Culloden and the Stuart defeat, Hector prepared to flee to the colonies. Most of the gold was buried in the woods, but he and Jocasta hid some in their carriage as they fled with their youngest daughter.

Jocasta begged Hector to fetch her two eldest daughters and their young children; both women had lost husbands and would be vulnerable in the wake of the Jacobite defeat. Hector refused, desperate to get out of Scotland before facing the consequences of participating in the uprising. Eventually, English soldiers confronted the family. In an effort to escape and protect the hidden gold, Hector accidentally shot their youngest daughter. Hector and Jocasta escaped to North America, and the gold allowed them to purchase their plantation. Jocasta’s other two daughters died in the violent backlash against Highlanders after Culloden.

After completing this story, Jocasta explains that she told the intruders she had no gold; it was buried in Scotland. They did not believe her. The men struck Duncan and threatened to kill him if she did not reveal the location of the gold. Jocasta told them that it was buried under the shed where Betty’s body lay; she thought it might unsettle and delay them. The men went to look for the gold, and she was able to scream for help.

Jamie leads Claire out to the stables, where Roger is guarding Philip Wylie. They question Wylie about whether he knows Stephen Bonnet and whether he was involved in the attempt to steal gold from Jocasta. Wylie seems confused and denies all of this. Claire stating that Betty was murdered via ingesting glass also startles him. Claire explains that she doesn’t know if Betty was fed the glass before Jamie found her or if someone fed it to her later, when she was being treated.

Wylie explains that he was grief-stricken about losing his horse and was heading to the stables to see him; he saw the light in the shed, where Claire and Jamie were performing the autopsy, and went to see what was happening. Wylie states that he suspected someone was following him when he made his way to the shed, but he was not aware that Bonnet was standing behind when he opened the door. Wylie was seized and has been held in the stables, guarded by Roger, ever since. Roger, Jamie, and Claire concede that Wylie seems to be telling the truth. Bonnet got away, stole the magnificent horse, and rode off. They release Wylie.

Roger, Brianna, Jamie, Claire, Duncan, and Jocasta gather to try to make sense of the strange events. They construct a chronology: Betty was found unconscious in the afternoon, presumably having consumed wine laced with laudanum. Given that she had been drinking from a cup intended for Duncan, it seems probable that someone wanted to drug or poison him. The group reflects on how Jocasta and Duncan were supposed to marry at the Gathering in the autumn, but their wedding was delayed after the strange arrest of the priest. They realize that it’s possible that someone has been trying to prevent the marriage.

Jamie speculates that if someone wanted to take Duncan’s place and marry Jocasta for her fortune, killing him at the wedding would make it relatively simple to then force Jocasta into marriage, as the priest was already present. If Betty accidentally consumed the drugged wine, the person who was trying to kill Duncan would have had a strong motive to kill her as well: When she regained consciousness, she would be able to identify whoever had given her the cup. This theory aligns with Claire’s guess that Betty was fed the glass after she was treated.

Without reaching any conclusions about this mystery, they turn to discussing Stephen Bonnet: Brianna is startled to learn that he was in the house. Jocasta explains that she does not think Hector Cameron or Douglas MacKenzie would ever have revealed the secret of the gold, so it must have been the mysterious third man. She also reflects that whoever was in her room along with Bonnet never spoke, and she therefore suspects that she would’ve recognized his voice.

Increasingly, Lieutenant Wolff seems the likeliest suspect: He would have seen a gold bar used as a paperweight by Hector Cameron during his frequent visits to River Run, and had he heard rumors of the Frenchman’s Gold, he might have concluded that the rest of the fortune was there. Wolff might then have hired Bonnet, a talented smuggler and thief, to assist him in stealing it. The group concludes that Wolff and Bonnet, or whoever was trying to steal the gold, will come back to River Run to try again. Because they ran into Jamie and Claire before digging under the shed, they still mistakenly believe that the gold is buried there.

Jamie and his family must return to Fraser’s Ridge, but he promises to pay close attention to any information about Wolff and Bonnet. As Jamie, Claire, and the others make their way home, Major MacDonald catches up to them and delivers a letter from Governor Tryon: Jamie is being ordered to again assemble his militia and be ready to march on the Regulators by mid-April, about a month away. Claire is angry and frustrated by this news.