It appears that this installment will be heavily laden with smuggling intrigue, but hey, we already secured our share last week, remember? I'm more than ready to overlook any plot twist that comes our way. The scene opens yet again with someone attempting to violate Claire, but she swiftly stabs him, causing him to stumble backwards and knock himself unconscious against the stone hearth. A head wound like that could prove fatal! Minutes later, Jamie arrives on the scene, and Claire opts to omit the attempted rape portion of the tale. It seems this gentleman was sent by Sir Percival to uncover Jamie's cache of liquor, quite possibly with Sir Percival's blessings in exchange for a generously lucrative slice of the pie. Despite having to sell the barrels at a price lower than they'd hoped, Jamie hastily offloads them.
Now a fully fledged doctor, Claire feels compelled to save this despicable character, and we are once again treated to her battlefield-inspired medical acumen. Shall we drill a hole in a skull today, comrades? It seems everyone in historical tales is always engaging in trepanation. Jamie warns her that if the man lives, she'll face arrest, but Claire has never been one to heed advice. Thankfully, Broseph doesn't make it through, much to Claire's annoyance, a reaction all too typical of her.
Sir Percival drops by the brothel, accusing Jamie of withholding liquor from him. What did he expect from smugglers, anyway? Fortunately for Jamie, he's already sold off the barrels, so Sir Percival finds nothing.
Fergus and Jamie's nephew Ian, who brokered the booze deal, want to celebrate by scoring some companionship for the night. Fergus seems to have a knack for seduction, while Ian chats up a barmaid. Unbeknownst to them, one of Sir Percival's minions is keeping a close eye on their activities.
Claire sets off to treat a fortune-teller whose brother she met while procuring medical supplies at a local apothecary. The woman clearly suffers from a mental ailment, which her brother mistakenly interprets as divine visions. They plan to depart for the West Indies, a prospect Claire finds deeply troubling, especially considering the brother's penchant for sedating her with laudanum.
Meanwhile, Jamie casually remarks, almost nonchalantly, that he disposed of the deceased's corpse in a cask filled with creme de menthe, a revelation that strikes us as an impending catastrophe, considering the boys had discarded those very casks to enhance the allure of their illicit alcohol deal. Ian Senior, Jenny's consort, is a mixture of astonishment and elation upon witnessing Claire's vitality, yet his heart remains heavy with concern over his son's whereabouts. (Our last glimpse of the youngster found him inebriated and making considerable progress with his paramour at the printshop.) Jamie refrains from enlightening Ian about his son's involvement in the smuggling endeavors, a decision that strikes me as a grave disservice to family ties. Claire, unequivocally thinking along these lines, reprimands Jamie, accusing him of failing to comprehend the depth of fatherhood. A harsh blow, indeed, Claire!
As Ian prepares to depart, he inquires about Claire's reaction to the news, fueling our suspicions that Jamie harbors secrets beyond our awareness. At the very minimum, it unequivocally hints at Claire's unawareness of the complete narrative. Ian Junior stumbles upon the henchman ransacking the printshop in search of alcohol. Though he comes up empty-handed in that regard, he does uncover seditious pamphlets and, in a fit of fury, sets the establishment aflame. Jamie, realizing the imminent danger, dashes inside to rescue Ian Junior from the inferno that is rapidly consuming the paper-laden building. In a dramatic escape, he manages to drag them both out through a window, mere seconds before the entire structure collapses into ruins.
Now faced with arrest for sedition, it seems evident that it's time for Jamie to flee town. He resolves to return young Ian to Lallybroch and the comfort of his family. Fergus, finally, poses the question that has been lingering in the air, "Does Claire know about your OTHER wife?" confirming our suspicions without a shadow of a doubt. Perhaps, Jamie, disclosing that fact first might have been a wiser choice amidst their confessional exchange!
