The SPOILER Thread can be found here.


Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Copyright 1994

Please discuss Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager ONLY in this thread. Thanks!

Chapter 59 In Which Much Is Revealed


Following the discovery of Mina Alcott's murdered body, Claire and Marsali have been stashed in the Governor's private office to wait while Jamie is somewhere else being interrogated. Claire reassures Marsali that while no one actually thinks Jamie committed the crime, it appears that he is being held at least partially responsible since he is the one who brought Mr. Willoughby, prime suspect, to the party.

Marsali expresses shock and disbelief: Claire ponders whether she really knows Jamie, thinking back to what he asked her when they were first reunited:While she can't believe that Jamie would take Lord John as a lover, she remembers that he hid the truth about Laoghaire from her as well.

After Marsali is taken home by Fergus, Claire is left to wait for Jamie with Lord John himself. When Claire opens the door to go find Jamie, she is shocked to see the Admiral and a group of officers coming toward the office, among them Thomas Leonard, now a first lieutenant, and looking none too good: Thinking fast, Claire pretends to be in a swoon and drapes herself across a love seat with a towel over her face. LJ, surprised but ever the gallant gentleman, plays along, conceals her true identity from the officers, and sends them on their way.

Once alone, Claire and LJ engage in quite a bit of verbal jousting and one-upmanship, trying to maintain their cool and yet also trying to figure out what exactly is going on. (If they were alive today and able to text, I think their common question would be "WTF"?)

Despite their shock, neither has lost their flare for one-liners:

LJ: "Somehow I suspect that a mere murder would not be sufficient to discompose a woman who could deal single-handedly with a typhoid epidemic."

Claire: "There are shocks... and then there are shocks. If you know what I mean."

They discover crucial information. Claire is, of course, Jamie's wife whom LJ has believed long dead. Claire learns the incredible truth about Jamie's son Willie.

As LJ fills Claire in on what transpired, we finally get to see the exchange between LJ and Jamie at Helwater, in which Jamie learns of LJ's intention to marry Isobel. Jamie asks LJ to raise his son, and offers LJ his body in exchange. John turns down Jamie's offer, understanding Jamie's motives, and telling Jamie "you cannot give me what you do not have." Jamie promises friendship to John, and kisses him tenderly and lovingly before they part.

Claire also learns that LJ is the boy from Carryarick, so long ago. Claire and John acknowledge that they liked each other when they met on board the Porpoise. There is a definite sadness and finality when they both add the word "... then".

Jamie is released, and he and Claire go home to the plantation. He confesses to Claire that he has a son, and explains the circumstances as best he can. The truth comes out, with a final question from Jamie to Claire:



Claire reaffirms her belief in Jamie's goodness and honesty, and reminds him of the vows they took on their wedding day. They are once again united, body and spirit, "and we were neither one of us alone."

The Funny Stuff:

Seems that no matter how heavy the subject matter, Diana Gabaldon always manages to lace the narrative with bits of humor. My favorites this chapter:
• Fergus leaving his hand behind with the militiaman
• The various reactions to John's marital status, particularly Jamie's shock that he intended to marry a woman, and LJ's dry reassurance that, basically, he'd tested it out and found that he'd make an adequate husband.
• Lord John to Claire: "Yours were the first woman's breasts I had ever seen."
• Any other moments of humor you found in this chapter?

Questions/Food for Thought:

This chapter sows the seeds for what will continue to be a relationship full of contradictions for Claire and LJ. They have a basis of mutual respect due to having met more or less anonymously, but are clearly adversaries in terms of their feelings for Jamie.
• Lord John is surprisingly open with Claire about his sexual orientation and about his feelings for Jamie. In fact, this may be the first time that he expresses out loud the fact that he loves Jamie. Why is he able to say these things to Claire? Were you surprised by how candid he was?
• How do Claire's memories of her marriage to Frank affect how she reacts to Lord John?
• How have Lord John's feelings toward Willie grown and changed? Is he still involved only because of Jamie, or has he truly embraced being Willie's father?
• Why do you think Jamie never told Jenny about Willie? Surely he could trust her with the information, so why keep this crucial part of life hidden from the most important person in his life?
• How hard was it for Claire to be patient and wait for Jamie to tell her about Willie, rather than confronting him right away? Are you surprised by her doubts, wondering whether Jamie had hid the truth from her because he'd truly loved Geneva?
• On a more trivial note, and just because I tend to be curious about minor details -- what do you think happened to Thomas Leonard? It seems logical that he'd lose his captain's rank once the emergency at sea had ended... but who beat him up, and why? [Perhaps we do find this out in the next couple of chapters -- it's been a while since the last time I read Voyager!]

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Much was revealed, indeed!

It's been a crazy day, but I finally managed to finish the chapter and then get here to post about it. Yay!

Like you, I also wondered what had happened to Leonard. I'm not surprised that he was no longer in captain's coat - he isn't really a captain after all (first lieutenant was a promotion for him, wasn't it?) - but I don't recall whether we find out who beat him up and why. I keep discovering just how much I've forgotten.

And, in keeping with the random trivial item theme: John was fiddling with the paperweight! That item is mentioned other places, but I hadn't remembered its presence here.

Oh, and I found myself thinking that it's absolutely true that much was revealed in this chapter, but in a physical sense, less was revealed in this meeting between Claire and Lord John than in their very first meeting at Carryarick when John saw a woman's breasts for the first time.

Yes, I was surprised at how candid John was about his sexual orientation and his feelings for Jamie. I thought it was rather brave of him. But, on thinking about it again, I guess he assumed that Jamie would tell Claire about it anyway, so why not just say it himself? Especially after discovering that she witnessed the embrace and realizing that she likely saw the expression on his face.

I'm quite certain that, at this point, John loves WIllie as his son and it no longer has much to do with Jamie. I mean, the fact that he resembles Jamie is certainly a nice reminder of him, but it's been years since he married Isobel and started regularly caring for Willie as his son and John is certainly devoted to family and someone who loves children (like his niece and nephews), so I don't think he is at all doing this "for Jamie" anymore. However, keeping Jamie apprised of how William is doing would be something he'd do for Jamie.

As for not telling Jenny about Willie, I think it had to do with the fact that he couldn't claim Willie as his son and Jenny and Ian would never see him, so why bother telling them? Maybe more importantly, I think he felt guilty as the cause of Geneva's death. And, Geneva had used a threat against Jenny and her family to blackmail Jamie into having sex with her, so Jamie is ashamed to tell her, or anyone else, about the whole episode.

I thought there were a lot of funny moments. Things like John being sure that Claire wouldn't be fazed by a murder victim after her experiences on the Porpoise; and his laughing so hard he fell down when Jamie offered him his body and his matter of fact statement that he would want Jamie until he died, but his honor could have been insulted by the offer; and John asking Claire if his need for brandy was a medical opinion; and certainly more that aren't popping to mind at the moment.

John was remarkably quick on the uptake in this chapter: things like lying smoothly about Claire being asleep when the naval officers appeared, and realizing when Claire mentioned shocks and shocks that the fan he had found was hers and what she must have seen.

My version, a paperback from Nov 1994, has a goof in the flashback saying the "stable at Ellesmere" when it should have been Helwater.

I was surprised that Fergus and Marsali would leave Claire there alone to wait for Jamie, but I suppose there was some sense in getting Fergus out of there since he was obviously being questioned, too. Though, that confuses me a bit because Fergus and Marsali did not go through the receiving line with Jamie, Claire and Mr. Willoughby, so were they clearly part of their party?

I'm going to head to the spoiler thread for a couple of additional comments.

One more thing: I was surprised that John showed Claire the picture and told her about Willie since he was assuming that Jamie had not told her. Wasn't that Jamie's secret to tell? I'm surprised John would do that. I don't think it was solely to make Claire feel better - even though discovering why Jamie embraced John had that effect. Do others have a good justification for his decision to reveal this secret? He's an honorable man and certainly wouldn't want to do something that would upset Jamie, so I can't quite figure it out.

Great chapter. I like how John slips right into step with Claire when she hides on the sofa. With out missing a beat! Then true to his humor remakes that she has had enough drink to knock out a horse(or the like).

I think John is claiming territory with Jamie over Claire. Willie is Jamie's news but he has a chance to let Claire know that he and Jamie have a history that she does not share AND Jamie has not told her. It is the kind of conversation you might here from any two people competing over a lover. John and Claire are bonded through Jamie regardless of their personal feelings toward each other. I like this chapter becasue we see John and Claire start to square off each other and they are a good match of wills (no pun intended) and humor.

Lisa SF, this is a very good summary of a *loaded* chapter! I love this chapter for so many reasons; we learn so much information and we see a great back-and-forth between LJ and Claire, and possibly, the beginning of a *friendship* between LJ and Claire, although neither of them realize what is happening because they both suffer from jealousy.

LJ is his usual calm self when all else seems to be falling apart around him! I love his interactions with Claire, too, and the way he so nonchalantly acts as though she has passed out from the excitement.

Lisa - your references to the humor were great! DG always seems to provide us with a few laughs at tense moments!

Has anyone else noticed that eventually Claire, is one of the few people in the world that LJ can be completely candid with without fear of retribution? Claire knows everything about him, which few do, and yet she still treats him with respect (later on) and converses with him on all subjects in a fair and intelligent manner. He has the friendship with Jamie, but he cannot talk openly of his feelings with Jamie. I believe that he feels free to do so with Claire; making them quite the strange duo - but it works for them both! It makes for fascinating conversation and reveals so much about both characters. I always look forward to Claire and LJ being in the same room - you never know what will surface!

Do you think Thomas Leonard was beaten because he lost Claire when she jumped ship, and because they were never able to capture Jamie? I can't think of any other reason right now.



This made me cry! I love Jamie's character!!!

Excellent summary! I love this chapter. John and Claire make a great verbal match - sparring with each other in true style.

Why did John tell her about Willie? Great question and I think maybe to show her that he has intimate knowledge of Jamie that Claire doesn't have. Sort of - he told me his secrets but he didn't tell you. Kind of a jab if you will.

Why did John open up about his feelings for Jamie? Well, I think he had a gut feeling he could trust her. It may not even be anything tangible but just that they both loved this man so they were already bonded by common love. Great comment about opening up to Claire and that is very true. I think it is easier to talk to women about matters of the heart. Guys tend to want to gloss over them at best and deny them at worst. Somehow, I think he knew she would understand.

I completely agree. And, as I was reading your comment, it reminded me of the scene in the falling down chapel in Edinburgh in Dragonfly with BJR. He also talked to Claire about Jamie because he couldn't talk to Jamie or anyone else about it. I don't generally find much in common between LJ and BJR - I adore LJ and detest BJR, as I'm sure DG intended - but these are similar scenes and they can both talk to Claire about things for similar reasons.

I think that John recognizes a kindred spirit in Claire in terms of his love for Jamie. In some weird way, I think John is able to talk about his love for Jamie with Claire because he knows that she knows what it's like to have Jamie as the center of one's heart, soul, and life. Because she witnessed what she did, she is the one person in John's acquaintance who knows the truth about him. It must be so refreshing for him, despite their outward rivalry, to speak openly of his feelings for once.

I agree, I do always look forward to their scenes together! They're so well-matched in temperament and wits, and the tension between them is so marvelous.

I think their time on the ship during the plague showed Claire's true colors to LJ--i.e., that she wasn't a typical woman of that time and had a more worldly view of life and its complications.

LAMP, good point, Claire is anything but typical.

abl, I love the comparison (but hate BJR) and you have a point. Jamie is the center of the world for those 3 people so they have a common bond in him. Claire and John love him so it must be a comfort for John to actually express it to someone who understands the why of it.

[quote="Lisa SF"]Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Copyright 1994


Questions/Food for Thought:

This chapter sows the seeds for what will continue to be a relationship full of contradictions for Claire and LJ. They have a basis of mutual respect due to having met more or less anonymously, but are clearly adversaries in terms of their feelings for Jamie.
1. Lord John is surprisingly open with Claire about his sexual orientation and about his feelings for Jamie. In fact, this may be the first time that he expresses out loud the fact that he loves Jamie. Why is he able to say these things to Claire? Were you surprised by how candid he was?

2. How do Claire's memories of her marriage to Frank affect how she reacts to Lord John?

3. How have Lord John's feelings toward Willie grown and changed? Is he still involved only because of Jamie, or has he truly embraced being Willie's father?

4. Why do you think Jamie never told Jenny about Willie? Surely he could trust her with the information, so why keep this crucial part of life hidden from the most important person in his life?

5. How hard was it for Claire to be patient and wait for Jamie to tell her about Willie, rather than confronting him right away? Are you surprised by her doubts, wondering whether Jamie had hid the truth from her because he'd truly loved Geneva?

My thoughts:
1. He did take a leap of faith in explaining himself but I doubt he would have had the conversation if his emotions weren't so high from Jamie's embrace and being "caught in the act" by Claire.

2. I think hearing it helped her understand her marriage to Frank better and helped her have compassion for LJ and what he was feeling since she had been the "Jamie" in her marriage with Frank.

3. At this point, I don't think we know. He did leave his son behind in England to take the post in Jamaica. It's not until later in the series do we see the close bond between Willie and LJ and that LJ is truly Willie's father.

4. I questioned this too and actually started a separate thread on this awhile back. I'm not sure how to link this discussion to that one.

5. I really felt for Claire at this point. On one hand, she wanted to know what was going on re Willie and Geneva however there was probably a larger part that dreaded finding out the truth. He's withheld information about Laoghaire and now this big omission about Willie and Geneva--what else is he hiding? While Geneva is dead, did Jamie love her and does he pine for her like he did for Claire when he was married to Laoghaire? Does she really know him and can she trust him with her heart? I think it's very natural for her to be questioning herself and her judgment re Jamie.

You really did an excellent job summarizing this chapter. I actually couldn't wait for the re-kilting to get to this chapter to find out what everyone thought about it.

LAMP, you did start the discussion on question 4 - why Jamie didn't tell Jenny or Ian. If you want to discuss that even further, HERE is the link.

Why did Lord John have two identical miniatures of Willie? Just in case he lost one? I would have expected him to only have one with him, though it was handy to have an extra to give Jamie. Or maybe they were slightly different and he had essentially two similar pictures of his son? Even if he had two, I would have expected him to have one in his bedroom/private quarters rather than in his office, but I suppose that's nitpicky and it works better for the story that he can give one to Jamie and show the other to Claire without having to run off and fetch it.

Excellent chapter summary, Lisa SF. I am enjoying everyone's posts and agree with your comments. I love the scenes with Claire and Lord John. As you mentioned, Lisa, there is great tension and banter when those two are together. There are several threads dealing with their relationship. Here is one that discusses Claire and Lord John's relationship from their initial encounter, which includes all the books in the series under the Character Forums. This thread looks at whether LJ is attracted to Claire and is listed under the Echo book topics.

ABL, to answer your question about the two miniatures of William, one is LJ's and the other was meant as gift for Jamie. Perhaps LJ intended to send it to him in Edinburgh or hoped to deliver it in person when the opportunity presented itself. I would imagine that LJ kept track of Jamie's whereabouts, as much as anyone could given Jamie's nomadic tendencies.

If LJ intended the miniature for Jamie, I would have expected him to send it to Jamie in Scotland from London rather than bringing it with him all the way to Jamaica. He had no way of knowing that he'd see Jamie there. That just doesn't seem very logical to me, and I think John is pretty logical. Hmmmm.