Voyager - By Diana Gabaldon
Chapter 27: Up in Flames

Claire has finally been fitted into Daphne's clothes and uses the occasion to start questioning Jamie about how he knew it would fit. We get an echo of the wedding night when he tells her that while he hasn't bedded the girls, it doesn't mean that he hasn't looked. They are in Moubray's tavern and Claire continues to question Jamie about his identities and where she fits into all of this. "You're my wife, Sassenach, Always. No matter who I may be--you're my wife." Just a wee bit of foreshadowing here. As they become more amorous, they are interrupted by Sir Percival who has a cryptic conversation with Jamie about traveling north, etc., which Jamie explains has to do with warning Jamie. They then retire to an upstairs room where afterwards, Claire remarks "Post coitum omne animalium triste est," which roughly translates to "After intercourse most animals feel sadly" They then get into one of their typical humorous/philisophical discussions about what different animals look like after intercourse but they both agree that they have never been happier. Jamie tells her that it's not just the bedding but being able to talk to her with all his heart *sigh* They then discuss his smuggling operation and Claire's medical career and how Jamie came to be a printer. "The English took my sword and dirk away, But Tom Gage put a weapon into my hands again, and I think I shall not lay it down."

Afterwards, they are walking through Edinburgh in pure bliss until they realize that a fire is coming in from the area of his print shop. They run to the shop and Jamie and his neighbors try to run in and out saving his equipment. When Ian comes up to Claire he sees Young Ian up in the top of the building. Jamie goes up and saves Yg.Ian and they return to Madam Jeanne's house. Under questioning, they learn that Yg Ian has been following a fellow who was going from tavern to tavern to inquire about Jamie under Jamie's various aliases. Ian followed him and then went to Mad.Jeanne's to find Jamie to tell him about it when he had originally encountered Claire. Ian starts taking a fit with Jamie about his taking his son to a bawdy house. At this Yg. Ian starts calling his father a hypocrite for lecturing his sons while "sniffin after whores!" When Ian blows up about who he is talking about, YIan points to Claire. Ian swats his son and explains that this is his Auntie Claire who has been in France unaware that Jamie survived until now and has come back to him. "So ye've come back to him" "God, that's romantic!" We love Young Ian.

Y.Ian proceeds to get sick and Claire offers to go get some tea, etc., for him.When she returns, she realizes that something has transpired in her absence. But she is in full healing mode dispensing tea, whiskey, and burn poultices. Y.Ian continues to tell them that the man went to the shop and was taking political pamphlets so he started the fire while trying to destroy the evidence and protect himself from the mysterious man from the taverns. Ian now lays into Jamie for getting involved in politics. It is here that we see a glimpse of Jamie's anger when he starts yelling about "losing everything". His land, freedom, his wife and all to save everyone else. It is at this point that Claire realizes what the last 20 years had cost him. Then Jamie lays into Ian about his profit of all of this sacrifice, namely Lallybroch. Do you think that Jamie resents Jenny and Ian for these sacrifices?

Jamie tries to explain to Ian that he has tried to keep his son out of trouble as much as possible, but Ian reminds him that he didn't let them know about any of it either. The old argument of whether it is worse to lie or to not tell the truth, aye? Ian finally tries to take his son away but Y.Ian refuses to go. Dejectedly, Ian leaves and Jamie finds out the rest of the story from Y.Ian about the man dying in the fire. Y.Ian is clearly upset about his involvement in the death and Jamie tries to assure him that it was self-defense so it's OK. He then tells him how he has dealt with having to kill men and to make peace with himself about whether he had a choice, say an act of contrition prayer, and "Then ye live with it, laddie, That's all."

This chapter is filled with revelations about our characters. Claire is finding out about Jamie, he is finding out about her, Ian is finding out about his son, Y.Ian is finding out about Claire. It seems that the chapter title "Up in Flames" is more about everyone's illusions about one another as much as about his print shop. Do you agree?

Great summary! I have heard this scene recently and loved it (mostly - I found Sir Percival to be annoying).

"The English took my sword and dirk away, But Tom Gage put a weapon into my hands again, and I think I shall not lay it down."
This quote seems to foreshadow so much! Even throughout Echo we get glimpses of this.

I love that Jamie chides Yg Ian for being disrespectful to his father. Does Jamie resent the life he has led? I don't think so in as much as he knows that is destructive. Things occurred as they did and despite all efforts, they couldn't be changed. Does that mean he wishes things were different? Not at all. I think sometimes in anger we speak with out thinking. I am sure Jenny and Ian didn't ask for all the help Jamie provided. He did it out of loyalty. It would have been wrong to refuse.

As for Yg Ian - poor lad! To have to live with the knowledge that he killed (or may have killed) this man is hard for someone as young as he. I thought it was interesting that he didn't want his dad to know for fear of what he would think? He knows Ian has killed before. But it shows how much he loved his dad and how important his dad's respect was to him, imo.

Up in Flames is very obviously the print shop but you may be right that all of their ideas of each other, all preconceived notions have also gone Up in Flames.

I just finished reading this chapter. I hadn't thought about the title beyond the obvious of the print shop going up in flames, but you're absolutely right about a lot of illusions going up in smoke too. Good catch!

I've never especially thought that Jamie resented Jenny and Ian for his sacrifices, but I think he might resent the world in general for having to give up so much. Much of what he did was to protect more than just J&I and their family. Like giving himself up to go to prison helped them as well as all the tenants and their families. And, he had to give Lallybroch to Young Jamie because of his association with Prince Charlie, which was his attempt to prevent Culloden and save many lives. So, I think he feels some resentment about it all, but not specifically at his sister and BIL, though at that moment I think his annoyance flared a bit at Ian because he was there and (verbally) attacking Jamie.

A few things I noticed during this read:
- Jamie's eyes are described as "a soft deep blue like the warm tropic sea" which is a description I don't remember being used before (though it might have been). Kind of felt like foreshadowing since warm tropic seas are to come in this book. . .

- Jamie tells her how having her back means so much for more than just the bedding: "to know I can say anything, not guard my words or hide my thoughts" and later she tells him to tell her all his heart. And, they do talk. But, I kept thinking of the rather big secret he is still keeping from her. Not that there was really a good time to tell her about Laoghaire, but somehow his words, sweet as they were and understandable too, didn't quite ring true knowing what he was keeping from her.

- It's a little dangerous to say she's his wife no matter his identity. I just checked back to be sure, but Mr. Wallace knew Claire as Mrs. Fraser on the coach. Then, he was there with Sir Percival and could easily have walked over. Then, there would have been the issue of her being Mrs. Malcolm, or Jamie being Mr. Fraser. Clearly, some people know his multiple identities, but it seems dangerous to have too many names mixing among too many people. I know this doesn't end up being a big issue, but it seemed like something they should perhaps have been more careful about. And, they probably would have given more time and less chaos, I suppose. Just one of those random observations.

- I can't remember what happened in Claire's absence that made both Ian's unable to look at her. I suspect I'll find out soon when I read the next chapter, but I was as confused as Claire.

- Oh, and I thought it was poignant when Ian pointed out that Young Ian was his son not Jamie's. Since Jamie has a son that Ian doesn't know about and whom he cannot claim.

Great summary!

I assumed that while Claire was out of the room, Jamie, Ian and Young Ian had the "hey, what about your OTHER wife??" conversation. The two Ians would be very aware of this, considering that Laoghaire is living about a stone's throw from Lallybroch.

Even though we'd been introduced to Young Ian in an earlier chapter, I was absolutely delighted to reread this one and get our first real taste of Y. Ian's character, warts and all. He's always been one of my favorites, and I think this chapter does a masterful job of showing his courage, his awkwardness, his big heart, and his tendency toward disaster. I love how he instantly bonds with Claire -- one minute he's calling her a whore, next minute she's holding his hands and taking care of him as his Auntie.

Oh! Good point Lisa. That is the likeliest conversation in her absence.

One other thing I forgot to comment on earlier:
When Claire described being a surgeon as someone who effects healing by using a knife, I was thinking that Claire has certainly used rather dramatic - and potentially dangerous - methods to heal in the past. Specifically, I was thinking of her healing Jamie at the Abbey at the end of Outlander by evoking BJR. Jamie interprets it a bit differently talking about having tempered steel for a core, but this was my first thought.

Brilliant summary and comments, ladies. I wanted to add that Jamie has traded one weapon for another by taking on the printing press. As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. How clever of Jamie to find another method to further his cause.

Lisa, I agree that the men are probably arguing and encouraging Jamie to tell Claire about Laoghaire when she leaves the room. I always wondered why she just never came out and asked Jamie if he had remarried during the 20 years they were apart. Would he have blatantly lied to her if she had done so?

I just love Young Ian. What a trooper.

I agree. It would not have been strange if he remarried and actually wouldn't be too surprising if he was a widower or something given that 20 years have passed. She seemed to shy away from the conversation and actually stopped him when he mentioned not living like a monk for 20 years.

Great summary -

This is an interesting chapter in many ways - we learn that Jamie has developed an interest in sedition - the pen was indeed mightier than the sword...

and whilst Claire and Jamie act like two loved -up teenagers - the reality of his life in Edinburgh is about to get very hot - like those flames in the print shop.

I agree that it wouldn't have been unreasonable for Claire to expect Jamie to have been married in the intevening years

- I think she was afraid to ask the question because she didn't want to know the answer.....

I loved meeting young Ian and can see shades of a young Jamie in the way young Ian dives in before thinking of his actions .....

I too think that Claire didn't ask about the past because she didn't want to know. Maybe he had been married, widowed, divorced, etc?

At that second, maybe it didn't matter so much. On the rekilt, I caught the biplay between Ian, Young Ian and Jamie. The first read, I was so excited about the reunion I completely ignored everything else.

NTC and I are also re-kilting by audio, as Twilight is. The audio reading provides a very fresh outlook to the story that we thought we knew very well.

I keep wondering what would have happened if Claire had delayed her travel back to Jamie by two days? With his multiple identities, would she have ever found him? (I doubt that she would have looked in a brothel.)

Even a simple fire is not simple to DG. Ian tells a story for his father that is quite complex. Then, he complicates it further in the correction for Jamie (and Claire). This event certainly sets events in motion for the future of all of these characters!

Was anyone else impressed with how Jamie, at this point in his life, was able to liberally dispense coins for those in need or to whom he was obligated? (And whatever happened to the coins that Claire traveled with?)

Great point repoman. He is much more affluent in terms of wealth. It mimics closely real life as we are broke in our 20s (or most of us are) and as we age, we gain wealth as well as knowledge and wisdom. Of course, that isn't everyone but that does seem to be the progression.

I shudder to think if Claire was late!

In terms of the money, I wondered about all the money Claire came with also. I assume she still has most of it. But, Jamie has money because he spoke to the insurance guy after the fire, didn't he? (Or am I thinking of a later chapter? Maybe so.) The insurance settlement should have given him enough money to cover various losses, and the smuggling is apparently reasonably lucrative, so I don't think Jamie is concerned about his finances as he has been at other times.