All of Castle Leoch is preparing for The Gathering where all of the fighting men of the clan will swear their fealty to Colum MacKenzie. Claire thinks she has the perfect escape plan. Jamie finds himself in a precarious position. Tensions between Claire and Dougal ease after they work together.
For the first time in a long while, all the fighting men of Clan MacKenzie are gathering at Castle Leoch to swear their fealty to the laird, Colum MacKenzie. Claire sees this as her one chance to get away. She has spent that past several weeks coming up with a plan and preparing for her escape including using a game with the children to learn the terrain and the habits of the guards. She used articles of clothing to mark the best possible escape routes and plans to steal away at night while everyone is gathered in the hall to watch the men give their oaths of allegiance to Colum.
Mrs. Fitz informs Claire that as Colum’s guest she must also attend the gathering. At first Claire thinks this will thwart her chance to escape, but then she realizes that her guards will be more lax since she’ll be accompanied by Mrs. Fitz. Claire makes her excuse after the second oath and runs into one of her guards on her way back to the surgery. She gives him a bottle of port that she has laced with a sedative and urges it to share it with his friends hoping more unconscious men will make it easier for her to get away.
Claire’s escape is interrupted when she trips over Jamie in the stables. He agrees that she has a sound escape plan but for the fact that she forgot that Colum has posted extra guards throughout the woods while all of the fighting men were inside. Jamie offers to escort Claire back to the castle, but she informs him that she has left Dougal lying unconscious after she hit him with a chair when he was being too forward with her. Jamie laughs it off and says that Dougal probably won’t even remember since he was drunk or would be too embarrassed to admit a woman got the better of him.
Jamie and Claire run into a few clan members on their way back to the castle. The clansmen remind Jamie about going to the hall to swear his oath to The MacKenzie. Unknown to Claire, Jamie had been intending to stay out of sight during The Gathering. She learns that if Jamie gives his oath then it would put him in the line of succession and at odds with Dougal who has his sights set on becoming laird after Colum. Jamie also can’t refuse to give his oath in front of everyone without insulting Colum and putting his life at risk. Either way, Jamie’s life is in danger. Colum and Dougal wouldn’t have pressed the issue just so long as Jamie had remained hidden. Claire realizes that she is to blame for the situation Jamie has found himself in by helping her. Everyone looks on in silence as Jamie kneels before Colum. Then Jamie tells Colum that he can’t give him his oath because it belongs to the name he bears, but he does give him his obedience as his kinsman while he lives on MacKenzie land. This answer satisfies Colum and eases the tension.
The next day Claire joins the men while they are out hunting boar. While tending to an injured man, she hears another screaming in agony. She races toward him, but she soon finds herself in danger as a boar charges toward her before Dougal shoots it. She and Dougal tend to another man who has received a fatal abdominal injury. Claire is able to give the man some peace in his final moments which helps to ease the tensions between her and Dougal. Dougal realizes that Claire has seen a man die a violent death before. He informs her that he will be taking her along with him while he travels around MacKenzie lands collecting rent from those unable to attend The Gathering. Claire sees hope once again that this will offer her a chance at escape.
This episode showed how desperate Claire is to get away. As more time passes, she realizes that it will only be harder for her to return to Craigh na Dun and hopefully Frank. She is in a strange land and, while she is smart, life here is unfamiliar for her. She has a discussion with Geillis who seems to sense that Claire is desperate to get away and that she is hiding something. Geillis shares with Claire that by marrying a man of standing and some wealth, she was able to gain freedom. Geillis warns Claire that the Highlands aren’t a place for a woman alone. I particularly enjoyed this exchange because it is becoming apparent that it isn’t safe for Claire being a woman unattached. She was saved by Dougal when she ran into some drunken clansmen only for Dougal to then try to force himself on her. Sometimes Claire’s stubbornness puts her life and others in danger. She was desperate to escape, but in doing so she unknowingly wound up putting Jamie’s life in danger as well. She was warned to not run off alone during The Hunt, but she did so any way nearly getting herself injured and possibly killed. This shows that Claire desperately wants to return to her own century. She could do as Geillis suggested, find a man and have some freedom, but Claire is a fighter. She isn’t going to give up that easily although there is wisdom in Geillis’ words especially that even though this wasn’t the journey Claire planned, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good one.
About the Author - Tracie
Tracie is a wife and stay-at-home mom of 2 residing in NJ. She likes to unwind with a good book or in front of the TV. She is an avid reader of romance books. She likes to cook and bake. She loves to exercise and is trying to live a healthier life style. She watches a wide variety of TV shows ranging from reality TV to scripted dramas. Some of her past and current favorite TV shows are Sex and the City, Charmed, The Good Wife, and Hart of Dixie.
