Outlander

Claire attends dinner at Colum’s castle for the first time. The dinner part consists of about forty people, with ten attending them. Colum is seated by his wife Letitia and his son Hamish. Claire notes that Hamish looks more like Colum’s brother Dougal than Colum. Dougal is seated with his teenage daughters, Margaret and Eleanor. Colum inquires after Jamie. Dougal tells him that he sent Jamie down to the stables. “Aye, well…ye trust him so far?” Colum asks Dougal, raising Claire’s suspicions about the relationship between Colum, Dougal, and Jamie (152). She later finds out that Jamie is Colum and Dougal’s nephew. Claire resolves to find Jamie in the morning to check his wounds.

The next day, Claire attends “Hall,” a public forum in which Colum dispenses justice by hearing cases and settling disputes. Cases are presented both in English and Gaelic, the Celtic language of Scotland. Claire is surprised to find herself one of the cases. As her captor, Dougal makes the case for Claire to stay at the castle for refuge until her English connections are found. Douglas says the word “English” with a hint of irony. Claire gleans that she is being “tolerated but held under suspicion” (158).