Dragonfly in Amber

After a difficult journey across the English Channel, Jamie, Claire, Murtagh, and Fergus arrive at Lallybroch. They run into Ian, Jamie’s childhood friend and brother-in-law, who is out with his dogs searching for lost sheep. They pass the McNab cottage and Jamie learns for the first time that Ronnie McNab, the man who told the English where to find him, died in a fire in his cottage. Jamie surveys the ruins and asks about McNab’s family, learning that McNab’s wife and son work at the main house. Claire and Jenny, Jamie’s sister, catch up.

Jamie and Claire get a steady stream of correspondence from their friends in France despite the difficulties of transporting mail to the Highlands. Claire fills her days helping Jenny with the housework and visiting the tenant to provide treats for the children and medicines. She also reflects on her childhood and compares it to Jamie’s.

Ian has begun to grow potatoes. Since potatoes have never been grown in Scotland, Ian ordered a book from Ireland that explains how to grow them. He is unsure when they should be harvested. The book says, “harvesting of the crop should be undertaken simultaneously with the appearance of the first winter goose” (563), but they see geese all year round in Scotland.