Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone

William arrives at his childhood home and meets his father’s friend, Manoke, and a former scout, John Cinnamon. John has come to Virginia in search of John Grey, his suspected father. William, John Grey’s stepson, is angry that he might have a biological son. William agrees to take John Cinnamon to Savannah, where John Grey is stationed with the British Army.

In Fraser’s Ridge, John Quincy Myers arrives with a hive of bees for Claire. John teaches Claire how to bless the new bees and encourages her to speak to the bees often. John has letters for several members of Fraser’s Ridge, including Jamie, Germain, and Franny.

Claire and Jamie invite John Quincy and the Higgins over for dinner. Franny happily opens her letter from William. Germain is upset because, despite receiving a letter from his mother, he feels responsible for his brother Henri-Christian’s death. Claire reads the letter to Germain; the whole family misses him, and he has two new baby brothers.

Claire and Jamie are housekeeping when Elspeth comes by, running into Mandy playing alone. Mandy comments about flushing Elspeth down the toilet, so the older woman slaps her. Jamie confronts Elspeth and demands she leave. Claire attempts to soothe the situation, but Elspeth throws a package on the porch and leaves. Claire discovers the package contains the Jesuit bark Claire needed.

Two weeks later, the house is awakened by a dog; Jamie and Claire go out to find it. Jamie recognizes the dog; he left it on the grave of a man he killed. Jamie lures the dog inside, and the children are instantly charmed, especially Fanny. Jamie decides to call her Bluebell.

Jamie is restless while Claire is out delivering a baby. He finds Brianna’s copy of The Soul of a Rebel, featuring a picture of Claire’s first husband, Frank Randall. After a moment of jealousy, he settles in to read the book.

Claire runs into two men at the creek. They ask for directions to the Cunningham place. Claire takes them home, and Jamie invites them to spend the night. Over dinner, the two men question Jamie’s abrupt resignation from the Continental Army. Jamie explains that Claire was wounded and he resigned to care for her. The next day, Jamie speaks to Bobby Higgins about building a militia to protect the ridge.

Claire is bothered that Bluebell belonged to the man who raped Claire when she was kidnapped. Jamie explains that the night he and the others rescued Claire, Jamie ordered that they kill everyone; mercy would have reduced the respect of his tenants. Jamie shares his plan to form a militia, citing the reformation of similar gangs.

Jamie asks Claire about Frank’s book’s validity. Claire says that Frank was a diligent historian and an honest man. Jamie feels that Frank wrote the book specifically for him, telling Claire not to read it.

Brianna and Jamie visit Mrs. Patton, the gunpowder maker. Mrs. Patton recognizes Jamie as “Red Jamie” from the Jacobite uprising. Brianna decides to purchase gunpowder from Mrs. Patton, giving her one of the gold slips she had made before traveling into the past. Jamie later chastises her because someone might see her with them and rob her.

Roger and Claire go to the Cunningham cabin. Roger wants to the rebuild the meeting house and asks Cunningham if he’ll help in exchange for the right to present Methodist services. Cunningham is surprised to learn that Jamie has allowed Freemasons to stay at the building. Rachel arrives, telling them that she wants to use the building for Quaker meetings.

Jamie confesses to the murder of Claire’s rapist to Roger. Jamie says Claire saw the man at Beardsley’s trading post with Jenny, who told Jamie what happened. Jamie says that Claire kept it to herself because she wanted to try to forgive the man, but Jamie figured it was “easier to forgive a dead man than one who’s walkin’ about under your nose” (209). Jamie says that he would have died to ensure America’s freedom when Roger, Brianna, and their children were in the future. Now that they are there and Jamie is responsible for his tenants, Jamie is worried that he cannot protect them all.

Fanny gets her first period, fearing she will now be forced into sex work. Claire promises she will not. Fanny misses Jane, and Jamie consoles her. Fanny shows them a drawing of Jane and a locket with the faded picture of her mother. Claire is shaken to see the name Faith inscribed on the locket. Claire later admits to Jamie that she wonders if their baby, Faith, survived. She tells Jamie that Master Raymond saved her in a strange, mysterious way that involved a blue light and wonders if Master Raymond also saved Faith but was unable to tell Claire.

Germain tells Claire that Fanny said, “Do you want to go to bed with me?” in French. Claire explains where Fanny likely heard this phrase, telling Germain she’ll have Jamie talk to Fanny.

Brianna and Amy Higgins are picking grapes along the stream when Amy is snatched by a bear. Brianna climbs up to the top of a cliff to catch Aidan, Amy’s oldest child, before he jumps off the cliff to help his mother. Jamie carries Amy’s dying body home. Roger prays over Amy.

Brianna is in shock after the incident. Claire sends her away while she prepares Amy’s body for burial. Jamie wants to bring Aidan with him to hunt the bear.

Elspeth helps Claire with the body, telling Claire to stitch Amy’s face so that the family can see her. Jamie tells Roger that he intends to take Aidan on the hunt for the bear. Roger convinces Bobby to stay with his two younger sons. Rachel and Jenny arrive. Bobby arrives with Brianna and grieves over his wife.

Claire sends Brianna to Tom MacLeod for a coffin. Jamie, Aidan, and the others track the bear to a tree and kill it. At the wake, Brianna hears the local women discussing Bobby’s marriage potential and the scar on Bobby’s face that indicates he’s a murderer; Brianna explains that he was a soldier. Brianna has a panic attack when asked about the bear. She flees to the unfinished attic; Roger consoles her.

They bury Amy the next morning. Claire stands alone near the beehive and thinks of her.