Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Washington’s army moves towards the British, and Jamie gives Claire a pair of pistols and Clarence. He meets with his troops, feeling three ghosts with him: Dougal MacKenzie, Murtagh Fitzgibbons, and his father Brian Fraser. He has told the other ghost, his brother-in-law Ian Mòr, to be with young Ian today. Seeing the young Craddock boys outfitted as soldiers, he prays that he will bring all his men back safely.

While she packs her supplies, Claire and John discuss the difficulty of sitting out a battle when loved ones are in danger. She casually mentions the whereabouts of the British Army to John.

Evading Clinton’s scrutiny, William makes his way towards Colonel Tarleton’s troops. Jane and Fanny have evacuated, and as he passes by Anne Endicott, he decides to call on her after the battle.

Claire rebandages John’s eye and cautions him to stay out of trouble. She tells John that Captain Andre, of the British Army, is a spy for the Continental Army, and that he will be hanged in the future for being behind American lines in civilian clothes with incriminating documents on him. John is noticeably upset that Claire knows the future, but understands her point, telling her to immediately leave the tent because she cannot be seen talking alone with him.

While Claire says goodbye to Jamie, Ian returns from scouting with his lamed horse. Claire gives him her own horse and mounts Clarence instead. Jamie worries about not reporting John’s arrest to Washington and is troubled that he forgot to revoke John’s parole. Without the revocation, John is honor-bound not to escape.

Ian is scouting the battlefield when he is shot at by Abenaki scouts from the British Army. Riding away, he escapes serious harm. Later, he crosses the creek and sees a regiment of British grenadiers on the ridge ahead. He heads back to report their presence.

William finds Tarleton’s cavalry detachment and gives Ban the dispatch from Captain Andre. Tarleton, having seen Jane the night before, asks William if he would like to fight him for her favors. William agrees, and the two struggle on the ground until the incipient arrival of an infantry column forces them to stop. Fleeing on his horse, William runs into a company of Continental soldiers hauling a cannon. They shoot at him, but he races away.

Percy visits John, telling him that Richardson is an American spy, and is planning on kidnapping William, making it look like desertion. Ultimately, Richardson’s goal is to discredit the Grey family. Percy also warns John that the French have officially joined the Americans, sending troops and ships. John escapes from the back of the tent and makes his way through the woods in search of the British Army, planning to alert William and General Clinton to the danger they are in.

Claire rides in Denny’s wagon to Freehold, where the surgeons are setting up. Upon reaching Freehold, Captain Leckie prevents her from joining the rest of the surgeons in the church. Accusing Claire of being a folk healer and Denny a midwife, he allows Denny into the tent while Claire sets up her tent outside, establishing a triage for the wounded. Jamie orders Ian to find Cornwallis’s troops, while he and his troops head towards the cider orchard, where the British have set up a cannon.

John travels through the woods towards the British Army, weighing the odds of being shot by both the British and American armies against saving William’s life. He also reluctantly acknowledges his ongoing attraction to Percy Beauchamp.

Captain Craddock is immediately hit by cannon shot upon arriving in the orchard. Jamie sends Craddock’s two sons to Wordsworth’s command. After Jamie is grazed by a sniper, he orders his men out of range, losing a number of them to the sniper in the process.

Denny joins Claire in her triage tent, incensed at the ignorance of the army surgeons in the main infirmary. Claire reminds him that the surgeons do what they can, which helps to save lives. Dottie and Rachel are outside with Claire, helping those who are lightly wounded or comforting those past saving. A group of drunk men approach Claire and Denny, demanding the medical alcohol in the tent. Dottie sees the altercation from a distance and begins to walk towards the group. Claire fires one of her pistols in the air, scattering the men.

John slogs through the countryside, attempting to surrender to the British. Clinton will have his headquarters in a village or church, but John knows that William will choose to be on the battlefield. Following the sound of British artillery, he is attacked by the Craddock boys outside the cider orchard, who recognize him as the alleged British spy from the camp. He hesitates to pull his dagger on them and asks instead for General Fraser.

Jamie, having re-formed his troops, spies the Craddock boys confronting John. Jamie refuses to speak to John in front of the Craddocks, fearing it looks like collaboration. He places the Craddock boys in charge of John and tells him to guide the boys through the American lines. He then revokes John’s parole.

Claire nurses a family trio: Phil, his sister Sally, and the sister’s boyfriend. In battle, the boyfriend hit Phil with the hilt of his sword so as not to kill him outright, but Phil’s real problem is severe heatstroke. Sally, who joined the Rebels with her boyfriend, had her hand blown off by a grenade. As Claire asks Denny for a saw to amputate Sally’s arm, the young girl disdainfully refuses her boyfriend’s offer of marriage, asking Claire instead if the army will award her a pension.

William overhears Hessian grenadiers speaking in German and asks them in the same language where the nearest blacksmith is because his horse has thrown a shoe. The Hessians are deserters, however, and attack William, throwing his unconscious body down the ravine.

The Abenaki scouts find Ian again, and he flees towards the creek, losing them in the undergrowth by the ravine. Stopping to water his horse and himself, he sees William lying in the creek bed. Before Ian can hoist William on his horse, he is attacked by the two scouts. He manages to throw them off by climbing a tree and, hearing men and drums across the ravine, the scouts retreat, abandoning Ian but taking his horse.

Ian discovers Lee’s army on the top of the ravine, moving towards the bridge. Knowing Lee will not stop to rescue a wounded British soldier, Ian makes his way southwest to find Jamie. He hopes to get another horse so he can rescue William and finish the fight with the Abenaki.

Jamie is ordered back to join LaFayette’s troops. While crossing the creek bridge, his horse is shot from underneath him. He rolls free as the horse falls into the ravine and orders his men to take cover in the trees where he is joined by Ian who asks for help rescuing William. While speaking, Ian is shot through the shoulder with an Abenaki arrow. Jamie’s men chase the scouts, killing one of them and retrieving Ian’s stolen horse. Meanwhile, Lee’s army crosses the bridge in retreat, but Jamie orders his men to stay in position. Washington appears, furious at Lee’s unauthorized retreat, and spotting Jamie’s troops, orders them to accompany him back into battle. Ian takes a few of Jamie’s men to help him rescue William.

William wakes briefly on the back of Ian’s horse just as British soldiers order them to halt. Ian is captured, but Jamie’s men escape. John is also captured by the British; his arm is broken by a British private when he attempts to explain his identity. He awakens to find Ian next to him, still with the stub of a broken arrow in his shoulder. Ian explains that the British lieutenant in charge is making a mistake, revealing John’s identity.

William reawakens in a tent, cared for by his uncle Hal. Hal asks about John’s whereabouts, also telling William that he might have done worse than Jamie for a sire; since William doesn’t want to commit suicide, everything else is bound to be an improvement

A wounded soldier tells Claire that Lee was relieved of his command. Jamie, meanwhile, is engaged in battle in a churchyard, where confusion has overcome both sides. He is punched by his own man, but the British sound the retreat and the battle ends. Jamie has been fighting in the same churchyard where the Rebel army set up their infirmary, and he sees Claire in the distance. As he watches, Claire is shot.