Jamie catches a young Englishman lurking around camp. Jamie needs to know if the boy is alone or not, so he threatens him, finally realizing that threatening to sexually assault Claire is the best way to get through to the boy. Claire and Jamie fight over his tactics, but he later explains them to her in a way she can understand. Jamie talks of honor to Claire, but she scoffs, saying too many men have died in the name of honor. When Claire wakes the following morning, she learns that Jamie and his men raided the nearby English camp. They must quickly pack up camp and move on. They arrive in the afternoon at a village called Tranent where they are met by Lord George Murray, the “army’s commander in chief” (639). Essentially, the leadership is in disarray.

When the battle takes place at Prestonpons, Claire heads up the medical side of operations with the help of a Scottish woman, Jenny Cameron. Just as Claire recalls from her history studies, the Scots win with minimal casualties, but there are many wounded and the shock of seeing these wounds impacts the confidence of wives, children, and soldiers alike.