The Man With the Mark

Who is the man with the port wine stain on his hand? He knows something of the way carriages are constructed as he removes the pin from the wheel of Jared’s carriage, ensuring its breakdown later in the day. How does he gain access to the carriage so easily, without suspicion or questioning from anyone? Is he one of Jared’s “trusted” servants? I wouldn’t think just anyone could walk up to a carriage and start tinkering with its wheel without drawing unwanted attention. He uses a tool to remove the pin, so some amount of planning must have gone into the plan to disable the carriage – he wasn’t merely strolling by and decided to tamper with it. He must have known who the carriage belonged to, and who it would be transporting. It’s all part of a plan. Whose plan?

When the carriage breaks down in front of the hospital, Murtagh sends Fergus home to warn Jamie that they will be late in arriving for the dinner party. Then he, Claire, and Mary set off on foot for home. At this point, I wondered about carriages for hire – was that not an option available to them? Was there no one else they knew (between the hospital and home) who could loan them one or give them a ride? It appeared to be a significant distance – it looks to be late afternoon when they leave the hospital, and when they finally arrive home, it is after eight o’clock. But, I digress. If there was a carriage available, then no attack could ensue.

When the attack takes place in the alley, Murtagh is knocked unconscious, and Mary and Claire are at the mercy of three men. One of them has the marked hand, and is planning to rape Claire until he recognizes her as “La Dame Blanche.” He knows her “title” and knows her by sight. So, he’s seen her somewhere before. Where? How did he learn of the story of “La Dame Blanche?”

According to the book, the men have “manicured hands” and “silk hose.” These are not your everyday, low-life, neighborhood thugs. They are high class thugs, ready and willing to attack and rape. In the book, Claire sees the mark on the man’s hand and makes a mental note (amidst the chaos) to remember it.

She’s convinced that Le Comte St. Germain is involved somehow, especially after the incident at Versailles when she became violently ill after drinking wine laced with bitter cascara. (He simply stares at her with a satisfied look on his face as she doubles over in pain and is rushed from the room in Jamie’s arms.) Claire is seated next to St. Germain at dinner and wonders how he can sip his soup so calmly after what he’s orchestrated (she concludes), and the pain and suffering he’s inflicted. I looked for the mark on St. Germain’s hand (and didn’t see it), but he would have distanced himself from any direct involvement in the attack, if he’s the one behind it.

Source

Which brings me back to my original question.

Who is the man with the port wine stain, and who is he working for? Will Claire see the mark again and make the connection?

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Kathy Van Wesep

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May 13, 2016 at 4:11 AM

As a book reader I know who it is and whom he works for and he is not anyone we have met so far. He is not the one who identifies her as "Le Dame Blanche". It is the guy holding her down on her knees who removes her hood, sees her face and identifies her as such. The man with the wine stain on his hand is the one unbuttoning his breeches and he calls his cohorts fools as they run off. Once his homeboys leave he has no choice but to leave as well. So the man with the wine stain is the ringleader and knew his target was Claire Fraser and the others in the gang were just along for their usual "Les Disciples de Mal" mischief. Had they known it was Claire Fraser, they never would have take part in the attack on her for fear of their souls (and male body parts being shriveled up). Mary was not the target, she was just there at the wrong time and being a virgin sealed her fate. Who knows if they will actually follow the book, but Episode 12 written by Diana Gabaldon "Revenge is Mine" is when we will all find out the whole truth of it.

zsuzsip

May 14, 2016 at 2:16 AM

Spot on Kathy,having read the books,looking forward to it how it plays out,hope it follows the book as much as possibly for adaptation.