Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and suicide.
Notice! Spoilers for Outlander season 7, episode 12 and the Outlander books ahead!
Outlander Season 7, Episode 12 just introduced one of the book series' most tragic characters, whose impact on William, Jamie, and Claire will last for years. This Season 7 episode finds William Ransom learning the hard truth about his parentage, and he doesn't handle it very well. The news takes him to a brothel in Philadelphia, where he meets a young prostitute named Arabella. Although William is initially quite rude to Arabella, they later share an intimate connection. This is how everything happened in the story of Diana Gabaldon Outlander books, but this is not the end of their stories.
After being kicked out of the brothel in Outlander Season 7, Episode 12, William is later reunited with Arabella when he returns with a band of his fellow British soldiers. Among them is Captain Harkness, who considers Arabella his personal property. Upon hearing the man state that he plans to buy a night with the girl and do a series of terrible things to her, William outbids Harkness and claims Arabella for the night – though only to give her a good night's sleep. This is when William discovers that Arabella's name is actually Janeand the two establish a unique kinship.
Jane has a tragic history in the Outlander books
William hasn't seen the last of Jane in Outlander Season 7
Arabella's real name in Outlander is Jane Pocock, and her full story is described in Gabaldon's book Written in my own heart's blood. After her night with William, it is finally revealed that Jane is an orphan who became a prostitute to care for her younger sister, Franny. For a time, she manages to keep them both safe in the brothel, but Captain Harkness becomes a more significant problem for the sisters. He eventually demands a night with little Franny and pays handsomely to get what he wants. Desperate to protect her sister, Jane accompanies Franny to Harkness's room and slits the man's throat while he is distracted.
William gets Jamie's help to free the girl, but it's too late.
Jane and Franny flee after Harkness's murder, and William helps them settle down with Rachel Hunter and a group of Quakers. Unfortunately, it's not enough. Jane is recognized as Harkness's killer and is captured and sentenced to hang. William gets Jamie's help to free the girl, but it's too late. Hoping to spare Franny the trauma of seeing her beloved older sister hanged, Jane commits suicide. It's a terrible and tragic story in Outlander and which has a significant impact not only on William, but also on Jamie and Claire.
William will learn a lot from Jane before her tragic death
Jane is important to William's development
Outlander Season 7, Episode 12 was a difficult episode for William. His identity and status are very important to him, so the news that he is actually a bastard throws William into an identity crisis. William punched Ian Murray for no reason and then had the gall to arrest him for attacking a police officer. Then, he kissed poor Rachel Hunter on the lips – something he was too chivalrous to have done before discovering the truth about her identity. It was as if William thought for a moment that being a bastard meant he was a bad person at his core.and he behaved accordingly.
However, when William heard about the abuse Captain Harkness was planning against Jane, he could not help but intervene. Despite his identity crisis and newfound bastard status, William's instincts were still good, and his act of kindness here had an impact. As the story continues, William will continue to do everything he can to help Jane and will go so far as to recruit Jamie to help him. Although Jane's story ends tragically, she helps William learn essential truths about himself. The circumstances of your birth and your general condition mean nothing compared to the kindness of your own heart.
Explaining how Jane's story will impact Jamie and Claire in Outlander
Jane's sister Franny will join the Fraser family
William isn't the only one whose life was changed by Jane. After the girl's tragic death, Jamie and Claire take in little Franny, who becomes their adopted daughter. In the book Go tell the bees that I'm gone, Franny moves to Fraser's Ridge with Jamie and Claire and develops a close friendship with Fergus and Marsali's son Germain, as well as Jemmy (once he returns to Fraser's Ridge from the future). So although Jane's story ends tragically, Franny's life turned out to be everything her older sister could have hoped for. Thanks to your efforts in Outlander Season 7, Franny gains family and security.