Claire gaped at him, struck by the simplicity and nobility of his answer. "Why not me?’ The answer was simple, wasn’t it? Because he didn’t know the girl. She was nothing to him. Because hadn’t he already been hurt enough? But as Claire observed him, she couldn't help but admire the qualities she had observed in him during their time together. Jamie had risked his well-being to protect others, whether it was standing up for his sister Jenny or taking Laoghaire's punishment to spare her public shame. Apart from Mrs Fitz, he was the only one who didn’t openly treat her as a social pariah.