Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of sexual assault and suicide. 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 years.
This season 7 episode sees William Ransom learn the hard truth about his parentage, and he doesn't handle it particularly well. The news brings him to a brothel in Philadelphia, where he meets a young prostitute named Arabella. Though William is initially quite rude to Arabella, they share an intimate connection later. This is largely how everything went down in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books, but this isn't the end of their stories. After getting kicked out of the brothel in Outlander season 7, episode 12, William is later reunited with Arabella when he returns with a pack of his fellow British soldiers.
Among them is Captain Harkness, who considers Arabella his personal property. Hearing the man state that he plans to buy a night with the girl and do a variety 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 learns that Arabella's name is actually Jane , and the two establish a unique kinship.
After her night with William, it's eventually revealed that Jane is an orphan who became a prostitute in order to care for her younger sister, Franny. For a time, she is able to keep them both safe at 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' room and slits the man's throat while he is distracted.
Jane and Franny go on the run following Harkness' murder, and William helps them get settled in with Rachel Hunter and a group of Quakers. Unfortuantely, it isn't enough. Jane is recognized as Harkness' killer and is captured and sentenced to hang. William gets Jamie's help to break the girl free, but they are ultimately too late. Hoping to spare Franny the trauma of seeing her beloved big sister hanged, Jane commits suicide.
