Outlander season six episode six left fans in shock (and warning, spoiler alert for those who have yet to catch up on the episode) after Claire’s student Malva Christie is found dead in Claire’s garden, shortly after Claire dreams of murdering her. While Claire desperately tries to save Malva’s unborn child, both mother and baby sadly die, leaving our heroine as the prime suspect at the scene of the crime. But who really did kill her? Find out here…
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The TV show insinuates that Claire murdered Malva while under the effects of ether, which she had been taking following the trauma of her attack in season five. During a dream, Malva appears and brags about having Jamie’s child, leading Claire to threaten to kill her with a scalpel before waking up to find Malva with her throat cut. However, the novels reveal a very different culprit.
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In episode six, Malva accused Jamie of fathering her child, claiming that the pair had an affair during Claire’s illness. However, according to the books (and warning, spoiler alert again for those who don’t want to find out what could happen in the rest of the series), it turns out that Malva had been having an affair with her brother, Allan.
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Allan killed his sister
Allan then killed her to keep their secret after Malva wanted to tell Claire the truth about their relationship. Claire is arrested for Malva’s murder, but Tom falsely confesses to the crime out of love for Claire. He also reveals that he realised that it had been Malva who had been making love potions, and that it was she who had poisoned both Claire and himself in the hopes of marrying Jamie so he would provide for her child.
Allan later confesses the truth to Claire, who tells him to leave Fraser’s Ridge. However, Young Ian, who had also had an affair with Malva, kills him as he attempts to leave.
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