Waverley

Near the town of Preston, the Jacobites see the English upon a plain where the Highlanders have the higher ground. The Jacobites skirmish with the army of Sir John Cope. Edward debates his loyalties as he sees Callum about to kill his former Colonel. There is a break in fighting at night, and Edward fears for his friends.

The Highland army starts to move in on the English early in the morning, nearly surprising them as they approach. The ferocity and courage of the Highland infantry frightens many of the members of the English cavalry and artillery, leading them to fall back. Edward spots a high-ranking English soldier and saves his life by getting him to surrender. He sees Colonel Gardiner and tries to save him, but he is slain by Edward’s friends.

Bradwardine and Fergus debate who should do the honor of removing the prince’s shoes, with Fergus making fun of the baron’s ridiculousness.

Edward visits the prisoner he had saved during the battle, a man named Colonel Phillip Talbot. He knows Edward’s uncle. Talbot is sad to see Edward has become a Jacobite and informs him that his uncle and father have been charged with treason. He had come to Scotland for the express purpose of returning Edward to England because he feels indebted to Sir Everard. Fergus summons Edward to speak with the Prince, but before he goes he ensures Talbot is comfortable as a prisoner.

Fergus berates Edward for his wavering loyalties after meeting with the English soldier, not understanding why he is cast down after a great victory. Edward is somewhat annoyed by Fergus’s lack of sympathy in comparison to his cause. The Prince charges Edward to do with Talbot what he wants to help him gain the Colonel’s confidence.

Edward accompanies Colonel Talbot to Edinburgh as the armies return to the city, and Edward tells him his whole story since leaving his regiment. Talbot tells him he could help secure his pardon from the English if they were to escape, but Edward cannot think of turning against the Jacobites. He is reminded of the letters Alice had given him days earlier and finds them in Edinburgh. The letters are from Colonel Gardiner, showing that he had sent several letters before labeling him a deserter. He also finds letters that show a correspondence between Donald Bean Lean and his soldiers in which he attempted to recruit the men as Jacobites.

Talbot and Edward grow closer despite Talbot’s prejudices toward Edward’s Scottish friends. The Highlanders attempt to siege Edinburgh Castle for weeks, during which time Edward frequently visits Flora and Rose. Though Flora still does not care for him romantically, Rose rises in Edward’s estimation as he gets to know her. Flora had known since their first meeting in Edinburgh that Rose had feelings for Edward, and attempts to push her two friends together, despite Fergus’s jokes about marrying Rose himself. Flora thinks Edward and Rose are compatible because of their shared passivity and interest in the romantic.

Edward meets Fergus one day while Fergus is in a great rage. He has come from a meeting with the Prince, who has refused a political plan to claim his earldom and marry Rose. The Prince told Fergus that Rose’s feelings were engaged elsewhere and that he could not consent to the match, leaving Edward feeling confused about his feelings toward Rose.

Edward meets Rose and Flora at tea and wonders why he cares who Rose marries. After a reading of Romeo and Juliet, Edward decides he should give up his pursuit of Flora, but he does not know what to do about Rose.

One night, Edward hears crying from Talbot’s room and discovers him reading a letter from his sister. His sister informs him that, after hearing news of the English defeat, Talbot’s pregnant wife assumed him dead, became ill, and lost her pregnancy. Edward feels he is to blame for this, and as Talbot’s sister urges him to come home, Edward knows he must help Talbot escape even if he is persecuted for it.

By the following morning, Edward has secured Talbot’s personal pardon from the prince and arranged his voyage back to England. The two part amicably, though Talbot continues to harbor prejudice against the Scots.

The Prince’s armies move into England, where Edward observes that the people are afraid of the Highlanders and do not sympathize with their cause. Edward finally tells Fergus that he is giving up his pursuit of Flora, which angers her brother as he knows the match would be politically beneficial for both. The two argue about it and ignore each other for a few days before Bradwardine and the Prince try to reconcile them.

Evan warns Edward that Fergus’s men are convinced that Edward has slighted Flora and will attempt to shoot him. Edward confronts Fergus when Callum attempts to kill him, and the two men discuss Flora and Rose. Fergus had been informed by the prince that Rose is to be married to Edward. Fergus challenges Edward to a duel for slighting his sister and stealing his intended wife, and both men draw on each other before the prince can stop the duel. He demands to know what makes the men quarrel, but as Bradwardine is nearby, they refuse to speak of his daughter. Bradwardine is sent away and the prince clears up the confusion between Fergus and Edward. The two shake hands.

The Prince’s plan to take England fails and Charles Edward commands the men to retreat northward. Fergus is heartbroken by the news. He seeks out Edward and tells him he has written to Flora, who confirmed that she never encouraged Edward. The two men become friends again, and Fergus tells Edward he should marry Rose and take her and Flora back to England, as his hopes for victory are gone. Fergus prophesies the total obliteration of the Highlanders and his death in the following days when he sees a ghost his forefathers have always seen before their deaths. The Highlanders meet with an English army later that night and Edward is separated from Fergus and can only hope he has been taken prisoner rather than killed.