Outlander Season 7 Episode 12 “Carnal Knowledge” introduces a brand new love interest for William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart) right when he’s at rock bottom. At the end of last week’s episode of the Starz hit, poor William finally learned the truth about his father. He’s not the son of the eighth Earl of Ransom, but the bastard son of James Fraser (Sam Heughan). Not only that, but William’s beloved Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) has officially become engaged to Young Ian (John Bell).
So to whom can William turn? How about a hooker with a heart of gold?
**Spoilers for Outlander Season 7 Episode 12 “Carnal Knowledge,” now streaming on Starz**
While roaming the streets of Philadelphia in anger, William meets a spunky young sex worker who goes by Arabella (Silvia Presente). She invites him for a drink and accidentally offends the young British army officer. When William lashes out, she immediately has him removed from the brothel.
However, when William finds himself out on the town with fellow officers later in the episode, he’s put in a peculiar situation. He knows that the lecherous Captain Harkness (Adam Jackson-Smith) intends to hire Arabella for the night to essentially sexually assault her in demeaning ways for kicks. William’s last shred of honor demands that he protects the young woman. He offers his gold gorget as payment for Arabella, trumping anything Harkness can spend.
But who is Arabella? Is her real name Jane? And why does Arabella soften for William despite his previous infraction?
Here’s everything you need to know about Arabella, William’s new prostitute love interest on Outlander Season 7 Part 2…
Who is Arabella on Outlander Season 7?
Arabella — real name Jane — is a young sex worker in Philadelphia. She is first introduced in Outlander Season 7 Episode 12 “Carnal Knowledge” when she invites William into her brothel for a drink. When their banter strikes a nerve, William explodes on her and Arabella kicks him out.
At a later time, though, William saves Arabella from having to succumb to the cruel desires of Captain Harkness. At first William insists that he doesn’t want to sleep with Arabella. However, he is so kind to her that she not only admits her name is Jane, but insists he share the bed with her. When Arabella realizes that William sincerely wants to leave her alone, despite his obvious desire for her, she seduces him anyway. For her, it’s a whore’s sense of honor.
According to Outlander star Charles Vandervaart, he played this sex scene as though it was William’s first time. “You probably have to consult Diana Gabaldon for the actual answer, but that’s how I was playing it, because I think that makes it a bit heavier that his honor has been stripped in kind of this weird way. He was holding on to that last bit of himself, you know?”
Vandervaart also explained why he thought it was “quite beautiful” that William and Arabella were able to form a bond.
“William is a lost person when he meets Arabella and Arabella is also not in the circumstances she wants to be, and I think they do they do bond over that,” he said. “There is a strange sense of familiarity there that they both feel even though they couldn’t be more different. William comes from extreme wealth and power and she is struggling with specifically men that have that kind of power over her.”
Vandervaart then teased, “I think that William has maybe some kind of duty that he feels to protect Jane and Jane’s sister and hopefully that continues.”
Outlander fans who have read the books might know exactly what Vandervaart is alluding to here, but no spoilers from us!
Who Plays Arabella (aka Jane) on Outlander? Meet Silvia Presente:
Silvia Presente is a half-English/half-Italian actress whom you might recognize from Prime Video‘s The Outlaws, a guest role on the Sister Boniface Mysteries, or the Masterpiece series Nolly (in which she played a younger version of Helena Bonham Carter’s eponymous character).
“Silvia is an absolutely incredible actor,” Vandervaart gushed to Decider. “I’m so glad we got to do those scenes together because she’s very, very talented and made everything really easy for me.”
You can follow Presente on Instagram @silvia_presente.