One of the things that has made Outlandersuch a hit series for STARZ is that in addition to being an epic time-travel historical drama, it is also always a love story. It began with Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and Claire Beauchamp (Caitríona Balfe), then moved on to the next generation when their daughter Brianna (Sophie Skelton) fell in love with Roger Wakefield MacKenzie (Richard Rankin). And now it looks as if Jamie’s illegitimate son William Ranson (Charles Vandervaart) may have met his soulmate in Amaranthus Grey (Carla Woodcock).

But there’s a hitch before these two can become lovers. Amaranthus is believed to be a widow, but William is not so sure that her husband Ben (Alex Bhat), his cousin, has met his demise, and has tasked himself with trying to track down the truth about his cousin’s death.

“I think there are reasons outside of Amaranthus why he truly wants to know what happened to Ben,” Vandervaart exclusively tells Parade. “Obviously, Ben was his mentor. He really looked up to his older cousin. I think he followed his footsteps, going into the military largely because of his cousin. But I do think that this relationship is charged by the guilt that William feels about potentially having romantic feelings for his cousin’s wife.”

Those feelings will inspire William even more than before to discover the true circumstances of what happened to his cousin.

“Initially, when he met Amaranthus, he wasn’t even convinced that she was Ben’s wife, because I think he was hesitant to believe her and he was filled with hurt,” Vandervaart continues. “We’re on this journey now, the enemies-to-lovers trope. It didn’t necessarily start off the way a lot of romances do, but I think it is moving in a direction of romance, and they have great chemistry together, so I’m rooting for them.”

What’s interesting for a show set in the 18th century is that Amaranthus is very forward for a woman of her time. In fact, in a previous episode, she actually initiated a kiss with William. Unheard of at the time. So, even taking into consideration that as a widow, she knows more about what goes on between men and women than an innocent maiden from the era, it is bold.

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“In my mind, I think she’s always been raised to be outspoken, and I don’t think anyone’s ever told her that she needs to quiet her voice,” Woodcock tells Parade. “I think she feels quite empowered to say what she thinks. She also doesn’t come from this [upper class] world, so I think she doesn’t really buy into its social normalities too much.”

There’s also the added factor that, yes, Lord John Grey (David Berry) has taken her under his wing and accepted her as his nephew Ben’s widow, even though Ben had never mentioned her. So, she may feel the need to solidify her position by attaching herself to William, who while not heir to the Duke of Pardlow title, has his own: Ninth Earl of Ellesmere.

“Yes, her son has a title, but she, I don’t think, feels 100 percent safe in her spot, her place in the Grey family,” Woodcock continues. “As I said, she doesn’t come from this world, so I think she does want to be married to have that security, but also, I think she’s probably quite lonely. She doesn’t have her support network around her, so I think when she meets William, and they get on, and they have such a natural friendship, I think she’s like, ‘Oh, this is great. This can be my little pal, my little partner.’ So, I think she gets kind of excited by the idea and the romance of it all again, because she hasn’t got that anymore.”

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And neither does William, who has made disastrous choices when it comes to women. He was attracted to Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small), who ended up marrying his cousin Ian (John Bell). And then he was attracted to Jane (Silvia Presente), who, as a prostitute, was totally unacceptable, but he liked her anyway and vowed to protect her. And, of course, she took her own life, leaving him bereft that he couldn’t keep her safe.

And now, William is getting involved with his cousin’s widow, who could still be his wife if Ben isn’t dead. And what’s interesting is how intimate their conversations have become because William admits to Amaranthus that he is literally a bastard – though not technically one since his mother was married at the time of his birth – because Jamie is his biological father and Brianna, who she was jealous of is actually his half-sister.

“I think that maybe reveals a level of acceptance of his situation, and I think that he is wallowing in self-pity and he’s very much a wounded animal at this point,” Vandervaart says. “I think he finds security in Amaranthus and he can finally discuss his situation with someone who he feels he can trust that isn’t directly a part of that situation. So, I think a lot of it is getting it off his chest.”

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It also helped that Amaranthus told William that a title is something you hold, not something you are, and they were words that he needed to hear.

“She did a great job of showing William that his title as the 9th Earl of Ellesmere doesn’t have to be his entire identity, it could be just something that he has,” Vandervaart says. “A person has innate worth outside of where they sit on this hierarchy, and I think that that’ll be very healthy for him moving forward. She’s a great influence in that way.”

So, how did Amaranthus get so smart?

“She reads a lot of books,” Woodcock says. “She’s spent a lot of time growing up around people. She says her father was a book seller. I think she probably grew up in quite a rich world full of a lot of different people, so I think she’s innately emotionally mature and quite perceptive and has empathy for what William is going through.”

Outlander will air new episodes each Friday at midnight ET on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms; and at 8 p.m. ET/PT/7 Central on the linear network.