Victorians! discussion

Welcome to Week 3: Chapters 9-11

Ch. 9- Mrs. Lovett Cameron, “Free once again”
Ch. 10- Bram Stoker, “Lord Castleton explains”
Ch. 11- Florence Marryat, “Madame de Vigny's Revenge”

Summary: The Fate of Fenella: Ch. 9-11

Fenella is freed by a verdict of justifiable homicide. She was defended passionately by Clitheroe Jacynthe, who later convinces her to leave her son, Ronny, with his sister, since the world will regard her as a murderer. Fenella rents a cottage on Guernsey under the name of Mrs. Orme, but her retreat from society is interrupted when Lord Castleton’s yacht comes into port with her husband aboard.

Fenella and Frank come face to face in town and the few words they exchange do nothing to clarify the events of their last meeting. Later, Castleton updates Frank on what has been happening while he was away, and the news seems to put Frank into another trance. Castleton suspects that Fenella may have confessed to spare her husband and becomes determined to find Frank’s missing love letter.

After the events at Harrowgate, Lucille deVigny rented Frank’s estate called The Grange. There she is pursued by Colonel Clutterbuck, an American senator. There, also, she comes to possess and read Frank’s missing love letter, which is quite uncomplimentary. In revenge, Lucille decides to accept Clutterbuck’s proposal and to kidnap Frank’s son and take him with them to the US.


-What do you make of the many coincidences in the story? Are they annoying for you or just part of the fun?

-What do you make of Frank’s trances?

-Were you surprised with the turn taken by Lucille deVigny as her revenge? (Did we have any foreshadowing of this extreme behavior?)

.

By chance, last night I watched an episode of ‘Midsummer Murders’ (Series 12 Episode 7 - The Great and the Good - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1447355/... ) in which a woman who sleepwalks comes to believe that she has murdered two people without knowing it.

So maybe all these coincidences are not that far fetched.

Nevertheless it makes for the continuance of an entertaining story. Frank and Fenella are so near yet at the same time so far away from resolving their differences. Despite their very different characters they have both been responsible for the mess they find themselves in.

In chapter 9, I thought that both the verdict and attitude of the public towards Fenella was very modern, up to a point, until Jacynthe refused to touch poor Fenella’s ‘bloodied hand.’ Despite his so called ‘deep love’ for her he refused to be sullied by the dishonour of touching a killer.

What Frank and Fenella need is to sit down and have a good talk but we know that nothing like that will happen for at least twenty more chapters, if at all.

However, one obstacle, the dastardly officer, is out of the way. But now it is Lucille’s turn to take up the hammer and drive a huge wedge between the estranged couple in the form of their kidnapped son.

Will Frank and Fenella join forces to find Ronny? I doubt it.

It will probably get even more frantic now Ronny is trapped and marooned from his parents in the Atlantic.

I thought the kidnapping was pretty extreme. It was an unexpected turn from my perspective. It could bring them together and their pursuit could make up the action of the remaining story, but, like you, I suspect keeping them apart makes for more twists and turns.

I was disappointed in the reaction of Clitheroe Jacynthe. However, his refusal to take her hand reflects the likely reaction of society, in spite of her acquittal.

I really don't like the kidnapping! I hope that something horrible happens to Lucille.
The story of Frank and Fenella is just like a soap opera!

I was disappointed in Jacynthe as well, but not surprised. He's a product of his society.

Agreed! I expected that she was behind Frank’s trance… perhaps through mesmerism/hypnosis, especially after she reacted to Ronny’s question about jail time. And I’d have been more okay with that than with kidnapping a child.

I have to wonder how the original audience would have reacted.

This truly is like a soap opera with never-ending complications that don't necessarily make sense. Of course, this story was never intended to be great literature but rather served as a fun experiment with some prominent authors. I'm very disappointed in Jacynthe, and question his right to persuade Finella to give up her child. Of course, the kidnapping is indefensible.

Yep. Definitely has a soap opera vibe.

Soap operas are full of surprises and misunderstandings, just like this book. It's a roller coaster ride of events! You never know what will come next!