SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED
First up, Mr Fairlie has a narrative and it is glorious. "It is the grand misfortune of my life that nobody will let me alone." That's how he opens his narrative! He is so put upon. Why can't everyone just leave him alone to treat his servants like furniture and damn them for grinning? Fanny, Laura's servant at Blackwater, comes with a message from Marian and Mr. Fairlie is so concerned her shoes will creak because there is a limit to his endurance. (Don't worry, her shoes do not creak. PHEW!)
What we learn from Mr. Fairlie is that he's as ridiculous and self-absorbed as ever and I'm so glad we got to listen to his ridiculousness. He is so annoyed that his brother "inconsiderately marries," dies, and has the nerve to leave his daughter to Mr. Fairlie. ALSO the Count showed up and managed to annoy him less than, well, everyone else on the planet. He also tells him he should let Laura hang out at Limmeridge but Marian is sick so don't wait up for her!
Oh yeah, Marian is seriously ill. All her ninja-ing in the rain before has caused problems. Oh noo. Now she's at the mercy of Fosco and Sir Percival AND Fosco found her diary so he knows what she knows and shit. They bring in a doctor (Mr Dawson) and the Countess gets a nurse (Mrs. Rubelle) but Marian is not getting better. Probably because she used up all her awesome powers in the last section. She's a mere mortal now. A mere mortal with typhus. Fosco and Mr Dawson do not get a long, which means you know Mr Dawson is clearly a good guy.
So while Marian is in bed trying not to die, there is no one to watch over the rest of the house to see what Fosco and Percy are up to and THEY ARE UP TO THINGS. Sir Percival fires just everyone at the house and says he's leaving. Then they do a bit of a bait and switch on poor Laura. They tell her Marian suddenly got better! but no one bothered to tell Laura but she actually decided to head out and is hanging out in London with Fosco and the Countess before continuing onto Limmeridge, and Laura should totally just go there too. She tries to make arrangements to stay with other people in London but that doesn't work and she ends up with Fosco and the Countess. But oh hey, guess what?? Marian is actually still at Blackwater in one of the rooms that Laura didn't check because Laura is not thorough.
Then Laura gets sick and weak in London and she tragically dies of some sort of heart failure. You know, like that heart problem Anne told Laura she had. The same Anne that looks just like Laura. I'm sure that's all just coincidental. Except obviously not. So when Walter is visiting "Laura's" grave a figure comes towards him and GASP, it's Laura.
When Marian got better she went back to being her velociraptor self and figured out the little switcheroo Fosco and co. did with Anne and Laura. She found Laura who had been in an asylum telling everyone she wasn't actually Anne Catherick, and obviously no one believed her. She breaks her out of the asylum because OF COURSE she does. When they meet up with Walter at the graveyard they all go into hiding in London. Marian keeps house, Walter makes money and Laura sits around. I know she was in the crazy house and the crazy houses then were not a fun place so she's been through some difficult times but Marian and especially Walter need to give her some credit because right now their arrangement reminds me of Lisa Simpsons meeting her rival's family. Especially when they tell Laura she can help earn her keep by selling her sketches except Walter's really buying them.
![]() |
I have a ball. Perhaps you'd like to bounce it? |
Look at everything that happened! I forgot so much of it until I started writing this thing, and then I ended up spending the whole post re-capping what happened. But seriously, there was so much. And there's still so much to happen. Plus I'm keeping my fingers crossed for bodies by the boathouse.
Title quote from page 231, location 5172
Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White. Amazon Books, 2006. Kindle edition. Originally published 1860
readingrambo 112p · 672 weeks ago
"But oh hey, guess what?? Marian is actually still at Blackwater in one of the rooms that Laura didn't check because Laura is not thorough." Laura burn, dude. Laura burn.
"Sir Percival sort of beats him to it! And sets the proof on fire! And also sets the vestry and himself on fire so things didn't really go as planned for Percy." Hilaaaarious. I'm so glad this is a readalong so I can read things like this. So glad.
What Red Read 121p · 672 weeks ago
Also, Laura really didn't think to look in more than 2 rooms for Marian? I mean when they revealed where she was I was expecting something more dramatic than "oh she was over there in that other part of the house that wasn't really used, so the perfect spot to hide someone".
This book is clearly wonderful but I don't think it would have been 1/2 as good without this readalong. Cos this is the best book club
Laura · 672 weeks ago
And Mr Fairlie=win. I love him so. And bodies by the boathouse=yes please! ALL THE THINGS YOU'VE SAID ARE THE BEST!
What Red Read 121p · 672 weeks ago
How could Laura not check a couple more doors? is that really too hard? I mean I'll give Laura credit for realizing she was being useless and wanting to help out and pay her way. she loses points for not realizing Walter is buying all her drawings.
Mr. Fairlie is all kinds of amazing and I know his narrative doesn't really advance the plot but it does kick all kinds of ass.
readingrambo 112p · 672 weeks ago
Poor Laura.
libereadingrayna 58p · 672 weeks ago
The whole "oh, your drawings are so fantastic that you're making us all this money" made me really dislike Hartright again for a minute. Laura may be all out-of-wack and brainwashed from the Asylum or whatever, but you don't need to treat her like a child, Walter. Sheesh.
What Red Read 121p · 672 weeks ago
I get Laura is frail right now but did Walter have to be so patronizing?? "Yes your drawings sure are pretty. That will be how you help us!" Jerk
Meg · 672 weeks ago
Do you think the evil duo were using Mrs. Rubelle to KEEP Marian sick? I've been wondering, because she seemed to be getting better...and then, all of a sudden, TYPHUS. There are all kinds of underhanded things afoot that no one even knows about. I bet Fosco will fill in the gaps for us. He does enjoy hearing himself speak.
What Red Read 121p · 672 weeks ago
I never thought about Mrs. Rubelle keeping Marian sick but it would make sense! Because Fosco's all "I bet that's typhus, yup toootally typhus" while the doctor keeps telling him he doesn't know what he's talking about. A few days and Fosco's doc later and then oh hey Typhus. Dun dun duuuuuun.
Can't wait for the Fosco section.
norumbega4 55p · 672 weeks ago
I didn't really connect the heart thing with figuring out it was Anne right away. I must have been reading too fast to stop and think about it. :)
Oh yeah, the drawings thing is just so infantilizing. I'm not sure if Walter and Laura can be romantically involved after this. He keeps talking now about being like a father/brother to her, which is certainly the appropriate way to be treating her in her current condition, to be sure, but once done, seems hard to undo?
What Red Read 121p · 672 weeks ago
Yeah, it's creepy that Walter keeps talking about her as a sister/daughter to think of him still being romantically in love with her. I wouldn't put it past him though.
norumbega4 55p · 672 weeks ago
Cassandra · 672 weeks ago
Considering that she is pretty much the character this book IS ALL ABOUT she does remarkably little...
But a yay for Mr. Fairlie's narrative! The Big Brother house, I'm telling you. He's born to be bothered by all living creatures in front of cameras!
What Red Read 121p · 672 weeks ago
It's really odd that there's no narrative from Laura's point of view. wtf?
Rachel · 672 weeks ago
I actually think his Secret is pretty big. Mainly cause of the fraud thing. Sir Percival committed fraud so his punishment would be to be shipped off to Australia as a convict where they have to travel on old slave ships for months and heaps of them die of diseases along the way and then many more die in Australia of various things. Definitely something to scare the crap out of an uptight British dude.
What Red Read 121p · 672 weeks ago