For your own sake, get on with your grog

It's Wednesday again, so here we are again to discuss The Moonstone as part of Alice's readalong. Are you excited? You should be. Unless you aren't playing along in which case these posts are probably annoying to you. Sorry about that. Anyway, onto Wilkie!

First up, we get MOAR CLACK!
I thought we were done with her after the last section but she's back for more. After Lady V's death Rachel goes to hang out with Godfrey's family cos apparently Rachel must be guarded at all times. And for whatever reason she invites Clack to hang out with her, which is a win for us, but I can't figure out why exactly she wants her there. Other than we need Clack to tell us what happens during this scene because there is BIG NEWS. (Also the opium.)

Remember how we ended the last section all going "Rachel and Godfrey are engaged, whaaaaa?" Rachel has come to her senses and broken off the engagement and with no reason. Well no reason she'll tell anyone, because being stubborn is her thing apparently. Godfrey's dad is NOT having this and the scene is all tense and angry and he's face is going red and there's a lot of yelling. Clack is there to break the tension though with a tract! She apparently carries tracts for all occasions and his occasion calls for "Hush, for Heaven's Sake!" You know all that frustration everyone felt about her but were too nice to say? Daddy Godfrey isn't too nice. He calls her an "impudent fanatic" and "Rampant Spinster" and kicks Rachel out of his house. Don't worry though, because Mr. Bruff agrees to take her in and also Clack has decided she'll leave Rachel a whole bunch of tracts in her will.

Next we move into Bruff's narrative and we don't get too much here except the knowledge that those three Indians that I keep forgetting about are still after the diamond and they found out that they're going to have to wait a year because it's currently being used as collateral for a loan. We also learn that SOMEONE wanted to take a look at Lady V's will not long after she passed and that SOMEONE proposed to Rachel because that SOMEONE is Godfrey! Because we were all totally right that Godfrey should not be trusted. Bruff tells Rachel about this and Rachel breaks off the engagement and now we're finally getting some answers.

And we're about to get some more answers because our next narrative is by Franklin! We learn what's in Rosanna's letter and what she put in the Shivering Sand! Except everything we find out causes more questions and we all need more grog.
Rosanna really was in love with Franklin and she was totally neglectful of Lucy and my dreams were crushed a little.
It was a nightgown in the Shivering Sand. The nightgown with the pain smear. And that nightgown belonged to....FRANKLIN! Whaaaa?
No seriously, what? Cos Franklin says he must have done it because I mean, there's his nightgown with the stain so irrefutable evidence right there. And he just doesn't remember it.
Rachel broke it off with Franklin and refuses to speak to him because she SAW HIM steal the Moonstone.
But they still want to be together! But they can't because she sees him as a thief and he knows he didn't do it and has to prove it to her and then they walk away from each other and the section we're supposed to read ends! BUT I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!
How is this going to play out? Did Franklin really steal the Moonstone? And does he actually not remember taking it? Or is this all part of his con?
Why did Godfrey look at the will? What's his end game?
Who is using the diamond as collateral? And for what?
What about those Indians that keep randomly showing up whenever I have forgotten about them?

Wilkie! Tell me your secrets!

Title quote from page 158, location 5142

Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Public domain books, published 2012. Originally published 1868