He actually thought I was stung with a kind of jealous pain similar to his own!

We're now in week 3 of our Villette readalong, hosted by Alice (aka Reading Rambo). Also thank you for making this week's reading much smaller than the last time around cos yeah, I wouldn't have made it otherwise. Here we go, chapters 16-20.

When we last left Lucy she fainted outside a church. She wakes up and finds herself in a place that is foreign to her and yet strangely familiar. All of the furniture looks like the stuff from Mrs. Bretton's house. Well, that is odd, isn't it? There's even a picture of Graham that apparently Lucy used to spend all this time gazing lovingly at and what the hell? Where was all that in the early chapters?

I well remember how I used to mount a music-stool for the purpose of unhooking it, holding it in my hand, and searching into those bonny wells of eyes, whose glance under their hazel lashes seemed like a pencilled laugh; and well I liked to note the colouring of the cheek, and the expression of the mouth.

But the question is, why was all this stuff at this stranger's house? UNLESS, this stranger was actually Mrs. Bretton's. But how would she end up there? Well, it turns out Dr. John is actually Graham. Oh but more than that, Lucy knew the whole time.

She just didn't want to tell him. And was totally confused by why she would see Bretton stuff, even though moving your old furniture with you isn't an odd thing.

I'm going to call BS on CB here. Cos listen, either Lucy knew who Dr. John was the whole time, at which point she shouldn't have been SO CONFUSED when she woke up. But then, of course, you don't get your big surprise reveal. OR she didn't know, but then you lose your...I dunno what? Lucy being a super know-it-all, I guess.

Also CB, you can't write lines like "The plot was but thickening" Or you can, but you just make me think of this

But at least it's nice to see Lucy happy. Somewhat happy. As happy as Lucy seems capable of being, which isn't so much happy as it's not-actively-miserable. Also she gets to spend more time with Graham who she has been madly in love with since FOREVER apparently. No wonder she was so bitchy to Polly. Even though that is ridiculous because Polly was a small child, but it's Lucy so whatever.

The fact that she gets all this Graham-time is sort of marred by the fact that he wants to spend all this time talking about how awesome Ginevra is. Well that and Graham and Mrs. Bretton make weird comments at each other.

"Mamma, under such circumstances, you always remind me of Titania.""That is because you, yourself, are so like Bottom."

Yeah, those would be two characters that had sex with each other. While one of them had the head of a donkey. Just, stop that.

Lucy starts going to art museums by herself, but seems to spend most of the time looking at art that she doesn't like. Because of course she does. Why spend the time looking at art you like, when you could spend the time talking about how terrible everything is? She is especially disgusted by this giant portrait of Cleopatra, so much so that she sits on a bench across from it and just looks at for awhile, thinking about how awful it is. M. Paul sees her looking at it and is SCANDALIZED! She is at a museum without an escort looking at filth like this?? FOR SHAME! Lucy sort of shuts this down, but also agrees to stop looking at it, so I guess two steps forward, one step back.

Lucy, Mrs. Bretton, and Dr. John got to a concert/charity event deal with lots of fancy people like a King and Queen of...somewhere. And also Ginevra. You'd think now we're going to hear more from Dr. John about his love except Ginevra throws some shade towards Mrs. Bretton and OH MAN, you wanna drop out of Dr. John's good graces, that is apparently the fastest way. "Love love love...hold up, did you just side-eye Mamma? OOOOH HELL NO. BACK OFF, HARPY." So now maybe Lucy can slide right in there. Or you know, probably not.

Where the hell is Polly? She is going to show up, right?