Touch Not the Cat

[Teri-K]

Lynn wrote: "TTrue. The first few books I read by Mary Stewart like My Brother Michael, were a bit confusing to me way back when. I think the more you read a particular author you more you get to know him or her and understand the writing. That's why I love when we focus on the fuller catalogue of a few authors rather than scatter around one book per author, one place and time after another..."

Good points, Lynn. I know there are times I pick up a book by an author I haven't read for a while and get the pleasurable feeling of being back with them - their style, the way they shape their stories, feels special.

[Wobbley]

Teri-K wrote: "I know there are times I pick up a book by an author I haven't read for a while and get the pleasurable feeling of being back with them - their style, the way they shape their stories, feels special."

So true!

[Savita]

Luffy Sempai wrote: "Savita wrote: "Luffy Sempai wrote: "Savita wrote: "I don't know, Luffy , whether you'll agree or not , but this story had a curious plot if you see retrospectively. Please opine.

I don't know. It'..."

( msg 195 ) Hi , Luffy! Sorry for the long , inevitable delay in my reply!
About fiction and fictional characters, I am not sure what exactly you meant to say in msg 195 . My view is that fiction is very often nothing but a thinly veiled real life, .. a poorly disguised real life ! The reader can spot a Mr X .. a Mrs Y .. a Miss Z .. and, sometimes, even himself or herself in the story ! And , much to my dismay, sometimes the mirror image that looks back at me is nothing to feel too proud about 🥺☹🤨😛 .... but , anyway, since the personally unknown author's finger is absolutely unintentionally pointing to me , it generally evokes only enlightened realization ( later , rather than sooner ! ) , rather than resentment and denial 🤔 . They say , quite correctly , that Mentors ( and good books can easily be classified as one of the best impersonal mentors ) differ from Real Life in that Mentors teach the lesson first and take the examination later , but Real Life takes the examination first and teaches the lesson later 🤔 !
King Midas ' story may be an enormous exaggeration, but it absolutely succeeds in driving home , to even the most sleepy reader , the point that in the frantic, blinkered race for the better, the best , and then the better than the best .... we perhaps do not realize where and when we have left behind those humble relationships whose only glitter was that of warm love , caring and trustworthiness.. 🤔 .. and when realization finally comes at the cold , lonely ( the yes men here are but poor company ) goal post , after the long , tiring journey , it's too late to attempt melting the long neglected, frozen , stone cold relationships , that in fact don't exist anymore .. but , funny thing , they were the real gold of enigmatic Life , what gave a meaning, and purpose to life , what brought this funny thing called elusive real happiness and fulfillment into life 😔 .
But , as Wobbley correctly pointed out .. Beware Spoilers [ Emory's childhood days didn't have much love and caring, so , like for Hitler , for General Dyer , for Jack the Ripper ..... a traumatic childhood can fashion a dangerous adult mind . I wonder what Emory would have been like had he had loving , caring, protective parents 🤔. ] End of Spoiler

[Savita]

@ Wobbley, Terry , Lynn , Terri-K , Luffy : I reread Bryony's father's last words ; Chapter 12 , page 176 .. the Vicar 's conversation with Bryony where he mentions the 1780 - 1837 marriage register that had gone missing ; Chapter 17 , page 251 .. where Mrs Henderson reveals important information about the stolen register; Chapter 17 , page 253 .. record of the 1835 marriage ; Chapter 17 ,page 249 .. about the baby that was born to Ellen Makepeace ; Chapter 19 , page 280 .. what Emory overhears of Leslie 's conversation with Bryony .
The author does slowly reveal it all clearly, but , scattered over different points in the story , so the important facts may not click together in the mind of the reader .
What you all have concluded is absolutely right , but the author hasn't really been amiss in putting the facts , the records in front of the reader .. only thing, they are recorded very wide apart , so easily forgotten by the reader .
Tomorrow, ( without any further delay ) , I will put down the revealing lines mentioned in the above paragraph . Very interesting narrative, well thought of and beautifully written. Lots to learn about human characters and life from this .
It's too late to type out today , but definitely first thing tomorrow .

[Savita]

So , continuing msg 204 : By entering key words, like ' register ' and ' William Brooke ' in the kindle 's search engine, I could trace quite easily the important revealations made by the author during the progress of the story.
Beware Spoilers
[ Chapter 12 , page 176 , kindle : Vicar's conversation with Bryony- he tells her that in the missing register , 1780 - 1837 , was recorded marriages with full details, rather than by just signatures and marks ; Chapter 17 , page 251 : Mrs Henderson and the Vicar now remember that it was Bryony's father who had borrowed the register from the Vicar, when he had fallen ill ( shortly before his death ) ; Chapter 17 , page 253 Rob and Bryony read the record of the marriage between Robert Granger and Ellen Makepeace on 12th May , 1835 ; Chapter 17 , page 249 : In the record it's revealed that a baby is born to Ellen Makepeace a little before nine months ; Chapter 19 , page 280 : Emory deliberately overhears Leslie ( the bookstore keeper ) telling Bryony the following revealation : he ( Leslie ) had found a piece of paper under the William Brooke bookplate which mentions the record of the marriage between Nicholas Ashley and Ellen Makepeace on the 15th of April, 1835 . . ]
End of Spoiler
Msg cont'd below ⬇️

[Savita]

Msg 205 cont'd : So then , .. Beware Spoilers [ .. Bryony's father did know of the marriage between Nicholas and Ellen which took place about one month before her marriage to the laourer , Robert Granger ( a real gentleman at heart who , I think , did realize that the child born before full term was not , probably, his own . The 1970s Robert Granger definitely inherited his noble ancestor's genes 🤔 ) , about a month later , her first husband, Nicholas , having been shot dead by her brothers. So , Bryony's father had realized that Rob was the legitimate heir of Ashley Court . Her father 's dying words mention the letter in the William Brooke book which reveals this ( which Leslie found under the bookplate) ; the 'boy ' , he refers to is , of course, Rob , who he thinks may be knowing his legitimate heir status ( though , actually , Rob gets to know only at the end of the book ) ; and he was fully aware of how desperate the cousins ' family was to acquire Ashley Court, and hence the great danger to his daughter. Lynn is right .. both the old fathers were aware that Rob was the legitimate heir . His dying words also include the cat on the pavement ... so did he know of the invaluable Roman villa also ?
Strange, the way Nicholas and Ellen 's descendant eventually became the heir of Ashley Court 🤔 , despite so severe an opposition from the universally conservative and rigidly dogmatic society ( the usual societies prevalent all over the world ..🤔 If two persons have bonded with each other , two adult persons , who are not trampling on anyone else's rights , why should any society ( then or now ) force them apart ? It's not justifiable ! I am glad that , society or no society, Nicholas had the courage to marry the woman whom he loved . If we have to snatch from an unfair, unflexible society what is rightly ours , then we should have the courage to do so , like Nicholas . At least I believe this . ] End of Spoiler

[Savita]

Just a curious thought : Beware Spoilers [ On page 300 ,the 1835 timeline mentions that Ellen 's spirit, after her eventual death , came back to the pavilion where Nicholas'unhappy spirit had waited for her all those lonely years , and they became united , once again , in that immortal other world ! But , I did think of Robert Granger ( the labourer ) who had taken a socially condemned woman , Ellen , into his life and home , given a protected life to her and her son . Who would then be a deserving soul mate to so noble a man 🤔 ? Only the Almighty 👆🙏.. 🙌 has the power to unite Robert Granger with a soul mate as beautiful as he is .. in a future lifetime. Robert Granger ( 1835 ) also deserves... and Heaven would not fail to take note . 🕯💖💖🕯] End of Spoiler
Of course, what happens to the 1835 Robert Granger is absolutely outside the purview of this novel , and, definitely, M. Stewart would not want or intend us to worry about that ! Still then , ....

[Wobbley]

Savita wrote: "both the old fathers were aware that Rob was the legitimate heir"

This is the only thing I'm unsure of from what you've said, Savita. I Think Bryony's father knew, but I'm not so sure about the cousins' father. If the cousins' father had known, wouldn't Bryony's father have thought that Rob was in danger too, and not just Bryony?

[Savita]

Wobbley , you've made a valid point , I have to agree , about the warning not including Rob 🤔 . But , let me think over this one a bit .

Also , I am wrong in saying that .. Beware Spoilers [ .. the 1970s Robert Granger has definitely inherited the 1835 Robert Granger 's noble genes ( msg 206 ) . I forgot that it has been revealed that the 1835 Robert Granger was actually not the present day Robert Granger 's biological ancestor .] End of Spoiler

[Teri-K]

This entire conversation reminds me how complex this story ends up being. It feels pretty simple and straightforward to me, till you get to the end and then all sorts of details come out. I confess I prefer the opposite, where the plot feels convoluted and tangled but ends up smoothed out, (like Dickens, maybe), but this does give us plenty to think about after we finish the story.

[Wobbley]

Savita wrote: "Also , I am wrong in saying that .. Beware Spoilers [ .. the 1970s Robert Granger has definitely inherited the 1835 Robert Granger 's noble genes ( msg 206 ) . I forgot that it has been revealed that the 1835 Robert Granger was actually not the present day Robert Granger 's biological ancestor .] End of Spoiler"

Oh right -- good catch!

[Savita]

Wobbley wrote: "Savita wrote: "both the old fathers were aware that Rob was the legitimate heir"

This is the only thing I'm unsure of from what you've said, Savita. I Think Bryony's father knew, but I'm not so su..."

Wobbley , yes , I think you're right about.. Beware Spoilers .. [ Howard Ashley, the twins ' father , not being aware that Rob is a legitimate heir of Ashley Court . True , Bryony 's father would have included his name while trying to convey his urgent, death bed warning.
Actually , these three , the twins and their father , urgently needed money . Howard Ashley 's rich Spanish wife's inheritance , unfortunately , was tied up in a Trust , and therefore not available. No wonder they got after Bryony's father! End of Spoiler

[Savita]

Teri-K wrote: "This entire conversation reminds me how complex this story ends up being. It feels pretty simple and straightforward to me, till you get to the end and then all sorts of details come out. I confess..."

Yes , I suppose both types have their own own charm !

[Savita]

Wobbley wrote: "Savita wrote: "Also , I am wrong in saying that .. Beware Spoilers [ .. the 1970s Robert Granger has definitely inherited the 1835 Robert Granger 's noble genes ( msg 206 ) . I forgot that it has b..."

Oh right -- good catch !

There are some more trippable points in this story , Wobbley, sadly 😟 ! Actually , the author never meant us to delve too deeply into the 1835 timeline. Just enough is mentioned as to reveal... Beware Spoilers [ ... the mystery behind Bryony's father's mysterious last words .
Nicholas was to get married to some elite lady . At that time , also , he was continuing to use the pavilion as a rendezvous with his women , but then , after having met Ellen , he falls in love for the first time and wishes to marry her . Apparently they marry .. but it seems to have been a very secretive affair, because, had the brothers been aware of this marriage, why should they have shot Nicholas down ? I presume therefore, now , that what the brothers, and the society were disapproving was Nicholas' unacceptable, licentious behavior , not his marriage to Ellen , had they known about it . But , that is what can be expected of any civilized society.
As far as societies are concerned, however , it is true that, down the ages , and in different areas of the world, societies sometimes do become very inflexibably dogmatic, and stubbornly conservative. Caste , religion and social status become such aggressive, towering and insurmountable issues! This needs correction .. and for that just a strong leader . The broad , golden mean sounds the best way forward 🤔 . ... neither excessive permissiveness , nor unjustified rigidity. Otherwise, the society watchdog is actually indispensable if we are to make a substantial progress in any and every sphere of life , especially the spiritual aspect of our lives . Imagine a society which believes in total freedom.. no discipline, no decorum required.. ugh 🙄 ! Nothing worthwhile can be achieved without discipline.
So , I did get it wrong .. the role of society, and of Ellen's incensed brothers in that 1835 timeline narrative ! I am trying to figure out whether M.Stewart 's sketchy 1835 timeline events can be made to take the blame .. ☹😜 ! ] End of Spoiler

[Savita]

Although this thread has wound up , I'll linger a while to make two further comments that I had intended to make earlier, but , because I got caught up in the reading of this compelling story, I wasn't able to do so .
The first is the hymn I had been searching for . It was worth the hunt . The words are beautiful, so much strength giving ! But very especially verse 6 , the closing verse . 🕯🙌🙏🙌🕯.. it's a ✝️ hymn , but I'll add ☪️☸🕉 .. because the Almighty is but One , only our ways of addressing our Father differ 🤔 .
The other comment is a further thought on Agapanthus , the details of which Terry had posted earlier in this thread .

Will be able to post the comments tomorrow.

[Wobbley]

Savita wrote: "I presume therefore, now , that what the brothers, and the society were disapproving was Nicholas' unacceptable, licentious behavior , not his marriage to Ellen , had they known about it"

Of course I may be mistaken, but my impression was that:
- the brothers disapproved because they thought he was ruining their sister's virtue (they might have been okay with it had they known about the marriage)
- but society would have disapproved of the marriage because of the differences in their class.

I think society was more forgiving of a rich young man behaving badly, than of a rich young man marrying someone from a lower class (and upsetting the social order). That's always been the impression I've gotten from books about the 1800s in England.

[Savita]

Wobbley wrote: "Savita wrote: "I presume therefore, now , that what the brothers, and the society were disapproving was Nicholas' unacceptable, licentious behavior , not his marriage to Ellen , had they known abou..."

Hmm ... I think you're rght about the 19th century English society . But not only in England , this unfair differentiation based on socio - economic class was widely prevalent through out the world . And , even now it's not really gone away.
In India there was, in addition, an even worse differentiation based on the caste system . This , thank God, has gone . Demeaning a person just because he / she happens to have been born in a lower caste , no matter how noble that person may be as a human being 🙄 ! Today the caste system is there still , but , except in a few pockets, the system exists only in name . There's no obsession about it in the masses . In India, as in every other country , a straying society just needs a strong , dedicated and empathic leader to steer the misled people back to the broad , golden mean . And the fact that societies do keep bettering themselves, reformig themselves, shows that we human beings are , the mass of us , are not really bad at heart , but just misled , a bit spiritually myopic .
And , you're are right , Wobbley- the fact that .. Beware Spoilers [ the marriage between Nicholas and Ellen was kept such a secret event shows the fear of non acceptance.. by the society. ] End of Spoiler

[Savita]

Now , mentioning the hymn I suddenly recalled while progressing with this evocative story . It was one of the hymns that was sung in the morning school assembly . I was about 11 years old then . There were other hymns that got impressed on my very young mind because of their striking words ( like : Cold was the moon / But the heart of Man was colder / Heavy the hand of the Roman on the Earth / ...... ) , and beautiful tunes . But , this 👉 particular hymn : God moves in a mysterious way..... , remained impressed on my mind , at that time, only because of it's first line : God moves in a mysterious way... 🤔 . I didn't remember any of the following lines , nor the tune . Just the first line 🤔 . I thought of God as someone very kind , powerful , important .. . who moved through a darkness holding a candle .

I hunted for that particular school 's hymn book, but , unfortunately, I only came up with a small hymn book belonging to another school that I attended later on . This particular hymn was not included in the list of hymns .
So I looked up Google, and found the hymn very easily by entering the first line . As I mentioned above, this beautiful hymn was worth the search effort... not just the first line , which impressed my pre teenage mind , but the entire hymn , and it does seem to bear relevance to this narrative, this book thread .
Msg cont'd below ⬇️

[Savita]

Msg 218 cont'd : This hymn was written by William Cowper , 1774 , England . He was a patient of depression, and even attempted suicide once ( 1763 ) .
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform,
He plants his footsteps in the sea ,
And rides upon the storm .
......
Ye fearful saints , fresh courage take ,
The clouds you so much dread ,
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings, yeah , in blessings,
And in blessings on your head , on your head .
......
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense ,
But trust Him for His grace ,
Behind a frowning Providence ,
He hides a smiling face.
......
Blind unbelief ( disbelief ) is sure to err ,
And scan his work in vain ,
For, God is his own interpreter,
And He will make it plain ,
In his own time ,
In His own way .

Msg cont'd below ⬇️

[Savita]

Msg 220 cont'd : Yes , it was the storm that was God's checkmate move , when this game of chess was on between Emory and Heaven . The Roman villa surfaced and the whole property would have to be given over to the country's Government 🤔 . Everything was , now , going to take time , including ( human ) court procedures, which would also be required to decide Rob's heirship . Quite a spanner in Emory's breakneck speed and serially blooming contingency plans ... that is , if at all he survived the storm 🤔 !
Msg cont'd below ⬇️

[Savita]

Msg 220 cont'd : And , the last verse is the most beautiful of all . Truly said : It's when faith keeps open wide the disbelieving doors of our souls , especially our emotion primed souls , that we become acutely receptive and sensitive to the transcendental communication/ knowledge transmitted to us , by our conscience/ spiritual instinct instrument . The veil between God and Man becomes progressively more transparent.. 🕯 .. a better understanding of our Creator, and His Creation, the Divine rules that govern our earthly journey, and then , the soul's journey beyond..

[Savita]

A few words , an after thought, on the Agapanthus flower , details of which were posted by Terry earlier in this thread , ... tomorrow.

[Savita]

Following up msg 222 : On reading the details of the agapanthus flower , it crossed my mind that like very many countries have a national flower , if the United Nations was to choose a flower to represent the international community, what better choice could there be other than agapanthus ? Here is a flower whose name itself bridges three continents ! ... It is called the African lily ; In Greece ( Europe) its name means the flower of love ; In Australia , it's called the star of Bethlehem because it blooms just before Christmas ..... Heralding the coming of Jesus Christ , bringing Heaven 's message of love , peace and brotherhood to a sadly divided humanity 🤔 🕯✝️☪️☸🕉 🕯

[Brian E]

I finally decided to read this. I'm glad I did.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Teri-K]

Brian E wrote: "I finally decided to read this. I'm glad I did.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Nice review, Brian. I'm so glad you enjoyed your first Stewart. :)

[Wobbley]

Brian E wrote: "I finally decided to read this. I'm glad I did.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

I'm glad you found time to get to this one, and enjoyed it!

[Lynn]

Brian E wrote: "I finally decided to read this. I'm glad I did.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Very nice review. Yes, Mary Stewart's Merlin series is wonderful, but her romances are also fun.

[Savita]

Brian E wrote: "I finally decided to read this. I'm glad I did.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Enjoyed reading your review , Brian ! Glad you liked the novel ! Looking forward to your comments in the The Moon-Spinners thread !