Flight of the Heron read-along: Part I chapters 3-4

[regshoe]

I have just finished reading a Mary Renault novel and feel, predictably, absolutely awful about it. Time to distract myself with some Jacobites!

Next week we'll finish Part I with chapters 5 and 6.

Comments

[regshoe]

Well, this is a nicely dramatic couple of chapters!

I continue to love Keith's reactions to Highland things: pulling the blankets over his ears while Neil plays the bagpipes, but then admiring the kilt when he sees Ewen wearing it :D And, aww, even he thinks Loch na h-Iolaire 'not an ill piece of water'.

Keith, and Keith's interactions with Ewen, in chapter 3 are so interesting! I love Keith's insolent bravery during the encounter with Lachlan—talking back and making sarcastic jokes, even being deadpan in his own head while he's in grave danger. And after Ewen arrives and saves him, he feels 'angry and humiliated', and his manner towards Ewen is at first dry and still sarcastic. There's no question of actual fear in any of it. Meanwhile, Ewen, very honourable as always, is put in such an embarrassing position by the ardent Lachlan!

I think Keith's attitude of irritated sarcasm suits Broster's style of narration very well, actually—the little notes of dry humour in the omniscient narration, of a sort that's been there since the prologue, go perfectly with his attitude here. Both Keith and Ewen are so very much her characters, in different ways. I do like the way she writes, on the sentence level and in constructing and handling characters, a great deal.

The scene where Keith and Ewen walk down towards the loch together after the Lachlan disaster is just lovely. Again, Keith can turn in a short time from bitterness and sarcasm to good humour and generosity; and again, it's Ewen who brings out his better side. Aww, the bit where they smile at each other... ('His smile went up a little at the corner. A sparkle came into Ewen Cameron’s eyes.) :)

I rather like Alison's description of Prince Charles as 'the fairy prince' (now there's an AU—Charles as John Uskglass conquering Scotland and England with his fairy army...!). Actually, I like the little bit of Alison's reflections in general—after three chapters of Keith's POV, we return to the Jacobite perspective and get a reminder of the personal side of what all this means. Although, as Maggie Craig has detailed in her book Damn' Rebel Bitches: The Women of the '45, Jacobite women did often do rather more for their cause than hope and pray...

Speaking of humour, I also love Aunt Margaret's appearance in chapter 4, and her combination of perceptiveness and a sharp, knowing sense of fun. She and Keith really do have a great deal in common, and, perhaps not surprisingly, it's she who recognises how 'deep' Keith's character is, compared to Ewen's (Ewen himself 'cannot quite make him out').

So, now, we get to hear a bit more about the significance of that heron...! It strikes me that Ewen must have strong sceptical instincts, to have lived alongside Angus all his life and been witness to multiple predictions which have 'fulfilled themselves in an extraordinary way' and still not believe in the second sight. But the entire section about the prophecy is very interesting indeed—and, of course, will only get more so as we continue through the book and those significant 'threads' work out their pattern. Actually, I've never been able to decide what exactly this: 'And as the threads are twisted at your first meeting, foster-son, so will they always shape themselves at all the rest—a thread of one colour, a thread of another.' means, though it's probably not the sort of thing that has a simple literal interpretation—something to keep in mind for the rest of the read-along, perhaps.

And some spoilery thoughts: Sbe nyy gur ybiryl sberfunqbjvat jr trg urer, gurer ner zhygvcyr guvatf va guvf puncgre juvpu V guvax jbhyq unir jbexrq ernyyl jryy vs gurl unq orra sberfunqbjvat, ohg juvpu nera'g. Nyvfba'f sberobqvatf ng gur ortvaavat; gur fvtavsvpnag cbvagvat bhg bs gur snpg gung Nathf arire 'fnj' ure nf n jvsr ng Neqebl... gur pbzzrag nobhg ivfvbaf bsgra vaibyivat n zna'f shgher jvsr, cerfragrq nyzbfg rkcyvpvgyl nf na nygreangvir gb gur vagrecergngvba gung Nathf'f ivfvba bs Xrvgu naq Rjra gbtrgure zrnaf gung bar bs gurz jvyy fbba qvr... V qvq trfgher ng guvf va n svp bapr, ohg V guvax gurer'f zber gb or qbar gurer jvgu fvtavsvpnag sberfunqbjvat. Uzz.

[luzula]

His smile went up a little at the corner. A sparkle came into Ewen Cameron’s eyes.

Awww, yes, that bit is lovely. <3

I rather like Alison's description of Prince Charles as 'the fairy prince' (now there's an AU—Charles as John Uskglass conquering Scotland and England with his fairy army...!

Oh, hmm, that is an interesting AU possibility...

[hyarrowen]

I too love the bit where Keith and Ewen smile at each other. I think Keith challenges Ewen in a way that he's not used to; his foster-brothers and tenants are utterly devoted to him, Aunt Margaret and the rest of the family love him dearly and look after him and he's close to the centre of their world. Keith is an annoyance and unpredictable and he's all prickles - and he's an equal in a way that the others are not.

I like the adroit way that DKB changes POVs - not something you see much of in fanfic but it happens very naturally here. Also her long, long sentences. Radio was just getting going when FotH was published and there were far fewer sources of entertainment than even ten years later.

The threads have always confused me too. Prisoner and captor, perhaps, turn and turn about? Or in the sense of spun threads that you twist together to get a stronger, single yarn? Baffled.

[regshoe]

All good points about Keith and Ewen! And yes, I love Broster's omniscient POV that moves between the characters.

I think the two threads are probably either Keith and Ewen themselves, with the different colours being their different allegiances, or the conflicting feelings they both have for each other (admiration and friendship vs enmity—bs pbhefr gur snpg gung Xrvgu obgu nqzverf Rjra naq frrf uvz hanibvqnoyl nf na rarzl vf irel vzcbegnag ng obgu gurve svefg zrrgvat naq gurve ynfg!—but Ewen's feelings in particular do change considerably over time, so I'm not sure)—probably both? I like the 'spun threads that you twist together to get a stronger, single yarn' interpretation, though!

[hyarrowen]

It's such a pity we can't ask her! Everyone seems both confused and intrigued by it. Maybe she left it quite deliberately ambiguous, a la Balrog wings.

[luzula]

I think Keith challenges Ewen in a way that he's not used to; his foster-brothers and tenants are utterly devoted to him, Aunt Margaret and the rest of the family love him dearly and look after him and he's close to the centre of their world. Keith is an annoyance and unpredictable and he's all prickles - and he's an equal in a way that the others are not.

Yes! How insightful--I do think you're right.

[cahn]

- and he's an equal in a way that the others are not.

Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense! I can see how that would be really attractive to Ewen :D

[impala_chick]

to have lived alongside Angus all his life and been witness to multiple predictions which have 'fulfilled themselves in an extraordinary way' and still not believe in the second sight.
Yes, I kept thinking Angus must have said something that never came true.

The scene where Keith and Ewen walk down towards the loch together after the Lachlan disaster is just lovely.
I agree!!

[luzula]

Ha, Keith is grouchy again in the beginning of chapter 3! I continue to love his back-and-forth interplay with Ewen in these chapters--outrage over being attacked at Slochd nan Eun, then this turns to generous forgiveness when he sees Ewen's reaction. And the kilt comment, heh! He keeps noticing that kilt, too.

But one of my favorite lines is when he resolves not to tease Ewen anymore, and the omniscient narrator notes "But he was not to keep this resolution." Great use of omniscient narrator! And indeed by the end of the chapter he's back to teasing Ewen...it seems he can't help it. *g*

I appreciate seeing more of Aunt Margaret's sense of humor, and her and Alison interacting. I do wonder what on earth that comment about Ewen keeping secrets from her is about? From a writing POV, maybe it's just to bring the conversation around so that Alison can say that line about how she might never be a wife at all? I can't think of any in-universe reason for it...

At this point it's almost like Alison is paying more attention to Keith, his character, and motivations than Ewen is. Of course, Ewen is very busy. I do like his comment about how he can't quite make Keith out. No wonder, with how confused Keith himself is by his reactions to Ewen!

In other news, you might enjoy this write-up I did of the '45 and its historical background for a bunch of 18th century history nerds.

[sanguinity]

Thank you for the link to that write-up! I've had nothing in the way of formal education about this period, and very little in the way of cultural osmosis, either, so I'm very glad of your walking us through it, thank you.

[luzula]

Glad it was helpful! : D

[regshoe]

Hehe, that's very true—keep watching the kilt swinging about Ewen's knees, Keith...

"But he was not to keep this resolution." Great use of omniscient narrator! And indeed by the end of the chapter he's back to teasing Ewen...it seems he can't help it. *g*

:D

I think Aunt Margaret is inclined to be a bit indulgently sentimental about Alison and Ewen's relationship (which is kind of sad, in the context of what we immediately afterwards learn about her backstory), so her making the question of secrets about that kind of makes sense? But it is a bit of a random segue.

Ooh, thank you for that write-up!

[sanguinity]

First time read, so I don't know what's coming, but the bit where Ewen assumes Lachlan couldn't possibly have harmed the heron -- because Ewen said not to! -- thereby stubbornly disregarding the BLATANT fact that mere hours beforehand Lachlan had threatened Keith's life after being explicitly told not to...

I can't help but think that this is foreshadowing for some coming major betrayal from Lachlan. One almost certainly made to protect Ewen, if I were to guess, but one which Ewen would strenuously object to.


And like others, I laughed to see Keith admiring Ewen in a kilt -- and perhaps swooned a little at:

“Captain Windham, are you hurt? God forgive me, what have they been doing? Tied!” And in a moment he had snatched a little knife out of his stocking and was cutting Keith’s bonds. “Oh, why did I let you out of my sight! For God’s sake tell me that you are not injured!”

...because I will always be a sucker for a frantic "say you're not hurt!" Even when they've only known each other for less than a day.

[osprey_archer]

Ewen's "say you're not hurt!" is GREAT here, especially given how short a time they've known each other. Of course some of it is just that he's protective of his honor as a host (can't have Captain Windham getting hurt while he's a guest in Ewen's house!), but the intensity of it feels personal.

[luzula]

I think it feels personal because he respects Keith and can tell that he's an honourable and admirable man, even if there are no stronger feelings yet! With someone he didn't respect much, he would still care for the sake of his own honour, but it wouldn't be as intense in front of Keith.

We see plenty of dishonourable Hanoverian officers later, so really, Ewen was lucky to capture Keith and not someone else.

[regshoe]

Ewen assumes Lachlan couldn't possibly have harmed the heron -- because Ewen said not to! -- thereby stubbornly disregarding the BLATANT fact that mere hours beforehand Lachlan had threatened Keith's life after being explicitly told not to...

Hmm, that is a very good point! As for your speculations, hmm, we shall see... :D

Aargh, yes, I love the 'say you're not hurt!' thing too, and this was a very good one. I agree with osprey_archer that it's mostly about his duties as a host, but the intensity and strength of feeling which Ewen has about his honour and gentlemanly conduct towards Keith is itself great.

[sanguinity]

Belatedly coming back to say that I have raced through the remainder of the novel at a weekend, and V unir arire orra fb qvfznlrq gb or evtug! *funxrf svfg ng zlfrys naq Oebfgre naq gur Sngrf*


Oh, and also the whole bit about the Redcoats not being able to SEE what is happening on the High Bridge, because of angles and treecover and everything? Gung'f n znfgreshy ovg bs frggvat hc n snpg gung jvyy or nofbyhgryl pevgvpny jnl njnl ng gur bgure raq bs gur abiry...

[regshoe]

Ahaha, oh dear... *funxrf svfg jvgu lbh* Ohg gung, bs pbhefr, vf jung svk-vg svp vf sbe. :)

Re. your second rot-13'd bit, that is a really good observation! I'd not thought of that as foreshadowing before, but I can see it—nice, and very clever of Broster indeed.

[sanguinity]

I just gave my wife a summary of zl cerqvpgvba naq vgf shysvyyzrag, naq fur fubbx ure urnq fnqyl. "Arire guvax lbh unir lbhe fvoyvat haqre lbhe guhzo," dhbgu fur. Truly, wisdom for the ages!

[luzula]

Oh, you finished it already! Well, I hope you'll stick with the readalong anyway, and give us your impressions...

Naq V'z gehyl fbeel nobhg gur urnegoernxvat raqvat! Ohg, nf ertfubr fnlf, gung vf jung svkvg svp vf sbe, naq V guvax jr'ir sbhaq fbzr tbbq jnlf nebhaq vg. : )

Huh, that's an intriguing observation about High Bridge.

[sanguinity]

I blew through it last weekend in tandem with a friend; she and I were sending each other quotes all weekend. But yes, I do intend to continue with the readalong; I look forward to a more leisurely read-through, and look forward to seeing all the things Broster set up along the way that I didn't notice on the first pass. I might be late joining in on this week's installment because I started at the beginning again last night, but I trust I'll catch up again shortly.

Naq lrf, svk-vg svp! Nygubhtu V svaq ab snhyg jvgu gur raqvat nf fur jebgr vg -- fbzrgvzrf bar eryvfurf gur urnegnpur bs n ornhgvshyyl jevggra gentrql.

[luzula]

V frr jung lbh zrna nobhg nccerpvngvat gur urnegnpur bs gur gentvp raq va vgfrys! V'ir pregnvayl jevggra svp qvttvat vagb gung, gbb--ohg vg'f avpr gb or noyr gb frr vg nf bayl bar bs gur cbffvoyr bhgpbzrf. : )

[sanguinity]

Absolutely!

[regshoe]

Oh, I've thought of another thing: why does Ewen 'somewhat hastily' change the conversation and leave Keith to go back the rest of the way when Keith asks him about Angus being his foster-father? Is it just that he doesn't want to discuss something as personal as the history of his foster-family with Keith, or something else? (or he's just had enough of Keith's teasing, I suppose...)

[luzula]

I think it's not the foster-father question, but the mention of the heron which Keith made just prior to that! He doesn't want to explain the prophecy to Keith--or at least that's how I always read it.

[regshoe]

Oh, that's true! I was confused because Keith was just changing the subject away from the heron and towards Angus in general, but I see how Ewen might not realise that.

[tei]

“He was wearing the kilt to-day, and for the first time Keith Windham thought that there was something to be said for that article of attire— at least on a man of his proportions.” o.O SUBTLE.

The entire incident with Keith nearly being drowned made me very curious about… the cultural context for this thing of “I am keeping a prisoner in my house, family, please be nice to him.” Is this… a Done Thing? Why is Keith here? I’m assuming that killing him outright would have been too agressive for the stage of the war they were in…? But then, Keith’s regiment certainly didn’t seem to have any doubts that the Highlanders would kill them if they tried to cross the bridge, back when they thought there were enough of them to actually do so.

The tension between the prophecy aspect of the narrative and the resistance to it is very interesting!

[regshoe]

:D

Keith has given his parole—essentially, he agrees not to try and escape in return for Ewen promising not to physically stop him from escaping—hence why he's just hanging around Ewen's house rather than being locked up somewhere. Yeah, possibly killing him outright in their initial encounter would have been too aggressive, and from Ewen's perspective there's not really any reason to (Keith is injured, he's not a serious threat to Ewen and it would hardly be fair!). Meeting a regiment of Highlanders in battle, where it's kill or be killed, is a different thing (although, in the end, most of the recruits at High Bridge were only taken prisoner—again, I suppose, no reason to kill them).

Parole prisoners turn up a lot in Broster's novels—she loves the situations created by those gentlemanly codes of honour (this option was only available to officers i.e. gentlemen). There was a bit of a debacle later on in the '45 where a group of Hanoverian officers on parole were forced by their own commanders to break their paroles, escape and return to fighting—which some of them resisted, seeing it as against their code of honour.

[tei]

Ooh. That makes a lot more sense, if this was a kind of… regimented type of agreement! Also explains the modern usage of the word “parole,” I suppose.

[regshoe]

It's a very sensible arrangement, really—like, we both know how this whole 'keeping you prisoner' thing is going to go, so why not just skip all the fuss?

I suppose it being a regimented type of agreement, generally respected in wartime, probably plays into the thing where the Jacobites were being very careful to present themselves as legitimate wagers of war, on a level with recognised states, because to them Charles was the rightful king, while the Hanoverians saw them as rebels and therefore not legitimate 'real' enemies.

[ethelmay]

The business about "parole" kept reminding me of Antonia Forest's The Thuggery Affair: "But Jukie stiffened: to Patrick's astonishment he looked genuinely insulted. 'You weren't listening, noddy-boy. I said parole.' " In other words, he had really promised and it was a matter of honor.

[owl]

And we know AF was familiar with Broster; the twins read TFotH!

[cahn]

Ohhhh, I hadn't realized that! (Well, I wouldn't have recognized the name when I first read the Marlowe books...)

[regshoe]

Antonia Forest!—I've been meaning to read the Marlowes books for ages. FotH references sound like another good reason to do so...

[impala_chick]

Thanks for this! Now I can see the connection to the word "parole" in modern times.

[friendofthejabberwock]

My reaction to these couple of chapters has mostly consisted of continuing to love Keith's narration. The irritation, the snark, the genuinely-seeming-to-like-Ewen is just wonderful. I am also glad that Keith can appreciate a kilt when Ewen's wearing one, at least (not to have my slash brain kick into overdrive too much, but...)

That's a good point that Keith is so unbothered by any questions of personal safety! During the incident with the loch it was so completely unaddressed that I didn't actually even really note its absence. He obviously wouldn't want to show any fear to Lachlan & Co., but that being a genuine reflection of his internal state as well is impressive. It does track with what else we've seen. During his capture he was mostly annoyed with the general concept of supposed Highland savagery, rather than worried it might have consequences for his own safety. It also seems to apply to others to a certain extent -- unless I've forgotten it, he doesn't seem to have expressed much concern for the wellbeing of his fellow captured soldiers.

I like that Keith was less surprised by Ewen being exceedingly gentlemanly this time. They're getting to know each other. :D

(And wow, I am acquiring quite the reading list for nonfiction about the period now. Thanks for the historical notes!)

[regshoe]

Haha, I'm not sure one needs much overdrive to appreciate that particular line... :D

During his capture he was mostly annoyed with the general concept of supposed Highland savagery, rather than worried it might have consequences for his own safety.

That's a good point! He's surprised by the extent of Ewen's gentlemanliness and hospitality, but he doesn't seem to doubt that Ewen will follow the basic rules of honourable wartime conduct. No, there hasn't been any more about the other captives, although I get the impression Keith is not terribly concerned over their safety anyway.

(And wow, I am acquiring quite the reading list for nonfiction about the period now. Thanks for the historical notes!)

A while ago I wrote up a list of useful Jacobite non-fiction, and I was thinking of digging it out, updating and posting it to go along with the read-along, if people would find that useful—would you?

[friendofthejabberwock]

I would find that very useful, thank you!

(And on another book topic, by the way - I recently finished Imre and really loved it! Thank you so much for making the ebook and alerting me to its existence. :D)

[regshoe]

Great, I'll see if I can post something later this week. Aww, and I'm glad you enjoyed Imre! :)

[friendofthejabberwock]

Wonderful, thank you very much!

[cahn]

Late to the read, but I finally finished Ch 4 today :D Thank you luzula for elucidating all the Jacobite history; that really made it make a lot more sense :D

I'm really enjoying it -- I liked Margaret a lot! (And of course the main two are lovely <3 )

One thing that sort of pinged me was when Ewen was all "Ha ha how funny that Angus never saw Alison as my bride!" Don't spoil me of course, but I feel like this is Ominous Foreshadowing... we shall see!

[regshoe]

Hello! Aunt Margaret is great, I'm happy to see appreciation for her in the comments here :D

[luzula]

Yay, welcome! So glad you're enjoying it. : D

[impala_chick]

Okay I am getting serious soulmate/red string of fate vibes... The narrator keeps pointing out how connected they are, even through Alison and Aunt Margaret's reflections. I also feel like I got a little lost when the women were talking about the political implications and Prince Charles, which makes me want to do a bit of research.

I liked the whole bit about the buttons as a peace offering (and how the women were approached to be the ones to broach the subject) - It makes me think Ewen does not have perfect control over his merry band of misfits and maybe Aunt Margaret is going to do a bit more than just hope and pray. Interesting to contrast Ewen's reaction to the prophecy with Alison's total buy-in/worry over it.

[regshoe]

Okay I am getting serious soulmate/red string of fate vibes...

:D Hmmm, I don't think the fic written so far has included any soulmate AUs. So many possibilities...!

For all Ewen's gentlemanly polish as an officer, it is really his first time dealing with a serious wartime situation, in contrast to Keith the career soldier. But, yes, through all the contrasts and conflicts they are very Significantly Connected, and it's great. :)

[impala_chick]

dealing with a serious wartime situation, in contrast to Keith the career soldier
Oh right, I often forget that because Ewen comes off as so mature and put-together from Keith's POV. But I wonder how that dynamic will affect them later on.

[hedgebird]

Lachlan's most excitingly unstable moments yet! I think it's interesting how, for all Lachlan's ride-or-die feelings about Ewen, Ewen's values haven't really rubbed off on him? I assume there's a significant difference in education, but also: Lachlan you're a psycho.

Love Angus spacing out in the background, all, "Do I need to intervene here? Nah, Fate'll take care of it."

[regshoe]

Yeah, that's a good point about Lachlan not having absorbed Ewen's values.

Love Angus spacing out in the background, all, "Do I need to intervene here? Nah, Fate'll take care of it."

XD And he was right!...