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

[regshoe]

I do think things are getting good in this week's chapters... :D

Next week we'll read the first two chapters of Part III.

Comments

[regshoe]

Reading Ewen and Keith's interactions in chapter 3 this time, it really struck me just how far their positions are reversed from the situation towards the end of Part I. Ewen, finally free of his unwelcome role of The Cautious One, gets to show that he can be just as proud and martial as Keith in the right circumstances. He's witty too, and enjoys teasing and sarcastically insulting Keith—'he was able to view with pleasure Captain Windham’s visible annoyance at this speech'—just as Keith did with him in chapter 1.6. Ewen, 'pining for a fight' is delighted at the prospect of getting to fight Keith before being taken prisoner, while Keith, sincere and courteous, would really rather avoid the fuss and the risk of hurting him, much like Ewen did at their first meeting. 'As the threads are twisted...' indeed!

In any case, the contrast between Ewen's gleeful eagerness for a fight and Keith's careful concern is hilarious. Though one could argue how far their respective ardent desires to swordfight each other (er, as it were) really proceed from the same motives—it seems to me there's an element of naivety, the sort of boy's view of war, in Ewen's eagerness here that wasn't there with Keith in Part I—although they are both also motivated by injured pride, Keith at his being captured at all and Ewen at the embarrassment of Keith's escape at Fassefern and the insult of the money. And I think Keith sees it that way too, to judge by his repetition of the warning that all this will end badly.

Keith knows that Ewen is one of Charles's aides-de-camp, which seems only to have been the case since after Fassefern. I wonder how that happened? —presumably Keith heard about it in the course of his duties, and I like to imagine his reaction to hearing news of Ewen.

I do think it was rude of Ewen to break Lady Easterhall's window so casually! It's not as though just opening it wasn't an option, because he opens it in the next paragraph. He visits Lady Easterhall and Miss Cochran afterwards to make sure they're all right—I hope he paid for repairing the damage too.

Anyway, towards the end of chapter 3 we get the first of the book's really good hurt/comfort scenes, and I hope you all enjoyed it, because there's plenty more where that came from. :D 'Fannish catnip' indeed... Keith going in a moment from angrily trying to fight Ewen to horrified concern at having hurt him; Ewen 'astonished at the depth of feeling in his enemy’s tone' (note Broster's careful epithet use there!); Keith taking off his cravat to bind up the wound...! Aah, I love it.

I like the paragraph, beginning 'For a moment or two...', where Ewen tries to understand Keith while he sulks in the corner. For all the differences and divides between them, Ewen is very much aware of the similarities in their characters and values here. It's interesting that one of the things Ewen notices is 'the complete absence of that mocking irony' in Keith, when Ewen himself has been the one being mocking and ironic for much of this chapter! —perhaps the sincerity in Keith answers Ewen's own sincere and honourable side.

I love that Broster takes the trouble to tell us that Ewen was 'secretly admired from above by a well-known Whig lady'. Although I do wonder sometimes about the extent to which the slashiness in Keith's perspective on Ewen is simply a result of Broster's own admiration for Ewen and the fact that she more or less has all her characters and the omniscient narrator see him in this way (remembering the loving description in the prologue; and Isobel Cochran too!)...

...however, we then get that amazing introspective passage in which Keith thinks at length about how much he fancies Ewen and how annoying it is, and I decide that there is a bit more to it, after all. Lots of good characterisation and historical detail in there, as well as a little more about Keith's backstory. The 'misty' John Keith is, hmm, significant.

Given all the emotional weight in these two chapters, I'm a little inclined to doubt Ewen's casual dismissal of Keith as at all important to him at the end of chapter 4! Although perhaps it's more a dismissal of the prophecy, which Ewen clearly still doesn't take seriously—which, as we shall soon begin to see, is a grave error...

[impala_chick]

Keith knows that Ewen is one of Charles's aides-de-camp
I wondered about this too! That does give some delightful implications about Keith trying to keep tabs on Ewen.

[hedgebird]

I was very curious who the "well-known Whig lady" was; it seems like we're meant to recognise her!

[regshoe]

Perhaps we are—Broster is pretty specific about the location, and I can imagine it being a known historical fact that a particular Whig lady was lodging there. But I wouldn't know where to start looking to find out who she was!

[hyarrowen]

I found a map of Edinburgh in the late 18th century: https://maps.nls.uk/view/74400070 which makes it very clear just how close to the Castle they were. All those narrow wynds are very clear as well. There's another earlier map here, https://maps.nls.uk/view/74414281 showing how the city is basically a spine with houses crammed in on either side. A good place for night-time shenanigans. Robert Louis Stevenson described it perfectly in "Catriona" - the tall, dark city.

Ewen, 'pining for a fight' is delighted at the prospect of getting to fight Keith before being taken prisoner, while Keith, sincere and courteous, would really rather avoid the fuss and the risk of hurting him, much like Ewen did at their first meeting. 'As the threads are twisted...' indeed!

Oh, that's a good point! That phrase had always confused me.

Keith is once again really unpleasant to his men - not good officering, Keith! No wonder they slammed the door on him. Get a hold on your temper! And then he takes it out on Ewen and is immediately Stricken with Remorse. So you should be!

Nor do the Jacobite men come off at all well here. They all bugger off down the secret stair, leaving a very old lady and a very young lady, with just an inebriated doorkeeper to protect them. They’re perfectly safe with Keith, of course, but suppose it had been Thguevr leading that patrol?

(And I wonder if the drunken doorkeeper owes anything to his predecessor in Macbeth. Knock, knock, knock… who’s there?)

Finally, Miss Isobel Cochran and Lady Easterhall reappear briefly and I still like them both very much. If I were Isobel, I would have made a determined play for Keith, but there’s no accounting for tastes.

[luzula]

Oh, thanks for the Edinburgh map! That's going to be useful for fic-writing.

Nor do the Jacobite men come off at all well here.

If BPC hadn't been so set on the cloak-and-dagger shenanigans, they could have sent for a sizeable contingent of the Camerons in the West Bow to come and just generally be present in that part of the Grassmarket. They needn't even have told them why--and then the redcoats coming down from the Castle wouldn't have got far.

But of course, this would have prevented Ewen and Keith from meeting, which is obviously the real object here. : )

[hyarrowen]

If BPC hadn't been so set on the cloak-and-dagger shenanigans, they could have sent for a sizeable contingent of the Camerons in the West Bow to come and just generally be present in that part of the Grassmarket.

Good heavens, I'd never thought about that! Though it's very much in-character for BPC to adopt a disguise. He was an adventurer, when all's said and done.

[sanguinity]

Oh, those maps are very helpful. I was tracing the route against modern-day Google, and while all the locations still exist, I was still befuddled by "they went up the street? and then down the street? and all the streets are parallel to the street?" But now seeing that 18th-century Edinburgh was basically bar shot, I am more bemused than befuddled.

Keith is once again really unpleasant to his men - not good officering, Keith! No wonder they slammed the door on him.

I had to laugh at their very appropriate complaint about how they're supposed to take Ewen without injuring him, when he obviously felt no reluctance to injure them. If you're going to give orders, give actionable orders, sir!

[hyarrowen]

I've found a map dated 1742. Don't know how I missed it before.

https://maps.nls.uk/towns/rec/7467

It's amazing how many of those tiny streets are still there.

[luzula]

I had to laugh at their very appropriate complaint about how they're supposed to take Ewen without injuring him, when he obviously felt no reluctance to injure them. If you're going to give orders, give actionable orders, sir!

Hee. I imagine Keith is feeling some emotional dissonance in that moment! His orders probably make more sense when he's trying to capture someone other than Ewen...

[sanguinity]

One should hope so!

[regshoe]

XD

Poor soldiers, they didn't ask to get caught up in this emotional mess...

[regshoe]

Ooh, those maps are good! Thank you. I like the design of the second one, part map and part 3 dimensional drawing.

After my earlier confusion about the 'twisted threads', I did think that was a good interpretation of it. :D

[hyarrowen]

I was surprised at how small the city was!

[regshoe]

Yes, that's something that's struck me several times in 18th century history books, the small size of even fairly significant towns and cities! It must have made a great difference to the landscape the characters are experiencing compared to what we know now. Although I suppose in a city as vertical as 18th-century Edinburgh apparently was, the actual ground area occupied wasn't the whole story.

[impala_chick]

Wow, the hurt/comfort was so strong in this part! The tension during that whole confrontation was so great. I loved the symmetry with Keith escaping the same way the prince had. It was funny how he didn't recognize Ewen at first (in his dressed up clothes?) But then recognized his voice. That gives me ~thoughts about Ewen's voice!! I really liked Keith's instant regret and Ewen's understanding about the whole situation. Sure seems like Keith is going to be worried about redemption and Ewen is going to be conflicted about what to think of Keith for a bit.

[regshoe]

I think Ewen has a nice voice—'his deep, gentle voice', Broster puts it, and I like the idea that Keith had particularly taken notice of his voice and that's why he recognises it here.

[hyarrowen]

It was funny how he didn't recognize Ewen at first (in his dressed up clothes?)

I'm like that - hopeless at faces, can recognise voices no problem. The first episode of Game of Thrones was a wild ride for me.

Naq gur u/p vf whfg trggvat fgnegrq, uru.

[luzula]

regshoe sums it up well! I do like to see Ewen spoiling for a fight like this--he knows he will very likely be captured, but before that, he means to make as good a showing as he can. No wonder Keith dwells so admiringly on it afterwards--we do see another side of him!

And yet, as soon as Keith shows genuine feeling and remorse, Ewen drops all his bravado and teasing comments, and begins (just after Keith has cut his hand, too!) to show genuine feeling in response. It's a bit like Keith in the hut at Kinlochiel, taunting Ewen, but then when he sees that Ewen is going to sleep in his wet plaid, being all 'Oh no, borrow my cloak!'.

Good foreshadowing of eventual doom in this chapter, with Keith's comment before he goes off down the passage. And re: the future, Alison continues to take the prophecy much more seriously than Ewen does, forming theories about what the 'bitter grief' might be...

however, we then get that amazing introspective passage in which Keith thinks at length about how much he fancies Ewen and how annoying it is

Ha ha, yes, it really is amazing. 'Arrgh, I have to stop thinking about Ewen and how extraordinarily handsome he is, and how he got the better of me!'

And the hurt-comfort, too, is just lovely.

Re: everybody and their sister admiring Ewen, I can't help quoting the most jaw-dropping passage of this kind from Gleam in the North, the sequel. Ewen is visiting his maternal uncle in Appin:

A tall, upright old man, though moving stiffly, Invernacree opened the door of his own study for his nephew. 'Sit there, Ewen, under your mother’s picture. It is good to see you there; and I like to remember,' he added, looking him up and down, 'that Stewart blood went to the making of that braw body of yours. I sometimes think that you are the finest piece of manhood ever I set eyes on.'

'My dear uncle,' murmured the subject of this encomium, considerably embarrassed.

'You must forgive an old man who has lost a son not unlike you.'

Um.

[regshoe]

Yes, I like Ewen's acceptance of the likelihood that he'll be captured, as long as it's while defending his Prince—a contrast with Keith's feelings there, I suppose.

'Arrgh, I have to stop thinking about Ewen and how extraordinarily handsome he is, and how he got the better of me!'

:D It's like we don't even need to write slash fic.

That bit from GitN is, er, a good one. I do like Broster's unashamed admiration of her own character—yeah, write exactly what you want XD

[hyarrowen]

So Ian was tall and red-haired and blue-eyed? Hm, interesting.

As for the introspection - yes, Keith, you are an idiot. Go and find something else to do! And actually I like General Preston a lot. Now there's an example to follow.

[hyarrowen]

No, Alan, blast it. Ian was dark-haired iirc. Poor Ian.

[luzula]

Poor Ian? He was the one who survived and was eventually happily married. : ) Poor Alan, more like...

And possibly Ewen's uncle just meant that Alan was strong and tall, not necessarily red-haired and blue-eyed.

[hyarrowen]

Well, that's true! I was just thinking that if he got compared to a Ewen-type Adonis all his life, that's a pretty crappy childhood and adolescence.

[regshoe]

Oh, yes, I liked General Preston wheeling round the castle to 'supervise and encourage' the defenders—certainly an admirable commander!—and his kindness to Keith.

[cahn]

I loved these chapters! Swashbuckling and lots of great Keith-and-Ewen :D

And yet, as soon as Keith shows genuine feeling and remorse, Ewen drops all his bravado and teasing comments, and begins (just after Keith has cut his hand, too!) to show genuine feeling in response.

Yessss this was wonderful!

Ha ha, yes, it really is amazing. 'Arrgh, I have to stop thinking about Ewen and how extraordinarily handsome he is, and how he got the better of me!'

Man, I was dying, that was so hilariously over-the-top slashy!

[regshoe]

Hehe, the swashbuckling adventure is indeed excellent!

Man, I was dying, that was so hilariously over-the-top slashy!

I knowww :D

[sanguinity]

I heartily approve of the enemyship deliciousness of this chapter, and confess to hur-hur-hur-ing through all the not-quite-double-entendres of them ramping up to that swordfight. (Swords and velvet sheathes and challenges that sound like come-ons, oh my!) Then pivoting on a dime to hurt/comfort and rescuing each other? Chef's kiss! Fandom catnip! I want twenty movie versions of this chapter, each more outrageous than the next!

(Related: I laugh at Ewen vainly trying to explain to Alison after that it wasn't Errol Flynn levels of theatrical swashbuckling, when the swashbuckling was still plenty theatrical!)

I do feel for poor Keith, though. He thought that being Ewen's prisoner was finally going to work in his favor! A lucky stroke, to be towed around behind Ewen for a week! AND THEN IT VERY MUCH WAS NOT. Honestly, I would brood and fume over it, too. Ewen had his revenge for those three guineas and then some!

I note (but am not sure what to do with) the parallels between BCP's ring and Xrvgu'f evat: the ring bearing a portrait/insignia of its original owner, sharp-eyed Alison noticing it right away, and Ewen's reluctance to talk about it.

I also find it fascinating that at this point, Alison and Lachlan are the only ones in the main cast who believe in the prophecy. It's a strange alliance, is it not? From a Doylist perspective, Alison's belief is mostly a way of keeping the prophecy before the reader, especially since Ewen does not lay much credit to the prophecy himself yet. But there's still an interesting comparison and contrast between Alison and Lachlan, and their respective care for and devotion to Ewen, I think.

[regshoe]

(Swords and velvet sheathes and challenges that sound like come-ons, oh my!)

XD

I really must have a look at the TV adaptations—their interpretations of this scene must be interesting.

I note (but am not sure what to do with) the parallels between BCP's ring and Xrvgu'f evat

Ooh, that is a good point! A very neat bit of foreshadowing there.

[luzula]

Hee, glad you enjoyed it! This is really the last fun swashbuckling we get, before things turn more serious, so I feel like Broster is making the most of it.

But there's still an interesting comparison and contrast between Alison and Lachlan, and their respective care for and devotion to Ewen, I think.

Yes, they're both devoted to Ewen, but otherwise quite different, I think! Alison is more independent-minded, and Lachlan more a subordinate...but one who sometimes serves in the way that he wants, not the way Ewen wants.

Hmm, I'm not sure what to do with your observation about the rings, either.