Well, I think this chapter is pretty much Quintessential D. K. Broster: hurt/comfort, noble enemies who become friends, more hurt/comfort, a horrible dilemma of honour and a bit more lovingly detailed hurt/comfort just for good measure. I hope everyone's enjoying it. :D
Beinn Laoigh/Ben Loy is the second of the novel's main fictional locations, after Ardroy; there is a real mountain with the same name (although Anglicised as Ben Lui rather than Loy), but it's over on the other side of the country, in Argyll & Bute. I haven't done detailed geographical notes for this chapter, but I think you can work out roughly where we are from the references to the Corryarrick/Corrieyairack and Wade's roads.
Right, I'm going to do a bit of wallowing in all the lovely details of this hurt/comfort! Keith starting off by speaking 'gently' to Ewen; Ewen's astonishment on recognising Keith (and initial refusal to believe it's really him), and his continuing light-headed bewilderment over him really being there; Keith noticing the colour of Ewen's eyes; the exhausted Ewen 'gathering together what forces he had' to thank Keith; '“Permit you!” repeated Ewen, gazing at him with a renewal of his former wonder'. Later Ewen, having recovered a little after eating the food Keith has brought him, is 'almost on the point of breaking down' as he tries again to thank Keith and comprehend his kindness, and Keith hurriedly stops him again.
Keith already identifies 'the finger of Fate' guiding his actions, which is interesting. But then he hears about the prophecy properly, and it's also interesting—given Ewen's earlier scepticism, and the fact that Keith even more than Ewen has been set up as so rational and dismissive of barbaric Highland old-fashionedness—that he seems to accept the idea of five fated meetings quite readily and happily. (Also, 'It was not the first time in the last twelve hours that he had remembered the house in the Grassmarket' —ow).
Laughing together over Ewen's beard!
'"we speak as friends"' <333
Ewen's loyalty to Lochiel is once again very prominent—even amidst his own pain and emotion, he's horrified at the thought of Lochiel being captured and desperate for Keith to reassure him that he hasn't been, and he smiles at the thought that he knows Lochiel is safe. Aww, Ewen...
And then, of course, we have Keith's dilemma and Ewen unfortunately falling asleep at just the wrong time to make it worse. I love that Keith doesn't spare himself in deciding whether to tell Ewen what he said about Lochiel—stop making excuses, he tells himself, you're being cowardly—but then when it's a matter of simply waking Ewen up and disturbing him, he can't bring himself to do it. We get a whole page of Keith watching Ewen sleep, while trying to work out this horrible conundrum of honour.
And then at the end of the chapter Keith is still in denial about his own feelings! Beautiful. D. K. Broster, I love you.
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Beinn Laoigh/Ben Loy is the second of the novel's main fictional locations, after Ardroy; there is a real mountain with the same name (although Anglicised as Ben Lui rather than Loy), but it's over on the other side of the country, in Argyll & Bute. I haven't done detailed geographical notes for this chapter, but I think you can work out roughly where we are from the references to the Corryarrick/Corrieyairack and Wade's roads.
Right, I'm going to do a bit of wallowing in all the lovely details of this hurt/comfort! Keith starting off by speaking 'gently' to Ewen; Ewen's astonishment on recognising Keith (and initial refusal to believe it's really him), and his continuing light-headed bewilderment over him really being there; Keith noticing the colour of Ewen's eyes; the exhausted Ewen 'gathering together what forces he had' to thank Keith; '“Permit you!” repeated Ewen, gazing at him with a renewal of his former wonder'. Later Ewen, having recovered a little after eating the food Keith has brought him, is 'almost on the point of breaking down' as he tries again to thank Keith and comprehend his kindness, and Keith hurriedly stops him again.
Keith already identifies 'the finger of Fate' guiding his actions, which is interesting. But then he hears about the prophecy properly, and it's also interesting—given Ewen's earlier scepticism, and the fact that Keith even more than Ewen has been set up as so rational and dismissive of barbaric Highland old-fashionedness—that he seems to accept the idea of five fated meetings quite readily and happily. (Also, 'It was not the first time in the last twelve hours that he had remembered the house in the Grassmarket' —ow).
Laughing together over Ewen's beard!
'"we speak as friends"' <333
Ewen's loyalty to Lochiel is once again very prominent—even amidst his own pain and emotion, he's horrified at the thought of Lochiel being captured and desperate for Keith to reassure him that he hasn't been, and he smiles at the thought that he knows Lochiel is safe. Aww, Ewen...
And then, of course, we have Keith's dilemma and Ewen unfortunately falling asleep at just the wrong time to make it worse. I love that Keith doesn't spare himself in deciding whether to tell Ewen what he said about Lochiel—stop making excuses, he tells himself, you're being cowardly—but then when it's a matter of simply waking Ewen up and disturbing him, he can't bring himself to do it. We get a whole page of Keith watching Ewen sleep, while trying to work out this horrible conundrum of honour.
And then at the end of the chapter Keith is still in denial about his own feelings! Beautiful. D. K. Broster, I love you.