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Flight of the Heron read-along: Part III chapter 5
:D
That Night in the Hut.
Next week we'll read the first two chapters of Part IV.
That Night in the Hut.
Next week we'll read the first two chapters of Part IV.
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.
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.
This is the BEST chapter, except perhaps certain later chapters. The book takes a while to build to this point, but now that it's here it goes ALL OUT.
I just love the explosion of hurt/comfort here. Ewen: confused, feverish, in pain, not even certain that it's really Keith here; a brief moment of comfort in between the horror of the battle (God, his description of waking up naked and stiff with cold on the field!) and the horror that awaits once he's captured. Keith: in some ways even more confused about his own feelings, but that confusion doesn't stop him from doing everything he can to help Ewen.
The atmosphere in this chapter is also just incredible. I love the burned shielings still smoking when Keith arrives, poor Neil stiff and stark by the door, the darkness and the flickering light in the shieling, Keith sopping the bread in the wine to feed to Ewen... and the incredible sweetness of Ewan's gratitude and affection once he fully grasps who Keith is and what he has done for him, and the fact that Keith just can't quite accept it, partly because he feels the stain on his honor from the things he implied to Guthrie, but also just... he's not used to people being fond of him, or letting himself be fond of other people.
I just love the explosion of hurt/comfort here. Ewen: confused, feverish, in pain, not even certain that it's really Keith here; a brief moment of comfort in between the horror of the battle (God, his description of waking up naked and stiff with cold on the field!) and the horror that awaits once he's captured. Keith: in some ways even more confused about his own feelings, but that confusion doesn't stop him from doing everything he can to help Ewen.
The atmosphere in this chapter is also just incredible. I love the burned shielings still smoking when Keith arrives, poor Neil stiff and stark by the door, the darkness and the flickering light in the shieling, Keith sopping the bread in the wine to feed to Ewen... and the incredible sweetness of Ewan's gratitude and affection once he fully grasps who Keith is and what he has done for him, and the fact that Keith just can't quite accept it, partly because he feels the stain on his honor from the things he implied to Guthrie, but also just... he's not used to people being fond of him, or letting himself be fond of other people.
Yes, it's interesting how easily Keith accepts the idea that their meetings are fate! Perhaps the fact that there have already been three meetings by the time he hears of the prophecy makes that easier for him to accept, despite his general adherence to rationalism - plus of course things like that simply feel more believable when you hear them in the night in a smoky shieling lit by only a dim flickering light...
Plus of course if he accepts "fate" as the reason, perhaps it's a bit easier to remain in denial of his own feelings! Why worry about exactly what feelings are pushing him to act in a certain way when the real culprit is Fate?
Plus of course if he accepts "fate" as the reason, perhaps it's a bit easier to remain in denial of his own feelings! Why worry about exactly what feelings are pushing him to act in a certain way when the real culprit is Fate?
ALL the hurt/comfort! I practically know this chapter by heart, if that's not a too embarrassing admission, but I reread it a lot as a teenager. Broster really knows what she's about here - the undercurrent of Keith's embarrassment and shame around what he's already said to Guthrie and what he then ends up asking Ewen without meaning it that way - it adds some salt to the sweetness of how he's nursing Ewen. You can see how much she's learned as a writer since The Wounded Name, where the hurt/comfort is turned up several more notches but in a way that leaves a little too much of the author's id on the table, and the problem of honour is a lot more forced. Here Keith's awkwardness and his dilemma feel incredibly real, and it balances out the rest of it well.
I love the ending, too, with Keith riding away and realising how much he hopes someone will be along to rescue Ewen before Guthrie gets to him, though his sense of honour prevents him from arranging the rescue directly. Had Ewen been rescued, I expect Keith would have been suspected anyway.
And I missed last week's discussion, but it has my favourite minor character, Lt Paton, who doesn't like extreme measures and is willing to argue that he couldn't disobey Keith if he gets into trouble - he's a sweetheart.
I love the ending, too, with Keith riding away and realising how much he hopes someone will be along to rescue Ewen before Guthrie gets to him, though his sense of honour prevents him from arranging the rescue directly. Had Ewen been rescued, I expect Keith would have been suspected anyway.
And I missed last week's discussion, but it has my favourite minor character, Lt Paton, who doesn't like extreme measures and is willing to argue that he couldn't disobey Keith if he gets into trouble - he's a sweetheart.
Totally agree that Broster has learned some things since The Wounded Name! Salt to the sweetness, yes. Keith is not Laurent, the adoring puppy-dog...
And I missed last week's discussion, but it has my favourite minor character, Lt Paton, who doesn't like extreme measures and is willing to argue that he couldn't disobey Keith if he gets into trouble - he's a sweetheart.
Oh, you should check out the fic that![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hyarrowen recently posted! It has Lieutenant Paton in it. : ) (Also it has spoilers for the end of the book, in case anyone reads this who hasn't finished it.)
And I missed last week's discussion, but it has my favourite minor character, Lt Paton, who doesn't like extreme measures and is willing to argue that he couldn't disobey Keith if he gets into trouble - he's a sweetheart.
Oh, you should check out the fic that
hyarrowen recently posted! It has Lieutenant Paton in it. : ) (Also it has spoilers for the end of the book, in case anyone reads this who hasn't finished it.)and the incredible sweetness of Ewan's gratitude and affection once he fully grasps who Keith is and what he has done for him, and the fact that Keith just can't quite accept it, partly because he feels the stain on his honor from the things he implied to Guthrie, but also just... he's not used to people being fond of him, or letting himself be fond of other people.
Yes! Totally agree, Keith's awkwardness around accepting Ewen's gratitude and affection is just very satisfyingly written. Oh, Keith. ♥
ETA: And also another reason for Keith's awkwardness is that he's aware of just how much worse his own side has treated the Jacobites, compared to how the Jacobites treated their defeated enemies at Prestonpans! This injury called for a surgeon, and he had nearly said so; but, reddening, checked himself, recalling the deliberate denial of care to the Jacobite wounded at Inverness, and the actual removal of their instruments from the few of their own surgeons imprisoned with them.
Yes! Totally agree, Keith's awkwardness around accepting Ewen's gratitude and affection is just very satisfyingly written. Oh, Keith. ♥
ETA: And also another reason for Keith's awkwardness is that he's aware of just how much worse his own side has treated the Jacobites, compared to how the Jacobites treated their defeated enemies at Prestonpans! This injury called for a surgeon, and he had nearly said so; but, reddening, checked himself, recalling the deliberate denial of care to the Jacobite wounded at Inverness, and the actual removal of their instruments from the few of their own surgeons imprisoned with them.
Edited 2021-11-20 20:28 (UTC)
I don't know if I can extol the virtues of this hurt-comfort scene anymore than other commenters have already done! But it is truly glorious. And I think what makes it so is the complications on both sides: for Ewen, the knowledge that it's his enemy, whom he got the better of the last time they met, who is doing it for him, and Keith...well, for all the complicated reasons already stated.
I think the cold and inadequacy of the shelter is very vivid, to the point where I wonder that Ewen even survives it!
Changing the subject a bit, I have some historical notes for you. I just wrote up a new book about Jacobites that I read, you can read about it here. The most interesting bit is about how the exiled Stuarts' political agenda (going by their political proclamations) actually grew more and more radical over the years, and was soon very far from "absolutist monarchy".
Also I recently learned that George I cheated on his wife (this is par for the course and not the remarkable bit) but that when his wife also took a lover, he and/or his Hanoverian relatives had the lover murdered and then he kept his wife locked up for 30 years. That's some serious double standards...though the locking up was apparently also to prevent her joining his enemies (i e the Jacobites).
Also also, I learned that a Sir William Wyndham was a Tory minister of Queen Anne who, after the Hanoverian succession, did some Jacobite plotting around the '15. A relative of Keith's, or not??
I think the cold and inadequacy of the shelter is very vivid, to the point where I wonder that Ewen even survives it!
Changing the subject a bit, I have some historical notes for you. I just wrote up a new book about Jacobites that I read, you can read about it here. The most interesting bit is about how the exiled Stuarts' political agenda (going by their political proclamations) actually grew more and more radical over the years, and was soon very far from "absolutist monarchy".
Also I recently learned that George I cheated on his wife (this is par for the course and not the remarkable bit) but that when his wife also took a lover, he and/or his Hanoverian relatives had the lover murdered and then he kept his wife locked up for 30 years. That's some serious double standards...though the locking up was apparently also to prevent her joining his enemies (i e the Jacobites).
Also also, I learned that a Sir William Wyndham was a Tory minister of Queen Anne who, after the Hanoverian succession, did some Jacobite plotting around the '15. A relative of Keith's, or not??
I love Lt. Paton's "Well I couldn't disobey a STAFF OFFICER" rules lawyering. Clearly he's delighted to have an excuse to thumb his nose at Guthrie, as who would not be?
As everyone already says, it's a delicious chapter. Saving Ewen from the firing squad was great, but I figured that was it for meeting three: that Keith went off with Guthrie, leaving Ewen to wait for Lachlan, and that was that, on to meeting four, wherever that should be. (Even as I kept rooting for Keith to come back to nurse Ewen, and even mentally started composing fic in which he does exactly that!)
AND THEN HE ACTUALLY DID. HE DID EXACTLY THAT. HE CAME BACK AND TENDERLY CARED FOR EWEN. JUST LIKE I WANTED.
Because D.K. Broster loves me, apparently.
AND THEN HE ACTUALLY DID. HE DID EXACTLY THAT. HE CAME BACK AND TENDERLY CARED FOR EWEN. JUST LIKE I WANTED.
Because D.K. Broster loves me, apparently.
I love how Broster never misses an opportunity for Keith to notice how blue Ewen's eyes are! Or how tall he is, or what a fine figure he cuts in his kilt! I've forgotten what poor Keith even looks like, but thanks to his endless pining I have a really clear mental picture of Ewen. ;)
And the way Keith notices the scars on Ewen's hand was beautifully done. He took the Grassmarket stuff hard, and I love that their past meetings keep adding an extra layer to their interactions. Ow, indeed.
That was epic hurt-comfort to rival any fanfic I've ever read. Bravo. *applauds*
And the way Keith notices the scars on Ewen's hand was beautifully done. He took the Grassmarket stuff hard, and I love that their past meetings keep adding an extra layer to their interactions. Ow, indeed.
That was epic hurt-comfort to rival any fanfic I've ever read. Bravo. *applauds*
Lt Paton was lovely! It was really sweet of him to sacrifice his shirt as a bandage, and it says yet more bad things about Guthrie's character that his junior officers would dislike him.
it's his enemy, whom he got the better of the last time they met, who is doing it for him...
Yngre ba, Rjra jvyy ersre gb guvf avtug nf 'ubyl', and I think Keith being his enemy is exactly why: Keith caring for him in this moment is an act with Biblical weight, a modern-day Good Samaritan. And "enemy" has far more meaning to it now than it did in the halcyon days when they first met: he and the MacLarens have been running from redcoats for days, they know what battlefield atrocities had been committed, they almost certainly know better than Keith that women and children are being turned out to freeze and starve, and only hours before Neil was murdered and Ewen had been put against the wall to be executed... Consider Ewen's first reaction to Keith's return: here obviously is yet another redcoat come to torture him! (Because why else would he have been spared but more torture??) Just kill him and be done with it.
And against that context, to be cared for by a man wearing one of those same red coats...? Ubyl, indeed.
Thank you for the continuing historical write-ups! They've been super helpful. *scurries off to read*
Yngre ba, Rjra jvyy ersre gb guvf avtug nf 'ubyl', and I think Keith being his enemy is exactly why: Keith caring for him in this moment is an act with Biblical weight, a modern-day Good Samaritan. And "enemy" has far more meaning to it now than it did in the halcyon days when they first met: he and the MacLarens have been running from redcoats for days, they know what battlefield atrocities had been committed, they almost certainly know better than Keith that women and children are being turned out to freeze and starve, and only hours before Neil was murdered and Ewen had been put against the wall to be executed... Consider Ewen's first reaction to Keith's return: here obviously is yet another redcoat come to torture him! (Because why else would he have been spared but more torture??) Just kill him and be done with it.
And against that context, to be cared for by a man wearing one of those same red coats...? Ubyl, indeed.
Thank you for the continuing historical write-ups! They've been super helpful. *scurries off to read*
Yes, it's definitely partly guilt on Keith's part! He's knows just why Ewen is so stunned to be taken care of by a solider in a red coat and the knowledge that his own side has been so destitute of honor and humanity just makes him shrivel up inside.
I love how even in his current desperate situation, Ewen is so warm and trusting once he realizes that it's Keith who has come back to nurse him - it really shows the sweetness of his nature. It would be understandable if he remained as cold and standoffish as he could, keeping his guard up just in case, but the idea doesn't even enter his head. Bs pbhefr, gung jvyy znxr Znwbe Thguevr'f npgvbaf gung zhpu zber cnvashy sbe uvz...Oevatvat zber uheg gb gur uheg-pbzsbeg.
I love how even in his current desperate situation, Ewen is so warm and trusting once he realizes that it's Keith who has come back to nurse him - it really shows the sweetness of his nature. It would be understandable if he remained as cold and standoffish as he could, keeping his guard up just in case, but the idea doesn't even enter his head. Bs pbhefr, gung jvyy znxr Znwbe Thguevr'f npgvbaf gung zhpu zber cnvashy sbe uvz...Oevatvat zber uheg gb gur uheg-pbzsbeg.
D. K. Broster knows what we NEED and she has done her level best to provide it! That tender loving care in a desperate situation is just *chef's kiss*
Man, that hurt/comfort is something else! I don't know if one can really get much more iddy than Keith tenderly taking care of Ewen and Ewen all hurt-exhausted-grateful-adorably-confused in his care <3
I kept getting worried though about Keith not telling Ewen about what he said about Lochiel. Is this going to be a problem?? Is Ewen going to find out horribly and hold it against Keith?? I hope not! I guess now that I've left this comment I can read on and find out... :)
ETA: Oh, and dead Neil by the door :((
I kept getting worried though about Keith not telling Ewen about what he said about Lochiel. Is this going to be a problem?? Is Ewen going to find out horribly and hold it against Keith?? I hope not! I guess now that I've left this comment I can read on and find out... :)
ETA: Oh, and dead Neil by the door :((
Edited 2021-11-21 06:01 (UTC)
This injury called for a surgeon, and he had nearly said so; but, reddening, checked himself, recalling the deliberate denial of care to the Jacobite wounded at Inverness, and the actual removal of their instruments from the few of their own surgeons imprisoned with them.
Ohhhh, yeah, that was a really powerful line <3 :( To actually remove the surgeons' instruments... that's a special kind of cruelty, ugh.
Ohhhh, yeah, that was a really powerful line <3 :( To actually remove the surgeons' instruments... that's a special kind of cruelty, ugh.
I'm two weeks late to the party (again).
I enjoyed last week's chapters, mostly because it marks a very different shift in the book's tone than before — I think it's quite interesting putting Culloden as roughly the central point of the story, because it allows for a very nice counterpoint to the tone of the first half. The first half starts out in quite a heroic tone and ends in quite a tragic one: it's interesting to see the fallout from that, and the complexities that arise in the aftermath of military defeat. Guthrie's character (more on him later) is quite interesting in that he is a good example of just how complicated the Rising actually was, a far cry from the simple Scots vs English dichotomy that sometimes seems to be presented.
However, I find Keith's own journey in the aftermath of Culloden very fascinating: how he both despises and also, to a certain extent, permits the atrocities that followed, if only by inaction. While Broster does keep his hands reasonably clean by having him as a staff officer, he seems to feel a sense of culpability that he tries to excuse even as he feels ashamed for it, a really interesting character note. While it's present earlier, V ernyyl guvax gung vg'f ng guvf cbvag jr fgneg gb frr Xrvgu'f nzovgvba orpbzr uvf unznegvn, uvf sngny synj. He feels remorse, certainly, but he seems to be able to rationalise the horrible actions undertaken by the British Army as an awful but inevitable consequence of war. Even the sight of the dead woman and child and knowledge that this is not the first, nor the last, time such a thing will happen doesn't make him question whether the army's actions are really justified — he skirts around facing the question head on, even as he feels branded.
Of course, he does have a weakness, in the form of one Ewen Cameron. I find it fascinating how up until the moment he recognises Ewen he is not willing to stop the execution, but the moment he sees that it's Ewen we find out just where precisely he has drawn the line on allowing horrible things to be carried out. I have to say, I do wonder at the whole recoginising-the-Cameron-tartan thing, as the concept of clan tartans is a semi-fictionalised Victorian concept (damned Sobieski Stuarts), although it's entirely possible that he recognises it on the basis of it being like the one he wore earlier (Keith in a kilt is still the funniest part of the book). The first time I read this chapter I couldn't believe my eyes when Keith throws himself between Ewen and the firing squad. It's so capital-R Romantic, Keith riding in, throwing himself off his horse to protect Ewen, Ewen fainting into his arms... the dirty, bloodstained, half-clothed figure which Keith had last seen so gallant in powder and satin, cool, smiling and triumphant... Keith tending to Ewen in the shieling and feeling guilty that he can't tend to him further. Fetch my fainting couch.
For officers, as Major Guthrie must know, were not shot in cold blood — now. That now does a lot of heavy lifting, and it's a great example of how Broster manages to say a lot with very little sometimes. And then Keith having to barter so heavily for Ewen's life — other people commented on it, I believe, but it really makes it understandable why he wishes so badly to go back to Flanders, to 'civilised' war where officers are treated as equals across the lines because they belong to recognised governments. Guthrie is such a bastard, and while I hate him and want to see him thrown off a cliff I also enjoy just how much of an awful man he is. One of the things I find fascinating about Broster's writing is the juxtapositions she sets up: Guthrie's speculations over Keith's guilt over seducing some female relative of Ewen's, and Keith's desire to save Ewen's life for an entirely different reason (well, perhaps not entirely different. But I rather think that Guthrie has the wrong end of that stick, and probably all the best for Keith, because if Guthrie suspected something between Keith and Ewen he would not be kind about it).
The shieling chapter is absolutely gorgeous. I didn't think that Broster would actually have Keith go back to tend to Ewen — surely that was a step too far. And yet she DID. I like how Keith, whose temperament does not seem to run to gentleness, is, in fact, quite capable of tenderness, helping Ewen eat and drink, reassuring him... I find it quite lovely how Keith asks Ewen's permission to tend to his wounds. It's such a quiet, intimate scene. And then, when Ewen faints... But five minutes saw the end of the snatch of feverish slumber, for Ardroy woke with a little cry and some remark about the English artillery which showed that he had been back at Culloden Moor. However, he knew Keith instantly[...]. It's a small shift in their relationship, but a significant one, especially when you consider that ng gur irel raq bs gur abiry, jura Xrvgu vf qlvat, jr unir gur ybiryl dhbgr: Nf ur jnf yvsgrq, Xrvgu pnzr onpx sebz n zbzrag’f qernz bs n fuber jvgu ybat terra ebyyref ebnevat ybhqyl haqre n oybbq-erq fhafrg, gb cnva naq qvssvphyg oerngu naq Rjra’f nezf. Ur xarj uvz.
There is so much I like about this chapter. I'm a little prejudiced towards it because I have sat with it, writing alongside it for my fic, but it's so wonderful, Keith acting as the Good Samaritan, Ewen having his faith in humanity restored somewhat after those awful, heartbreaking weeks. And then Keith trying, and failing, to work out just what his relationship to Ewen is — it's sublime.
I enjoyed last week's chapters, mostly because it marks a very different shift in the book's tone than before — I think it's quite interesting putting Culloden as roughly the central point of the story, because it allows for a very nice counterpoint to the tone of the first half. The first half starts out in quite a heroic tone and ends in quite a tragic one: it's interesting to see the fallout from that, and the complexities that arise in the aftermath of military defeat. Guthrie's character (more on him later) is quite interesting in that he is a good example of just how complicated the Rising actually was, a far cry from the simple Scots vs English dichotomy that sometimes seems to be presented.
However, I find Keith's own journey in the aftermath of Culloden very fascinating: how he both despises and also, to a certain extent, permits the atrocities that followed, if only by inaction. While Broster does keep his hands reasonably clean by having him as a staff officer, he seems to feel a sense of culpability that he tries to excuse even as he feels ashamed for it, a really interesting character note. While it's present earlier, V ernyyl guvax gung vg'f ng guvf cbvag jr fgneg gb frr Xrvgu'f nzovgvba orpbzr uvf unznegvn, uvf sngny synj. He feels remorse, certainly, but he seems to be able to rationalise the horrible actions undertaken by the British Army as an awful but inevitable consequence of war. Even the sight of the dead woman and child and knowledge that this is not the first, nor the last, time such a thing will happen doesn't make him question whether the army's actions are really justified — he skirts around facing the question head on, even as he feels branded.
Of course, he does have a weakness, in the form of one Ewen Cameron. I find it fascinating how up until the moment he recognises Ewen he is not willing to stop the execution, but the moment he sees that it's Ewen we find out just where precisely he has drawn the line on allowing horrible things to be carried out. I have to say, I do wonder at the whole recoginising-the-Cameron-tartan thing, as the concept of clan tartans is a semi-fictionalised Victorian concept (damned Sobieski Stuarts), although it's entirely possible that he recognises it on the basis of it being like the one he wore earlier (Keith in a kilt is still the funniest part of the book). The first time I read this chapter I couldn't believe my eyes when Keith throws himself between Ewen and the firing squad. It's so capital-R Romantic, Keith riding in, throwing himself off his horse to protect Ewen, Ewen fainting into his arms... the dirty, bloodstained, half-clothed figure which Keith had last seen so gallant in powder and satin, cool, smiling and triumphant... Keith tending to Ewen in the shieling and feeling guilty that he can't tend to him further. Fetch my fainting couch.
For officers, as Major Guthrie must know, were not shot in cold blood — now. That now does a lot of heavy lifting, and it's a great example of how Broster manages to say a lot with very little sometimes. And then Keith having to barter so heavily for Ewen's life — other people commented on it, I believe, but it really makes it understandable why he wishes so badly to go back to Flanders, to 'civilised' war where officers are treated as equals across the lines because they belong to recognised governments. Guthrie is such a bastard, and while I hate him and want to see him thrown off a cliff I also enjoy just how much of an awful man he is. One of the things I find fascinating about Broster's writing is the juxtapositions she sets up: Guthrie's speculations over Keith's guilt over seducing some female relative of Ewen's, and Keith's desire to save Ewen's life for an entirely different reason (well, perhaps not entirely different. But I rather think that Guthrie has the wrong end of that stick, and probably all the best for Keith, because if Guthrie suspected something between Keith and Ewen he would not be kind about it).
The shieling chapter is absolutely gorgeous. I didn't think that Broster would actually have Keith go back to tend to Ewen — surely that was a step too far. And yet she DID. I like how Keith, whose temperament does not seem to run to gentleness, is, in fact, quite capable of tenderness, helping Ewen eat and drink, reassuring him... I find it quite lovely how Keith asks Ewen's permission to tend to his wounds. It's such a quiet, intimate scene. And then, when Ewen faints... But five minutes saw the end of the snatch of feverish slumber, for Ardroy woke with a little cry and some remark about the English artillery which showed that he had been back at Culloden Moor. However, he knew Keith instantly[...]. It's a small shift in their relationship, but a significant one, especially when you consider that ng gur irel raq bs gur abiry, jura Xrvgu vf qlvat, jr unir gur ybiryl dhbgr: Nf ur jnf yvsgrq, Xrvgu pnzr onpx sebz n zbzrag’f qernz bs n fuber jvgu ybat terra ebyyref ebnevat ybhqyl haqre n oybbq-erq fhafrg, gb cnva naq qvssvphyg oerngu naq Rjra’f nezf. Ur xarj uvz.
There is so much I like about this chapter. I'm a little prejudiced towards it because I have sat with it, writing alongside it for my fic, but it's so wonderful, Keith acting as the Good Samaritan, Ewen having his faith in humanity restored somewhat after those awful, heartbreaking weeks. And then Keith trying, and failing, to work out just what his relationship to Ewen is — it's sublime.
I love how Broster never misses an opportunity for Keith to notice how blue Ewen's eyes are! Or how tall he is, or what a fine figure he cuts in his kilt!
As always, it's terribly important. I do like the way that admiration is combined here with the contrast between Ewen's appearance now and at their last meeting, with all the emotional significance of that change—injured and ragged, but his eyes as blue as ever...
As always, it's terribly important. I do like the way that admiration is combined here with the contrast between Ewen's appearance now and at their last meeting, with all the emotional significance of that change—injured and ragged, but his eyes as blue as ever...
:D
Yes, that's a good point—Keith's obliviousness and confusion about his own feelings really follows from his observation of his own actions, it doesn't keep him from acting on those feelings. It's a good tangle.
And oh, yes, the atmospheric details here are really well done too.
Yes, that's a good point—Keith's obliviousness and confusion about his own feelings really follows from his observation of his own actions, it doesn't keep him from acting on those feelings. It's a good tangle.
And oh, yes, the atmospheric details here are really well done too.
Oh, that's definitely not an embarrassing admission :D
Yes, the combination of tenderness and tension in this chapter is really well-done, and I agree about the development from The Wounded Name—Broster has learnt how to harness the iddy hurt/comfort to a solid plot and a well-developed emotional background in a way it wasn't there, and it becomes all the more meaningful for the depth of character here.
Had Ewen been rescued, I expect Keith would have been suspected anyway.
Now there's a good canon divergence fic idea! I was struck, reading this chapter again, by how much Keith actually thinks about the possibility of Ewen being rescued and how much he wants that to happen (and how explicitly he's willing to admit that to himself!). Much as I'd enjoy it, I think Keith turning round and deciding to try and rescue Ewen himself is a little outside the bounds of plausibility, but as for what he might do if someone else rescued Ewen... might we even end up with Keith and Lachlan working together???
ETA my agreement to the chorus of yes, Lieutenant Paton is a sweetheart :D
Yes, the combination of tenderness and tension in this chapter is really well-done, and I agree about the development from The Wounded Name—Broster has learnt how to harness the iddy hurt/comfort to a solid plot and a well-developed emotional background in a way it wasn't there, and it becomes all the more meaningful for the depth of character here.
Had Ewen been rescued, I expect Keith would have been suspected anyway.
Now there's a good canon divergence fic idea! I was struck, reading this chapter again, by how much Keith actually thinks about the possibility of Ewen being rescued and how much he wants that to happen (and how explicitly he's willing to admit that to himself!). Much as I'd enjoy it, I think Keith turning round and deciding to try and rescue Ewen himself is a little outside the bounds of plausibility, but as for what he might do if someone else rescued Ewen... might we even end up with Keith and Lachlan working together???
ETA my agreement to the chorus of yes, Lieutenant Paton is a sweetheart :D
Edited 2021-11-21 11:03 (UTC)
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