WELL, I am late to this gravy train, and new to this readalong idea, but I like both the train and the idea so here we are. I've now read up to chapter 15, and this post will spoil many of the events of the book but really you've had quite a few years to read it so this barely counts as spoiling anything.
Clearly, clearly, Lady Audley's secret is that Lady Audley/Lucy Graham=Helen Talboys and now Lady Audley's OTHER secret is that she pushed poor George Talboys down the well to his watery demise. And of COURSE Phoebe saw it and of COURSE she tole Luke and of COURSE they're blackmailing Lady Audley and they also get married, to which I say "Whyyyyyy so many cousins getting married, M.E. Braddon?"
Let's lay out a cast of characters:
- Robert Audley: the favourite. The lazy unintentional hero!
- George Talboys: a bit dumb, and now dead :(
- Alicia Audley: headstrong! Goes hunting! In love with Robert, who is her cousin (whyyyy)
- Lady Audley/Lucy Graham/Helen Talboys: a sociopath! And surprisingly strong? George is always called a "big dragoon", but tiny Lady Audley can shove him in an old well???
- Lord Audley: who cares
- Phoebe Mark: didn't have to change her name when she got married because she married her cousin (uuugh). A potential candidate for another Lady Audley switcheroo!
- Blah blah other people.
I feel bad for Robert, who was George's best friend, and for Alicia, because everyone writes her off. There's so much of the book left! Will Robert and Alicia get married even though they are related by blood? Will Phoebe and Luke be at least marginally happy (no)?? Will Lord Audley stop being a dithering idiot??? Will Lady Audley KILL AGAIN????
