# In Which Much of the History of the Pallisers Is Told explained — Can You Forgive Her?

> Chapter companion for Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope.

## What happens

Alice Vavasor becomes comfortable at Matching Priory, where she rides with Jeffrey Palliser and grows intimate with the family. Lady Glencora confides her marital unhappiness and her lingering thoughts of Burgo Fitzgerald, while Mr. Bott meddles in the household. The chapter explores the precarious position of Jeffrey Palliser as the potential heir should Lady Glencora remain childless, and the emotional turmoil of both women regarding love and duty.

## Themes in this chapter

### Duty vs. Desire

Lady Glencora's confession reveals the conflict between her marital duty and her lingering desire for Burgo Fitzgerald.

### Female Autonomy and Identity

Alice asserts her independence by refusing to discuss Lady Glencora with Mr. Bott, and both women grapple with societal expectations.

### Wealth and Financial Dependence

Jeffrey Palliser's precarious financial situation and his reliance on the ducal inheritance highlight the economic pressures on younger sons.

### Love and Marriage

The chapter contrasts Alice's principled separation from a man she loved with Glencora's loveless marriage, questioning the institution.

## Character check-ins

### Alice Vavasor

Settles in at Matching Priory, resumes riding, and becomes a confidante to Lady Glencora.

### Lady Glencora Palliser

Reveals her deep unhappiness in marriage and her sense of being driven into it, confesses her love for Burgo Fitzgerald still haunts her.

### Plantagenet Palliser

Discusses Jeffrey's prospects and the possibility of marriage; is portrayed as emotionally distant from his wife.

### Jeffrey Palliser

Alice's riding companion; his position as potential heir is examined, and Lady Glencora suggests he might marry Alice.

### Mr. Bott

Returns to Matching Priory and attempts to discuss Lady Glencora's behavior with Alice, who rebuffs him.

### Duke of Omnium

Mentioned as the host for the Pallisers' Christmas at Gatherum Castle.

### Burgo Fitzgerald

Referenced by Lady Glencora as the man she loved and still thinks about.

## Key lines

> I have just separated myself from a man whom I certainly did love truly, and that I cannot transfer my affections quite so quickly as that.

Alice explains that she cannot marry Jeffrey because she still loves the man she left.

_Alice inadvertently reminds Glencora of her own hasty marriage, causing tension._

> I did it like a beast that is driven as its owner chooses. I know it. I was a beast.

Glencora describes her marriage as something forced upon her, stripping her of her humanity.

_Glencora's raw self-loathing reveals the depth of her unhappiness._

## Links

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