Man and Wife · Chapter
IX explained
Two months after Lady Lundie's forebodings, she dies at sea and is buried there.
What happens
Two months after Lady Lundie's forebodings, she dies at sea and is buried there. A year later, Sir Thomas Lundie remarries and brings his second wife to England in late 1866. The new Lady Lundie respects the trust placed in Anne by her predecessor, and Anne and Blanche maintain a sisterly bond. By early 1867, three of those involved in the tragedy at Hampstead villa twelve years prior are dead, one is self-exiled, and only Anne, Blanche, and the solicitor who discovered the flaw in the Irish marriage—now Lord Holchester—remain.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Its Legal Bonds
The chapter alludes to the legal flaw in the Irish marriage discovered by the solicitor, now Lord Holchester, highlighting the enduring consequences of marriage law.
Suffering and Resilience
The deaths and self-exile of those involved in the Hampstead tragedy underscore the suffering endured, while Anne and Blanche's continued bond reflects resilience.
Characters to notice
- Lady Lundie
Dies on the voyage and is buried at sea, fulfilling her forebodings.
- Sir Thomas Lundie
Remarries a year after Lady Lundie's death and brings his second wife to England in 1866.
- Anne Silvester
Continues to be trusted and respected by Sir Thomas and the new Lady Lundie; maintains a sisterly relationship with Blanche.
- Blanche Lundie
Shares a sisterly bond with Anne as they grow up together.
- Lord Holchester
Formerly Mr. Delamayn, the solicitor who discovered the flaw in the Irish marriage; now a peer and one of the few survivors of the Hampstead tragedy.
Key passages
“In two months from that time one of the forebodings which had weighed on Lady Lundie’s mind was fulfilled. She died on the voyage, and was buried at sea.”
Within two months, Lady Lundie's fear came true: she died during the sea journey and was buried at sea.
Describes the fulfillment of Lady Lundie's premonition and her death.
“At the opening of eighteen hundred and sixty-seven the relations between Anne and Blanche were relations of sisterly sympathy and sisterly love.”
By early 1867, Anne and Blanche shared a deep, affectionate bond like sisters.
Highlights the close relationship between Anne and Blanche.
“There now remained living Anne and Blanche, who had been children at the time; and the rising solicitor who had discovered the flaw in the Irish marriage—once Mr. Delamayn: now Lord Holchester.”
The only survivors from the Hampstead tragedy were Anne and Blanche, who were children then, and the solicitor who found the legal defect in the Irish marriage—formerly Mr. Delamayn, now Lord Holchester.
Summarizes the surviving characters from the earlier events.