# XLIV: The Letter and the Law explained — Man and Wife

> Chapter companion for Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins.

## What happens

Sir Patrick Lundie reveals to Anne Silvester that she was legally married to Geoffrey Delamayn at the moment he wrote on the back of her letter. Anne is horrified by the implications. The scene shifts to a back drawing-room in Drury Lane, where Anne recounts her failed attempt to see Geoffrey at Fulham, including her encounter with the mysterious Hester Dethridge and the presence of the surgeon Mr. Speedwell.

## Themes in this chapter

### Marriage and Its Legal Bonds

The revelation that Anne is legally married to Geoffrey Delamayn underscores the inescapable legal and social consequences of marriage, even when entered under false pretenses.

### Betrayal and Deception

Geoffrey's betrayal of Anne and Arnold is central; his calumny and abandonment of Anne highlight the theme of deception.

### Law and Injustice

The legal technicality of the marriage traps Anne in a horrific bond, illustrating the injustice of a law that binds her to a villain.

## Character check-ins

### Anne Silvester

Horrified to learn she is legally married to Geoffrey Delamayn; recounts her visit to Fulham and her failed attempt to speak with him.

### Sir Patrick Lundie

Reveals the legal marriage to Anne; questions her about her motives and her visit to Fulham.

### Geoffrey Delamayn

Referenced as the villain to whom Anne is married; described as refusing to see Mr. Speedwell and reacting with fury upon seeing Anne.

### Hester Dethridge

The mute landlady at Fulham who lets lodgings to Geoffrey's trainer; shows a hard, watchful demeanor.

### Arnold Brinkworth

Mentioned as the one whose trust was betrayed by Geoffrey and whose home was desolated.

## Key lines

> Married⁠—to the villain who had not hesitated to calumniate the woman whom he had ruined, and then to cast her helpless on the world.

Anne is legally bound to the man who slandered her and abandoned her.

_Highlights the horror of Anne's legal marriage to Geoffrey._

> I have not got a friend in the world. I dare not live alone.

Hester Dethridge explains she lets lodgings because she has no friends and fears solitude.

_Reveals Hester's isolation and fear._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se/chapters/xliv-the-letter-and-the-law
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se/chapters