The Nebuly Coat · Chapter
XVIII explained
Lord Blandamer visits Bellevue Lodge and proposes to Anastasia Joliffe, who accepts.
What happens
Lord Blandamer visits Bellevue Lodge and proposes to Anastasia Joliffe, who accepts. Miss Euphemia Joliffe announces the engagement to the pork-butcher's family, revealing that Anastasia will become Lady Blandamer. Lord Blandamer receives Anastasia's letter and responds with a composed reply, though he delays his visit.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Ambition
Anastasia's engagement to Lord Blandamer represents a dramatic rise in social class, and Miss Euphemia's announcement underscores the family's concern with status and name.
Secrecy and Identity
Lord Blandamer's calculated proposal and his hidden motives, along with Anastasia's concealed feelings, highlight themes of secrecy and the performance of identity.
Love and Marriage
The proposal and engagement are central, but Lord Blandamer's emotional detachment and Anastasia's conflicted feelings complicate the notion of romantic love.
Characters to notice
- Miss Anastasia Joliffe
Anastasia is surprised and overwhelmed by Lord Blandamer's visit and proposal, feeling both joy and shame. She writes a letter to him and prepares to leave for London.
- Lord Blandamer
Lord Blandamer deliberately visits Anastasia, proposes marriage, and later receives her letter with calm detachment, responding with a polished but emotionally distant reply.
- Miss Euphemia Joliffe
Miss Euphemia announces Anastasia's engagement to the pork-butcher's family, displaying a newfound confidence and teasing demeanor.
- Mr. Westray
Westray is mentioned as the young man on whom the churchwarden's daughters had hopes, but he is not directly involved in this chapter.
Key passages
“She was shocked that she should feel this attraction where there could be no thought of marriage; she thought that she should die if he should ever guess that one so lowly had gazed upon the sun and been dazzled.”
Anastasia is ashamed of her feelings for Lord Blandamer, believing that someone of her low status should not aspire to him.
This reflects the theme of social class and the internal conflict between love and societal expectations.
“He knew the exact point which the action of the play had reached, he knew that Anastasia would grant whatever he asked of her.”
Lord Blandamer is fully aware that Anastasia is in love with him and will accept his proposal.
Highlights Lord Blandamer's manipulative and calculated approach to the relationship.
“I will state I have made a mistake. I suppose I must take to spectacles; it seems I cannot see things that are going on under my very eyes—no, not even when they are pointed out to me.”
Miss Euphemia admits she was wrong about Lord Blandamer's intentions, humorously blaming her poor eyesight.
Shows Miss Euphemia's character development and her teasing manner in revealing the engagement.