# Valentine’s Day in London explained — The Small House at Allington

> Chapter companion for The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope.

## What happens

On a cold February day in London, Adolphus Crosbie marries Lady Alexandrina De Courcy at St. James's Church. The wedding is deliberately quiet to avoid the Earl's wrath and to minimize expense, with the Countess presiding over a modest breakfast. After the ceremony, the couple travels by train to Folkestone for their honeymoon, but Crosbie already feels a cold distance between them, contrasting sharply with the warmth he shared with Lily Dale.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Marriage

The marriage is portrayed as a cold, transactional arrangement, contrasting with the genuine affection Crosbie felt for Lily.

### Social Class and Status

The De Courcy family's obsession with nobility and appearances drives the wedding's quiet nature, despite their financial constraints.

### Poverty and Economic Pressure

Crosbie and Alexandrina must economize on their honeymoon, hiding their poverty behind a facade of gentility.

## Character check-ins

### Adolphus Crosbie

The groom, who feels the chill of his new marriage and contrasts Alexandrina's coldness with Lily's warmth.

### Lady Alexandrina De Courcy

The bride, who is more concerned about her bonnet and dressing-case than about emotional connection with her new husband.

### Lilian Dale

Mentioned in Crosbie's thoughts as the warm, engaging partner he has lost.

### Countess De Courcy

Presides over the wedding breakfast, having avoided the church to maintain her good humor.

### Lady Amelia Gazebee

Advises her mother on keeping the wedding quiet and economical.

### Mr. Gresham

Makes a speech at the wedding breakfast, praising the couple's future.

## Key lines

> Oh, deliver us from the poverty of those who, with small means, affect a show of wealth! There is no whitening equal to that of sepulchres whited as they are whited!

The narrator condemns the pretense of wealth by those who are actually poor, comparing it to whitewashed tombs that hide decay.

_This reflects the theme of poverty and economic pressure, highlighting the couple's strained finances._

> He had never walked with her for hours together as he had walked with Lily. He had never talked to her about government, and politics, and books, nor had she talked to him of poetry, of religion, and of the little duties and comforts of life.

Crosbie realizes that he never had deep, meaningful conversations with Alexandrina, unlike the intimacy he shared with Lily.

_This underscores the emotional void in Crosbie's new marriage and his regret over losing Lily._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_small_house_at_allington_se/chapters/xlv-valentine-s-day-in-london
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_small_house_at_allington_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_small_house_at_allington_se/chapters