SPOILERS!!!
The Combination Bill is passed despite the efforts to make the government see sense. That means that the union in Kingsbridge has to be dissolved, but the lawyer, Keithley, tells them to form a friendly society, so that the money from the union won't be taken by the government. They do so, and thanks to the friendly society people in dire circumstances can be helped.
Hornbeam does not comply with the sentence that ended the strike. Colin Henessy, one of the Irish, has become friendly with Spade and the others, and he tells them that Hornbeam has bought a new, faster machine without telling his workers, which was a condition in the agreement. Sal, Jarge and Colin go to see Hornbeam, demanding explanations, but the man is as nasty as always, and he says that he will give them the answer the next day. Early the next morning Sal is apprehended by the sheriff and taken to Hornbeam's house where Colin Henessy is too. She is accused of committing a crime of combination because she threatened Hornbeam with strike, and she is found guilty and sentenced to two months of hard labour.
When the sentence is finished, Sal is a shadow of what she was. Elsie goes to see her and when she asks how the guards treated her, Elsie realises that Sal has been abused, but a sign from her tells her that she doesn't want to say anything before her husband.
Arabella and Spade continue their romance, and they are very much in love. Arabella discovers that she is pregnant, and Spade is delighted. However, Arabella has a problem because she is married to the bishop. So one night that the bishop has drunk too much port, she slips into his bed, and even though nothing happens, she stays the night and the next morning she tells him that he was very affectionate that night.
When Arabella announces that she is pregnant, the bishop starts having suspicions. Elsie also starts wondering if the baby is her father's because she remembers an acquaintance telling her that Arabella and Spade seemed to be very friendly to each other. Arabella has a baby boy, who she wants to name David, but the day of his christening the bishop says that the boy is called Absalom, a direct arrow to Arabella, and she realises that the bishop knows. That explodes one dinner when the bishop charges against her, saying that he knows her son is not his, and as a punishment he destroys the rose garden that she was so fond of.
The next part of the book starts in 1804. It is five years later and the bishop dies after being sick in bed for many months. Elsie's husband, Keneln, thinks that he will be the next bishop, but the archbishop has other ideas. He names someone else, and tells Keneln that he will be the next dean. Elsie thinks that this is a good thing, but Keneln doesn't think so, and when Elsie confronts him about the reason he married her, he admits that he married her because he thought it would help him become the next bishop.
Amos has two mills now and has business dealings in Combe. One night when he and his assistant, Hamish, are in Combe, they are told about the press gang, people who force men to join the navy in the war. They meet Jim Pidgeon, and when they are in a tavern, they watch a woman pour gin in his glass, and when Amos tries to intervene, an army officer arrives. There is a fight and Hamish helps Amos out of the tavern, but Jim is taken by the press gang.
Hornbeam presides the committe of the hunger relief next to a good priest, and Jenn Pidgeon, Jim's wife, comes asking for help, but Hornbeam refuses, arguing that her original town is not Kingsbridge. Then her son tries to steal a ribbon and he is arrested, and his crime could be punished with a death sentence. He stands trial, and Amos and Hamish speak about Jim being taken by the press gang, and as a consequence, the family have no money. Yet, the boy finds no compassion and is sent to the assizes to be judged, as it is the only institution that can rule a sentence of death.
Spade thinks that things need to change, so he would like to be the Member of Parliament for Kingsbridge. Cissy Bagshaw, who is an alderman, wants to leave the post, so she proposes him as the new alderman, who would be the first step in his political career. Hornbeam is not pleased and wants to stop the designation, so he talks to the new bishop about Spade and how he and the late bishop's wife are guilty of adultery, and he asks the bishop to give a sermon about adultery and how people who commit the sin shouldn't be trusted with high honours. I hope that Hornbeam does not get his way. Spade has a customer who grew up with Hornbeam. Hornbeam was an orphan and raised his position step by step, but the customer thinks that he probably didn't use legal means.
Roger Riddick has returned to Kingsbridge after years, and he comes to see his friend, Amos. Kit is now the manager of the mill, and Roger is happy to see him too. Roger brings a new idea of a loom which hs saw in France, but this loom is still not possible to buy in Britain. However, Roger has an idea; he proposes he and Kit build the loom, using some blueprints he has. Kit, who seems to be in love with Roger, is ready to follow him and quit his job.
Amos seems to have been cured of his infatuation with Jane. One rainy night she turns up and seduces him, and Amos is too bedazzled to oppose her. Then some weeks later when he meets her at the theatre, she tries to seduce him again, but he realises from the conversation they have that Jane does not love anybody, and he thinks that she is not worth it. At that moment, he realises that he does not love her, and maybe he was smitten with the idea of her beauty rather than with her as a person.
I am finding the book fascinating. My favourite character, I think, is Spade. I also like Amos even though his obsession with Jane has made him blind to someone as lovely as Elsie, who had to marry Keneln or she would have remained single.
No comments:
Post a Comment