Can You Forgive Her Volume II

Volume II starts where Volume I left off, with George back at the Vavasor ancestorial home as agreed with his sister Kate. But pride prevents him from apologising to his grandfather, and as Mrs Greenow refuses to loan George the money to pay his election expenses he is back where he started from, persuading Kate to ask Alice for the money. After some prevarication Kate finally gives in and asks Alice for £1000 to be paid into George's account immediately. (That's about £150k in today's money). Alice obliged, although as we know (and she doesn't) the money actually comes from John Grey.

George may have thought that he had several months before he need be troubled by the election, but the fates conspire against him when the current Chelsea member's father unfortunately dies, the member is advanced to the House of Lords and an election called in the Chelsea district even though there are only a few months of the current session of parliament left and a further election required later in the year.

George takes his seat in the House of Commons
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George stands and is successful, but not before he has had to make another call for funds (£1500) from Alice. John Grey once again obliges, even though his solicitor Mr Tombe thinks he is "carrying a love-affair rather too far". John Grey sets a limit of £5000, and by the time George has won the seat his expenses stand at £3800, with the whole thing "to be repeated over again in six months time!"

In the meantime Plantagenet Palliser has returned to the House of Commons although he is still not yet Chancellor of the Exchequer. He appears to be biding his time. It is interesting to note that at this time politics was not divided along strict party lines but was more factional, with different factions existing within each of the main parties. We had left Glencora supposedly safe at Matching Priory, but it transpires the rogue Burgo Fitzgerald had followed her to Matching such that Glencora took herself up to London and the supposed safety provided by her husband.

Of course Plantagenet has his mind on other matters, as demonstrated by their first meeting following her return to London, when he gives her a jolly good one hour dissertation on the workings of the British Constitution. Unfortunately Glencora yawns, leaving her contemplating what might have been had she ignored advice and run off with Burgo, "Would it not even be better to be beaten by him than to have politics explained to her at one o'clock at night by such a husband as Plantagenet Palliser? The British Constitution, indeed!"

As well as Mr Bott, Glencora also has Mrs Marsham, an old friend of the family, watching over her. The tension is building nicely.

 

"When a woman knows that she is guarded by a watch-dog, she is bound to deceive her Cerberus, if it be possible, and is usually not ill-disposed to deceive also the owner of Cerberus. Lady Glencora felt that Mrs. Marsham was her Cerberus, and she was heartily resolved that if she was to be kept in the proper line at all, she would not be so kept by Mrs. Marsham."