A lot has happened in just one chapter, so I had a hard time condensing it into a quick summary!

Summary

We meet Mr. Featherstone, his sister Mrs. Waule, and his servant Mary Garth. Mr. Featherstone is ill and childless, and Mrs. Waule is worried because she has heard rumors that Fred Vincy bragged about inheriting Featherstone’s estate after his death.

Fred and Rosamund arrive and Fred talks to Mr. Featherstone while Rosamund talks to Mary Garth, a family friend and Mr. Featherstone’s servant and caretaker. Mr. Featherstone confronts Fred about the rumors. Fred feels guilty because he may have been bragging about his expectations while drunk, but he swears that he has not borrowed money using his expected windfall from Featherstone as security. Featherstone makes Fred swear that he’ll get a letter from his uncle, the banker Mr. Bulstrode, certifying that he doesn’t believe Fred has borrowed money in this way.

Meanwhile, Mary and Rosamund talk about their romantic prospects. Rosamund asks Mary about the new doctor Mr. Lydgate and the two discuss the rumors about Fred. Rosamund disparages Fred because he has dropped out of university and declared that he will not be a clergyman as expected, but Mary defends him. Rosamund implies that Fred plans to propose to Mary. Mary says she would not accept him, but it’s clear she has a soft spot for him.

We finally get to meet Mr. Lydgate in person when he arrives to care for Mr. Featherstone. Rosamund has carefully engineered their meeting, coming to the house when she knows he is likely to call. There is a spark between them, and she fantasizes about a future as Mrs. Lydgate when she will have access to his network of superior relations and good breeding.

Context and references

Mrs. Waule says the Vincys are no more Featherstones than a Merry-Andrew at a fair. A Merry-Andrew is a clown.

Rosamund and Mary know each other from school, where Mary was an articled pupil. This means that she had to work at the school to offset the cost of her attendance.

When discussing Mr. Lydgate, Mary says “il y en a pour tous les goûts.” This is French for “there is something for all tastes.”

Break week and book 1 discussion next week!

We have a scheduled break next week to give anyone who’s fallen behind the chance to catch up! We’re also at the end of book 1, so there will be a book 1 overview post during the break week where we can talk about what we’ve read so far as a whole.