If Lady Susan was the sister-in-law of the lady at Churchill, then was her dead husband Reginald's brother? Wouldn't Reginald's parents have been her in-laws?
share[deleted]
Lady Susan's LATE husband, you mean ?
Manelle
"to tax and to please, no more to love and to be wise, is not given to men"
And in fact the oldest bit of back story was that when Charles Vernon fell in love with Catherine DeCourcy, his sister-in-law, his brother Frank's wife Lady Susan, tried her hardest to torpedo the marriage. That's why Catherine is so surprised when Susan says she wants to stay at Churchill.
Prepare your minds for a new scale of physical, scientific values, gentlemen.share
Thank you both! That's very helpful (and interesting)!
sharewhen Charles Vernon fell in love with Catherine DeCourcy, his sister-in-law, his brother Frank's wife Lady Susan, tried her hardest to torpedo the marriage.
And all the pieces matter (The Wire)share
It's been too long since I saw it, but my memory is that there was no real reason given or needed -- the point being (from Charles's POV) that she had no good reason. As is often the case when a difficult family member opposes a love match.
Prepare your minds for a new scale of physical, scientific values, gentlemen.share
There could have been no good reason...some women that marry into families seem to like to keep the males single. Maybe it's jealousy, maybe they want more resources for their offspring. As Lady Susan had married the eldest Vernon brother, when he died without issuing a male heir, the Vernon property and holdings were passed on to his nearest living male relation: his younger brother, Charles. A single brother-in-law was more likely to a) marry her and leave her as mistress of the manor or b) be positively influenced in regards to her residence there and still leave her as mistress of the manor in the case of her husband's death. I think she was just looking ahead.
shareLady Susan's attempts to torpedo her brother-in-law's marriage is discussed in detail early in the film.
This is the scene:
SUSAN I wanted her to be delighted with me-- (disappointed) --but I didn’t succeed.
MRS. CROSS I can't understand it.
SUSAN It’s true I have always detested her. And that, before her marriage, I went to great lengths to prevent it. Yet it shows an illiberal spirit to resent for long a plan which didn’t succeed.
MRS. CROSS Decidedly illiberal. Not liberal at all!
SUSAN My opposing her marriage -- and later preventing her and Charles from buying Vernon Castle -- might have given her an unfavorable impression. But I’ve found that, where there’s a disposition to dislike, a pretext will soon be found.
MRS. CROSS You mustn’t reproach yourself--
SUSAN I shan't -- the past is done. My project will be the children. I know a couple of their names already and have decided to attach myself to young Frederick in particular, taking him on my lap and sighing over him for his dear Uncle's sake--