Middlemarch

Discontent and Romantic Fantasies

Rosamond experiences a brief return of cheerfulness when creditors are paid and the house is freed from threats. However, her married life has fulfilled none of her hopes—Lydgate has been stormy, and her vanity has been deeply offended by his harsh words. She secretly constructs romantic fantasies about Will Ladislaw, believing he would have been a more suitable husband than Lydgate. She imagines him remaining a bachelor, living near her, always devoted to her with an unexpressed passion. These fantasies provide her with a sentimental charm that diverts her ennui, though Lydgate’s difficult nature is actually due to the conditions of marriage itself rather than his individual character.

A Promise of a Visit

Shortly before the memorable town-hall meeting, Rosamond receives encouraging news. Will Ladislaw writes to Lydgate mentioning he might find it necessary to visit Middlemarch within the coming weeks—a pleasant necessity, he says, almost like holidays to a schoolboy. Rosamond’s face blooms like a reviving flower when Lydgate reads the letter to her. Now she believes nothing is unendurable: the debts are paid, Mr. Ladislaw is coming, and Lydgate will surely be persuaded to leave Middlemarch for London. She quietly begins working toward this desired outcome.

The Rejected Invitations

Without informing Lydgate, Rosamond sends out invitations for a small evening party, convinced this is a judicious step to restore their social standing. She plans to tell Lydgate after the acceptances come in and offer him wise counsel about how a medical man should behave toward his neighbors. However, every invitation is declined. When Lydgate discovers the rejected invitations in Rosamond’s handwriting, he is furious and forbids her from inviting anyone to the house. Rosamond remains silent, merely turning her head aside with the movement of a graceful bird. Lydgate storms out, and Rosamond feels he is becoming more and more unbearable.

News of the Scandal

Rosamond visits her parents, suddenly feeling there is a conspiracy to leave her isolated. Her father and mother greet her with sad looks. When she asks what is the matter, her mother reveals that Rosamond has heard nothing about her uncle Bulstrode. Her father then tells her everything—the scandal involving Bulstrode that has made Lydgate the center of infamous suspicions. Rosamond is shattered, feeling that no lot could be crueler than having married a man under such disgrace. She believes that if Lydgate had listened to her wishes, he would have left Middlemarch long ago.

A Justified Repugnance

Rosamond returns home with a sense of justified repugnance toward her husband. She does not truly know what he has done or how he acted, but he has not told her anything. The idea of returning to her parents’ home seems utter dreariness—a married woman living with her parents has no meaning for her. She cannot contemplate herself in such a position. Her mother observes that Rosamond bears it beyond anything, while her father, broken down, thanks God that things are not worse.

The Unbearable Silence

Over the next two days, Lydgate observes a change in Rosamond and realizes she has heard the news. He asks her if something distresses her; she answers yes, laying down her work. Lydgate longs for her to speak—to say she does not believe he has deserved disgrace—but Rosamond expects him to initiate any conversation about the subject. Lydgate walks up and down the room in anguished restlessness, feeling the silence between them has become intolerable, as if they are both adrift on a piece of wreck, looking away from each other. He believes he must master his anger, tell her everything, and convince her of the facts.

The Interrupted Confession

Lydgate finally seats himself nearer to Rosamond and prepares to speak with solemnity, feeling this is an occasion not to be repeated. He has conquered his anger and is about to open himself about the slander and the desperate money troubles that caused everything. He intends to urge that they must be one in resolve to weather the bad time. However, just as he opens his lips, Rosamond interrupts with a question—not about the scandal, but about leaving for London. She cannot go on living in Middlemarch; whatever misery she must endure will be easier away from here. Lydgate feels miserably jarred; instead of the critical conversation he had prepared for, here is the old argument again. He cannot bear it and quickly leaves the room.