Middlemarch

The Town’s Gossip

This section details how Rosamond and Lydgate’s obvious flirtation becomes the subject of widespread talk in Middlemarch, as Rosamond is left socially isolated while her mother and brother stay at Stone Court to appease old Mr. Featherstone and monitor Mary Garth. Mrs. Bulstrode, who visits Rosamond more often in her solitude, discusses the pair with her close friend Mrs. Plymdale, who reveals that the entire town believes Rosamond and Lydgate are engaged. Mrs. Plymdale argues Lydgate is an unsuitable match: as an outsider and a doctor, he will block Rosamond from making a stable, desirable marriage to a wealthy local man, and she suggests Mrs. Bulstrode has contributed to Lydgate’s local standing, making her complicit in harming Rosamond’s prospects. Mrs. Bulstrode is shocked to learn of the gossip, as she rarely socializes outside her own circle. She then visits Rosamond to warn her about the rumors, noting Rosamond’s expensive clothing and fretting that her thoughtless upbringing and pride will leave her vulnerable if she attaches herself to Lydgate, a man with no fortune or local standing. Rosamond refuses to confirm any engagement, but her flushed embarrassment and evasions convince Mrs. Bulstrode that an understanding between the two exists.

A Warning to Rosamond

This section focuses on Mrs. Bulstrode’s private conversation with Rosamond, where she urges her niece to end her perceived attachment to Lydgate. Mrs. Bulstrode notes that Rosamond is 22 with no personal fortune, that her father cannot provide for her, and that Lydgate’s medical profession is poorly paid locally, with few prospects for wealth or status. She also criticizes Lydgate for lacking strong religious faith, which she sees as a critical flaw for a husband. She encourages Rosamond to consider more suitable local suitors, specifically mentioning Ned Plymdale, a wealthy, well-connected young man Rosamond has already rejected. Mrs. Bulstrode warns Rosamond not to let pride drive her to reject good matches, and to keep her heart under her own control until she has a clear, secure prospect of marriage. Rosamond refuses to discuss the matter directly, but her insistence that she would love unreservedly if she did love, combined with her visible embarrassment, only confirms Mrs. Bulstrode’s belief that Rosamond has developed real feelings for Lydgate.

A Warning to Lydgate

This section covers the steps Mrs. Bulstrode takes after her conversation with Rosamond to address her concerns about Lydgate. She asks her husband Mr. Bulstrode, who is happy to defer to her wishes in worldly matters, to discreetly ask Lydgate if he has any plans to marry soon. Bulstrode reports back that Lydgate gave no indication of any such intentions, confirming to Mrs. Bulstrode that he is not serious about Rosamond. She then arranges a private conversation with Lydgate, where she warns him that his attentions to Rosamond are damaging her social prospects: his status as an outsider and a physician makes him an undesirable match for a young woman with no fortune, and his constant attention to her is driving off other potential, more suitable suitors. She speaks pointedly, using formal language to make her disapproval clear. Lydgate is annoyed by her implicit rebuke, but remains polite, and Mrs. Bulstrode is satisfied she has made her warning clear.

Lydgate’s Resolution

This section describes Lydgate’s reaction to Mrs. Bulstrode’s warning, and the decision he makes as a result. Initially irritated by her implication that he is thoughtlessly leading Rosamond on, Lydgate is later struck by a comment from the local vicar, Mr. Farebrother, who teases him about avoiding the “sirens” of social life by staying away from evening gatherings. Lydgate realizes that the town already believes he is romantically involved with Rosamond, a misunderstanding he wants to avoid. He resolves to stop visiting the Vincy household except for strictly professional business, and keeps this resolution, declining all social invitations from the family.

Rosamond’s Anguish

This section focuses on Rosamond’s emotional state after Lydgate stops visiting. Her initial unease about her aunt’s warnings grows over ten days of no contact into deep terror that Lydgate has lost interest in her, and that the romantic future she had imagined for them will never come to pass. She feels as if her world has lost its brightness, comparing her disappointment to Ariadne abandoned on the shore, and fears no other man could ever inspire the same delightful daydreams she had built around Lydgate. She loses her appetite and feels forlorn, but maintains her usual calm, composed exterior, plaiting her hair perfectly and refusing to act dramatically. She convinces herself that her aunt must have interfered to block Lydgate’s visits, rather than accepting the more painful possibility that his interest was never serious, as any other explanation is too devastating to consider.