“As a maiden lady, you would wear anyone down…”
The second in a series looking at favourite Dunnett quotations – this time from Checkmate.
“She thinks, as a maiden lady, I should wear my hair down…”
“As a maiden lady, you would wear anyone down…”
“I shall call you mon compere, as the King does the Constable. You haven’t enough artillery, have you?”
“Against you or the Germans?”
These two seemingly casual quotes, dropped in before two of the most dramatic episodes in the series, are amongst my favourites. Both for their examples of Dorothy’s humour and for their subtle and leading insights.
Lymond and Philippa are on their way to the House of Doubtance in Lyon. Lymond is now Captain-General in charge of defending the city and is busy dealing with rich merchants who would rather escape or even switch sides, but must take time out to honour the Dame’s will. Marthe has schemingly arranged that Philippa, who arrived at the house of Marechal de St Andre disguised as a boy, should also be there. Philippa is attempting to discover as much as she can about Lymond’s origins in order to heal the rift between him and Sybilla. We know, but Philippa does not, that he has fallen in love with her but has decided that he cannot pursue such a match despite the fact they are, by force of circumstances in Istambul, married. He is thus trying to keep a certain distance between them, and still desires to obtain a divorce and return to Russia where he is second in power only to the Tzar.
From her escapade as ‘Annibal, Lymond is discovering even more about how resourceful and quick-witted she is, and must find their verbal sparring both a delight and a trial. Here she flits between innocent (or is it?) banter and incisive insight into military status and strategy, and Lymond has to parry almost defensively.
These two quotes, following on from the byplay with the fan and Annibal’s resourceful double bluffing as Lymond unmasks her, show us that the two of them are now much more closely matched. Philippa is more than capable of standing up to him and trading quips, and she is also quite comfortable in befriending the Marechale or twisting the Schiatti brothers round her little finger. No longer is Lymond in undoubted control of the relationship as he was in the Mediterranean. His advantages in age and seniority have seemingly evaporated (”Do you consider I’m old enough to stop calling you Mr Crawford?”), and his aura of untouchability and the scathing tongue that scares his men rigid mean very little to her.
Of course we are being manipulated. Dorothy is preparing us for events that will take place later that night when the heady mix of mortal danger and ingenious escape will combine to provide Philippa with her own revelation of love. But she does it with such a light touch that we are hardly aware of it at this stage. A probing remark, a description of an outrageously ostentatious dress, a pun here, an unexpected change of subject there. We are entertained, lightened, admiring this sophisticated and attractive girl (Jerott doesn’t even recognise her at first) who deals so easily with our irascible and tortured hero. So that when the moment comes it is the most natural development in the world. Yet without those two apparently insignificant pieces of conversation – easily missed or forgotten compared to the high drama of the Dame’s voice from the grave and the chase through the traboules – the following chapters would be far less of an inevitable progression, the rhythm of the narrative weakened.
This is the difference between a talented author and a genius.
December 28th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Probably not the place to post this, but does anyone know the source of the phrase “To Lie With Lions”?
On another note, I often find myself thinking about the wonderfully long dinner I had with Lady Dorothy Dunnett tete-a-tete. It was at the Caledonian Club of London sometime in 2001 in response to a review I wrote of Gemini for the Times Literary Supplement when I was 25 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/incomingFeeds/article767853.ece (a magazine she subscribed to “for the good of her soul”). She was even more charming in life than her characters were in her fiction.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
I just posted a review of Gemini and a testament to the whole House of Niccolo series on my blog Nan Hawthorne’s Booking the Middle Ages at http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2009/01/gemini-by-dorothy-dunnett-house-of.html .
I ask a favor at the end.. I know you are among those who can help me.. Being unable to read print, I listened to the series on cassettes provided by the library for the blind.. I never have seen how some of the characters’ names were spelled.. most notably Nicholas’s third and last wife.
Drop me a note on the blog comments if you would be so kind.
Nan Hqawthorne
Author, An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England
January 20th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Hello Alexander, apologies for the late reply, I was just heading off to Madeira when you posted and have been up to my eyes in work since getting back. Thanks for your question which I’m trying to get an answer for. Having not long moved house I don’t have immediate access to most of my books and notes so it may take a few days.
Interesting review, and I’m sure you must have had a lovely time discussing it with Dorothy – she was indeed one of the most charming people you could wish to meet.
January 20th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Hello Nan, and a warm welcome. Another excellent review and I hope you enjoy Lymond when you’ve rested from the inevitable literary indigestion that Gemini’s riches will have created.
It must be difficult to not know the spellings; I had never considered that before. Nicholas’ wife’s name is Gelis, and it’s usually the pronunciation which baffles many people. His father’s family is spelt St. Pol. If I can help with anything else then do get in touch. I’ll post this reply on your own comments section as well.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Thanks, Bill. Even the “talking book” versions of the eight volumes had three different pronunciations of “GHelis”!
I would say harder than not knowing the spellings is not having the maps… they include all the prefatory material, including the list of characters that goes on for pages… Gemini’s prefatory material was so long that the first word of the actual novel didn’t show until side 2… and these cassettes are produced at half speed to get twice as much on them! I will jsut have to look for the maps elsewhere.
I have also read and loved “King Hereafter”.
Since the library for the blind insists on sending me only Cadfaels and Ursula Blanchards lately, I may be beginning Game of Kings sooner than you would think…
Join my online book community on February 3 to hear it discuss my own novel, An Involuntary King. See the schedule at http://histnov.blogspot.com
April 17th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Bill, I am about to become a major deotee of your blog.. past, present, and I hope future. After reading all eight of the House of Niccolo books, I have had the sublime pleasure of reading GAME OF KINGS. I just reviewed it at http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2009/04/game-of-kings-by-dorothy-dunnett.html .
I feel as if I have been permitted into the company of the Blessed.
Nan Hawthorne
April 18th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
A second welcome Nan, the occasion of starting the Lymond Chronicles surely deserves one! You are in for a glorious exhilarating ride and I look forward to more reviews as you progress through them. It sounds as if you’ve already fallen in love with Lymond as much as you did with Nicholas – there is so much more to come.
April 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 am
I came across this page when searching for Dorothy Dunnett quotations and was so happy to find the discussion and analysis! I started keeping track of my favorite quotations while reading The Unicorn Hunt, and have since added some Lymond ones as well. There’re all here, but I’ll mention two of my favorites:
“In his heart, John thought that Nicholas was the same kind of man that he was. The trouble was, they all did.”
“But her own kiss was warm and loving, and she held him lightly, so that he breathed in her natural freshness, her costly scents and her human harmlessness.”
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:56 am
Hello divia, and welcome. Glad to have you aboard and pleased to see some Niccolo quotations – for some reason most people seem to remember Lymond quotes more often and certainly I know the Chronicles in much more depth myself so those are the ones I remember most easily. Once I have some free time I’ll go over your quotes in detail and context – I do like that one of John’s particularly.