trennels | Patrick

Patrick's romantic life provides a lot of scope for speculation. The canon only provides Ginty, Claudie, and Nicola. I'll state up front that, of the three, Nicola is obviously the best match, in my opinion. Claudie is a non-starter, and unless Ginty gets a massive dose of maturity or Patrick goes off the deep end, we can rule Ginty out.

On the other hand, I see other possibilities. First Rowan, for all that there's an age difference. They certainly interact well together at the Nativity play in End of Term. And I can see each providing the other with something each lacks - a romanticism that would be a nice break from Rowan's constant level-headedness, and a practicality that might help Patrick go somewhere in life.

The other, surprisingly enough, is Ann. She is the only religious Marlow, and surely between low church Anglican and conservative Roman Catholic they could find some common ground. With the Anglican communion having its own turmoil, Ann might decide she doesn't want a woman vicar or blessings of same-sex unions. One suspects that Antonia Forest would have found today's religious landscape very interesting (and would have been very happy with the new Pope).

Threaded | Flat

I'm always fairly convinced that Patrick would not end up with either Ginty or Nicola. After all AF pretty much says so in her interview with Sue Simms. But more than that, I think it's easy to forget that the whole Marlow canon covers such a tiny slice in the life of the characters - it's something like two years in all, isn't it? And during that short time all their relationships with each other are fairly fluid - as is typical of adolescents. So to start to imagine they might imagine marry each other in terms of how they feel (briefly) when they're fourteen, fifteen...I don't think AF is that kind of writer.

Jan Scott (a very sensible person) says something similar to Nicola in Cricket Term: that lifelong friendships are about as common as unicorns. She also says "when you go to university -" and doesn't finish - I think implying that although Nicola can't see beyond the world of Kingscote friendships, actually things will change hugely for her when she hits adulthood.

And then there's the way that Nicola guesses when Kay says she's getting married that it's Ronald Merrick...because he Kay danced with him a lot at Twelth Night. Nicola can't really see beyond the immediate. But actually Kay is part of a whole new world beyond Trennels (thought not for long of course ;))

So yes, I kind of agree with you...if Patrick were to marry a Marlow girl, then it wouldn't be one of his childhood sweethearts but somebody completely out of left field. So why not Ann or Rowan - hee hee - but more likely somebody completely different altogether.

This would never happen, but - Patrick/Lawrie would be hilarious.

For me, there's no question that the most likely pairing is Patrick/Patrick.

I don't quite agree with Jan Scott about life-time friendships.

I'm 32, and my best mate is the same as from our school days - we met at school when we were both 13. I met my other half in our first year at uni, too.

My Dad's best mate is from his school days, too, and they are both 60!

Amanda

Not Ann -- she thinks Catholicism is immoral (wouldn't lend Nicola her bike to go to Mass) and Patrick will never give it up. The very fact that she's *actually* religious, and sectarian, means that would be an irreconcilable difference. I agree with whoever said Patrick/Lawrie would be hilarious, and I can actually kind of see it, romantically! But -- as one of the readers who actually *likes* Patrick (quite a lot actually) and Nicola, I like them together -- not because it's romantic, but because I enjoy the spectacle of them enjoying each other's company, getting each other's jokes etc.

I could see Patrick marrying Nicola in a marriage of good friends, rather than lovers. Patrick has a duty to marry because of the family tradition; Nicola absolutely loves family traditions and can't fully share in the Marlow one because she's a girl.

Patrick doesn't want the responsibility of a wife like Ginty IMO, so unless he meets someone who sweeps him off his feet, he would be happy with a quiet life and a wife who has no apparent desire to change him.

Nicola, even at 14 and a half, has never had and apparently is not chasing a boyfriend per se, although she is after Patrick as a friend. And I don't necessarily see Nicola as someone who would fall head-over-heels in love with a random stranger; remember that the new man would have to compete with Patrick, the hawks, and the history of Mariot Chase. Lawrie's ambitious for better things; Nicola's happy with what she's got, and I reckon given the choice between a guaranteed comfortable life with Patrick, or the risk involved in marrying anyone else, she'd go with Patrick.

Oh, I *hope* she wouldn't have liked the current Pope. I think he's much more of a neocon than an old-fashioned conservative type.

Surely it is Miranda who is really destined for Patrick? I'm certain that AF had this in mind, actually. Remember the way Patrick watches Miranda at the Christmas play, looking like a hawk (doesn't he say that?) and very still? Miranda was always curious about Christianity and, like AF herself, would ultimately convert from Judaism to Catholicism. It's clearly in the cards. She's strong and opinionated and although she'll take on Catholicism, she'll take it in an intellectual vein and she'll always keep Patrick from getting too full of himself. She will also insist on birth control because her job as a fiery museum curator will be important to her.

Not to comment on the likelihood of Patrick and Rowan per se, but the "age difference" thing is only two years, the same as between Patrick and Nicola, the other way. It always entertains me that the male is always supposed to be older! By the time Patrick is, say 18, it wouldn't matter at all, IMO.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject