u/honeyghostt

Help... the more I reread, the more I see the appeal of an Islington romance. I'm still a Hawkes-truther mind you, but I fear the man has bewitched me 🧍🏼‍♀️

A small list of my favorite volume 2 Islington moments:

• The journal. His record of trees and birds is so very endearing, and Emma upon returning it describing it as a favorite book... oh Henry, how beautiful your words must be

• Ah.

• "Aren't you supposed to be in a crypt somewhere, for your sins?"

• Emma studying him through the binoculars as he watches her do so after Mary's invitation to join the Jane Eyres

• "And so it was that I brought the Duke of Islington home, as if he were a found puppy."

• How immediately sweet he was to Agnes when she was flustered at the sight of him

• Emma commenting on the scene and Islington himself seeming flustered for a moment

• Islington-adjacent moment? Emma's rather... detailed... account of how he looked during the meeting of the Jane Eyres followed by, "Goodness. It certainly sounds like I was staring. I wasn't." Sure, Emma.

• Islington checking on Emma the day after the endeavor to reclaim Jane Eyre from Mrs. Wade, quietly concerned about Jack's involvement

• "I have had many rabbits in my Rabbit Room, Miss Lion. Alas, you have not been one of them."

In honor of it being June 4th, I thought I'd share a few songs I have in my Stonecrop playlist! It's incomplete so no playlist to link yet , just for fun! Marking for spoilers just to be safe?? since there's small bits of context thrown in

Long Lost, Lord Huron: Perfect for the first few days spent walking and reading in the forest

All Them Horses, Noah Kahan: More Islington-centric, makes me think about the portrait and all the quiet moments of grief

Our Last Summer, ABBA: It just makes sense

Dawn from the Pride & Prejudice (2005) soundtrack: Perfect atmospheric vibe

I, Carrion (Icarion), Hozier: More Hawkes-centric

El Condor Pasa (If I Could), Simon & Garfunkel: Matches the general desire for freedom and a life outside the social norms of the time that Stonecrop allows

What are some songs you guys associate with Stonecrop? I'd love to know!

Is it possible Hawkes already knew what Emma's "prophecy" would be when he called her to confession on New Year's Eve?

I'm reading Vol. 6 again and keep thinking about the description of him in the moment, how he didn't look startled like Emma was. Of course there's the light magical element in St. Crispians, and all things surrounding Hawkes seem otherworldly, and there's Emma's question in another volume? I can't quite remember which, about Hawkes never seeming startled, but what if was because he already saw the same thing she did?

It's been said before and I'll say it again: I'm adamantly rooting for a Hawkes endgame and so of course I've carried the belief that it's Hawkes's footsteps on the stairs—that he's the other half of home—and with all the mystery surrounding him and the million unanswered questions, I can't help but wonder about his perpetual nonchalance.

Taking a slight detour, if they were Pierce's footsteps, surely Emma would have known? She lives with next to the man, hears him walking all the time, and his limp makes the sound of his footsteps distinct, as stated in multiple descriptions of him.

Is it possible it's Islington? Sure. While he is wealthy and can afford extravagance, he doesn't seem to flaunt it and the descriptions of his home so far have been comfortable and warm. I suppose it's not far fetched to believe a shared home between them would be comfortable and worry free, and if it were a room for Emma specifically her taste is more bohemian than grand excess and yet... the description feels more apt for Hawkes.

"I was there," I exclaimed. "I could see myself, and the fire, the cool from the window, the table was piled with books, and I was writing something. And it was life, my life, and...and there were footsteps on the stairs."
"Whose?"
"I don't know. But he sounded like the other half of home."

Hawkes tousling his hair (a nervous habit?) after her recount, like he does in almost every encounter with Emma present, feels almost like he knows whose footsteps they are.

There's the bit in Vol. 7, in the rabbit room after the Islington-being-made-guardian debacle, where it's so unbelievably clear Hawkes is tied to Emma, and how I personally feel like the questions she has for him but wouldn't ask in place of being kind, would lead her home... which comes back to the belief that Hawkes is the other half of home. He has the answers she needs, would tell her if she asked, although for reasons not entirely clear wishes she wouldn't. I truly believe he hold the other half to everything she needs.

I silently curse myself every day for not discovering this series when it's finished instead of 1/3 of the way through. I'm the kind of person that looks up the plot to whatever movie or show I'm watching five minutes in because I need to know everything that happens immediately.

How does he know all the things he knows? What are the forces at work in his life? What happened to make him keep distance? I'm subscribed to Beth's substack, I've read Glory, but I keep the Gazette and the canon story entirely separate unless/until it's firmly stated in the books.

Much like Emma, I find myself almost at a loss when it comes to all things Hawkes. The NYE prophecy has haunted me through every reread and I can't shake it.

I'm reading Vol. 3 again and just landed on the August 25th entry, where Emma scrambles about when Roland shows up to go for a walk, and thought it incredibly funny that in the midst of her scrambling to pull herself together, she stopped to journal. It's a very short entry and therefore could be jotted down quickly, but it's still funny to me nonetheless.

I love all her little asides! There's a few more instances like this one in later volumes, and I find it so endearing that no matter what is currently happening in her life, no matter how rushed she is, she always finds time to pen her thoughts. Beth no doubt does this to better flesh out the story and keep it moving smoothly, but it really adds to Emma's charm.

I finished the eight current volumes only a month ago and have since reread them all a million times over in rapid succession. As much as I would love to continue with the cycle, I need to read something else and reset my brain. I'll take any similar books if anyone has one to recommend, or historical fiction in general! TYIA 🙏🏼