Hello Friends and Wilkie Fans,

Today we are discussing No Name -  Scene 1, Chapter 11 to end of Scene 1 (including "Between the Scenes"). This was such a sad section. Let’s recap the drama. So much happened!!!

Chapter 11

Magdalen and Norah are heartbroken over Mr. Vanstone’s sudden death and Mrs. Vanstone falls ill.  William Pendril, the lawyer who Mr. V. called before his death, arrives and demands Mrs. V sign some papers. Unfortunately, she is too sick to sign them.

The doctors explain to Miss Garth that the law takes care of the widow even if there is no will. Since Mr. V has his assets in cash, not property, the law gives 1/3 to his widow and splits the remainder among his children. And if Mrs. V dies, it then goes to the children.

Sadly, Mrs. V dies and her newborn baby dies shortly after as well in a very sad scene. (I am a little confused here -when did the baby get born. Did she die in child birth…?)

Chapter 12

Miss Garth meets with Mr. Pendril who shows her Mr. V’s will from 5 years earlier. He has a fortune of 80,000 pounds. He explains that on their sneaky trip earlier in the book, they went to London to be married.

Chapter 13

We go back in time. Mr. V (Andrew) inherited much of his fortune from his own father. Andrew was the youngest of 6 or 7 children. Only the eldest, Michael is still alive. His sister Selina died about 10 years ago. The remaining children predeceased their parents. Michael quarreled with their father who then disinherited Michael.

At age 21, while in the regiment in Canada, Andrew met someone from the US and married her. She wanted to keep it a secret. After three months he learns the truth about her, which is something of a disgrace. Since he couldn’t divorce her, he provided an annual allowance, and stipulated that she must remain away from London and not use his name.  (Again, I am confused - what is the disgrace? Was she a sex worker?)  

When Andrew’s father died, he created a will to ensure Michael got very little money. Once his mother died, Andrew inherited 100,000 pounds, Selina 50,000 pounds and Michael only 5,000 pounds.

Andrew offers to split the inheritance with Michael. Michaell “charges” Andrew with being the cause of his disinheritance, throws down some ugly words and their mother sides with Michael. Michael only agrees to take the money if Andrew admits guilt in the charge. Andrew declines and Michaelgets nothing.  Ultimately Michael sponges off his mother and marries a woman who supplements his wealth. He now lives in France or Switzerland and is a widower with one son. (I am confused about the “charge” is this like a dual? Or would he be admitting guilt to some legal issue with jail time?)

Andrew later meets Norah and Magdalen’s mother at a ball in England. He tells her the truth of his situation with his prior marriage. And she agreed to be his “wife”. They only become legally married in May (shortly before he died) because his prior wife finally passed away.

The only member of Mrs. V’s family who remains in current times is Captain Wragge who has been blackmailing her to keep the fake marriage a secret.

It turns out that, legally, the sneaky May marriage of Mrs. V and Mr. V caused the will Mr. V had previously written to no longer be valid. Once told of the marriage, Mr. Clare points out to Mr. V that he now needs a new will or his daughters born out of wedlock will inherit nothing.

Mr. V writes to Mr. Pendril:“Come immediately to fix my will in case I die.” In a twist of bad luck, he dies shortly after.

After Mr. V’s death, Mr. Pendril then tried to write a will for Mrs. V but she was too sick to sign it. Since the baby outlived the mother for a short time and the baby was born in wedlock, the baby inherits all of Mr. V’s fortune. After the baby died, the baby’s next of kin inherits it all - their father’s mortal enemy - Uncle Michael Vanstone.

Chapter 14

Miss Garth contemplates how to tell the girls. Fortunately, Magdalen comes to tell her that she overheard everything under the window and already told Norah everything. Miss Garth is appalled by the strength of Magdalen’s character. And her actions. (Again, I am a little confused about the shock at her behavior here– listening to a meeting to which she was invited? And telling Norah? Is it just the shock of her general unladylike behavior?)

Miss Garth has an existential crisis/Wilkie ate some opium and contemplates nature vs nurture and good vs evil in humans.

Chapter 15

Uncle Michaell Vanstone lives in Zurich and his son, Noel Vanstone, is in London and staying with his cousin Mr. George Bartem. Noel is ill and in town for treatment.

Mr. Pendril explains everything in writing to Uncle Michael, asking him to provide for the girls.  Uncle Michaell writes a nasty letter, which Magdalen reads, where he blasts their father.  He believes it’s his rightful original inheritance from his own father which Andrew caused him to lose. He offers them 100 pounds each and doesn’t want to see them ever.

The girls refuse the money and move out immediately. Miss Garth takes the girls to live at a school she owns with her sister and helps them get a start.

Mr. Clare lectures Magdalen about her earlier unladylike behavior.  He explains that he wants her to tell Frank she will wait for him and for her to convince him to go to China without her. He explains that Frank will be gone 5 years. Magdalen makes him promise Frank can come back early if her circumstances change. “Strange things” can happen to people.

Between Scenes

Norah writes Mr. Pendril an update that some of the servants abandoned them and some stayed to help. Magdalen gives her their father’s letter but keeps copies of his words. Captain Wragge is back!!! He writes his sympathies and wrongly hopes to be at the reading of the will. Before leaving their estate, Norah finds Magdalen hysterical with Frank present and Norah kicks him out.

Miss Garth writes that Magdalen has gone missing and appears to have run off to be an actress. She was told she has No Name legally and so can’t be traced by her name. She doesn’t appear to have reached her destination which was to see Mr. Huxtable, an actor from her first play.  

The police are currently making efforts to find her. An anonymous letter to Mr. Pendril states that her friends are wasting time looking for Magdalen. If they call off the search, they will hear from her.

Schedule

My Dearest Friends, Settle in for some fun and FAIR WARNING, hide your screen as we wrap up this discussion of Morning Glory Milking Farm.

Things got naughty quickly this week! Fortunately I made a handy list. Let’s review some highlights:

-- I have to google a new term - ‘getting DP’ed’.

--We learn about certain ummm…traits…of a sexy snake, spikey lizard and debaucherous werewolf as well as the women who are in town to partake in “different species-specific sexual proclivities.”

--Violet trains a newbie on her superb milking technique. Unfortunately Stiff Grip Sally nearly circumcises Rourke (say that 10 times fast).

--Things get naughtier. Violet fantasizes (and yes, I gasped aloud) as she uses the P word for the first time in the book.

--Geillis, a vampire friend, gives Violet a Brazilian to prepare for her date.

--Violet and Rourke go on sooooo many celibate dates, leaving Violet to ponder whether she will “perish from terminally unmet sexpectations.”

--Turns out that Rourke has a lovely elf friend, Lurielle! (And she has a hottie Orc partner, Khash.)

--Violet contemplates how she would like to have “fallen face-first on his [bleep] with an open mouth”. (Overheard later in the emergency room: ‘it was honestly an accident, I just slipped’)

--I feel so seen when Violet opens “an incognito tab on her phone to load up some minotaur po*n.” (Okay, I actually looked up fan art of what the milking chair would look like, but, yes, I used incognito mode.)

--And … then…Rourke drops the C word (the other one - not the one that appears 131 times in this book) while Violet plays this soundtrack.

--Speaking of which, I saw this joke somewhere: What is soft and wet on the inside while hard and hairy on the outside? The word begins with “c,” ends in “t,” and there’s a “u” and an “n” between them? >!A coconut.!<

--Rourke pets Violet’s kitty resulting in the restaurant developing a new policy on PDA.

--Rourke demands stringent safety protocols be followed before further action is taken. But first he gives Violet a good tongue lashing.

--Violet then invests in a set of Dilators. (Okay, not really- but she should have.)

--I have to agree with her when “Violet considered that she might not actually survive the weekend” at Rourke’s house.

--Another tongue twister - Minotaur Milk on Mrs. Muehlstein’s sheets.

--After completing the 10 point safety checklist, Rourke finally signs off on The Insertion(™).

--Violet has twenty-four ounces of hot milk before going out for ice cream. I hope she took some Lactaid.

--After a large dose of warm cream for breakfast and a reacharound workaround for the ‘you gag/ I gag’ problem, Violet and Rourke settle into a domestic routine.

--Lurielle assures us that no cervixes were perforated by Khash due to her Elf stretchiness. (I have so many questions -- back to incognito mode I go.)

Shedding his swag from the Frequent Milkers Club, Rourke frees his “corpulent eel, swinging” in the shower and nearly clogs the drain.

--Violet gets a new job and a new apartment and we get our Happily Ever…to be continued.

Lets Discuss!!!

Schedule 

Marginalia  

Hello Friends!

Are you ready to discuss Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind?

Here is an AI summary:

&gt;Chapters 1-15 of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer chronicle the birth and grim childhood of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a scent-obsessed genius born without a personal odor. He survives early abandonment, cruel child labor, and disease before hoping to find work with Paris perfumer Giuseppe Baldini, where he recreates and improves upon a fragrance for Baldini.

Here is a detailed summary of our chapters from LitCharts. Warning to ignore the right/analysis column as it often has spoilers.

A reminder about bookclub spoilers policy is here.

The Schedule is here and the Marginalia is here (in case you read ahead).

See you in the discussion questions below!