A Long Ladder
We begin with the fallout of Mr Morris’s death and we see a pretty remorseless Mr Russell discuss it with his wife and Mrs Morris says goodbye to her husband as new plans for a railways station are finalised. Peggy has another meeting with a editor of a black run newspaper, while Marian has another clandestine meeting with Mrs Chamberlain in a store which openly singles Peggy out for the colour of her skin.
There’s big drama in the van Rhijn household when the butler loses an excited dog belonging to Ada who is perfectly distraught at his absence. Mrs Russell finds out about Gladys and her little secret meeting and fires her governess, threatening to get another one, even though her husband and son are convinced Gladys is to old and is being kept a prisoner in her own. As they are outside saying their goodbyes, they find Ada’s dog and take him inside. The van Rhijn butler makes a swift entrance to retrieve him so Mrs Russell cant announce herself at their front door. He gets a little tour of the very grand house and points out a view discrepancies with how a house should be run, in the old style anyway.
After a brief meeting with Mr Fane, Mr Fane is persuaded to demand that his wife ‘break’ Mrs Russell into the society she is so desperate to be a part of.
Peggy has a very successful meeting with the publisher, while Marian receives a gift from Mrs Chamberlain, but refuses to tell Agnes who it is from and is forced to return it. Ada advises her to drop it off, however she goes inside and is able to see Mrs Chamberlains very impressive art collection.
When she gets back home Oscar informs her of the real reason why she is excluded from society and even Marian is shocked. Back in the Russell’s household the maid Turner makes a ploy for Mr Russell, turning up naked in his bed, though is pretty swiftly rebuffed. Peggy makes a visit to her parents, while her father prattles on about whatever Peggy should be doing with her life Marian makes a surprise visit with a gift of old shoes, however it turns out the Scott’s live a very comfortable life and Marian embarrasses herself with the assumption that they are poor.
At the end of the episode we cut to the opera where Mrs Fane has taken Mrs Russell and Marian. Mrs Russell is wearing the most glorious red gown with a red, I think velvet, mantle that flows to the ground and has lovely silver embroidery on. The late Victorian mantles/cloaks/jackets with there glorious embroidery has always amazed me, they always seemed to get it just right between the amount of embroidery and fabric.
While at the opera Marian bumps into Mr Raikes who is living his best life in the theatre box next to her as the guest of some society women who can’t seem to be parted from him. He explains to Marian that its to ingratiate himself into the society that she belongs to so as to make himself worthy of her, however, as he leaves Marian ponders his actions, hopefully beginning to see through him.
Patterns from History 