Middlemarch part 3

Another couple of hundred pages in and Mary and Fred are still my favorite couple though it's been rough going for the two of them. Fred didn't get the land he was hoping to get in his uncle's will and also had Mary's dad pay off one of his debts that Mr. Garth vouched for. Things are looking up thought as Fred has begun working for Mr. Garth instead of becoming a clergyman while Mary's acknowledged her feelings to Fred through Mr. Farebrother. Poor Mr. Farebrother, though, wanted to ask Mary to marry him since he just received a new living at Lowick Parish since Mr. Cassaboun died.

Yay Mr. Cassaboun died! Is that wrong that I'm so relieved that he's finally gone. He and Dorothea's marriage was just awful. And then Ladislaw comes along and falls in love with Dorothea and she with him. BUT Mr. Cassaboun, in his will, writes that Dorothea will lose her inheritance if she ever marries Ladislaw! Which is really spiteful of Mr. Cassaboun since Dorothea didn't even really think of him that way yet and now everyone thinks that Dorothea's led Ladislaw on into thinking she wants to marry him. So much drama!

And then there's the old people. I'm happy Mr. Garth got a new job that will provide for his family. The Garths are the best family in Middlemarch. They have a wonderful give and take where it's described as Mrs. Garth getting her way 95% of the time but knowing when Mr. Garth has his mind set and relents the other 5%. It's much better described in the book than what I have written, but they are delightful and I can only hope to have as happy a marriage as they have one day.

The biggest revelation, though, is Mr. Raffles. Mr. Raffles has come to blackmail Bulstrode (the big honcho in Middlemarch who is uber-religious and uber-critical of everyone). Apparently Bulstrode did some not very nice things back in the day and Mr. Raffles is trying to extort a pretty penny out of Bulstrode for Raffles' silence. Raffles, apparently, is also the stepfather to Mr. Riggins, the bastard son of Fred's uncle, the one who gave all his property to Riggins when everyone expected it to go to Fred. Middlemarch is basically Melrose Place right now except wihtout Ashlee Simpson. (Thank God!)

I'm thinking Dorothea and Ladislaw will meet again in the future, but Dorothea is too principled to marry him. I'm also hoping that Fred doesn't screw up his apprenticeship under Mr. Garth. However, so far it doesn't seem to be going too well for Fred. I still have my fingers crossed though. I want Mary, the sensible quick-witted girl, to get the guy she always wanted. Am I projecting much?