Exploring The Betrayal (Part 5)

It doesn't seem like my health issues will get resolved this year. One of my doctors seems to be more of a hindrance than anything else but isn't one that is easily replaceable. He's a good doctor but isn't doing a good job of figuring out what's wrong with me. Let's hope I'm wrong about this and next visit he'll have a solution.

I love writing as it helps me escape from my not good life. So having that mode of escapism gone just...is not good for my mental health. Hopefully sometime next year I'll be back to normal!

Now instead of me voicing all my woes, let's get back to reading The Betrayal by R.L.Stine!

Chapter 4

Susannah is trying to sleep but all she can think about is how horrible Edward is. He was engaged and yet he made her believe they were to be married. He gave her hope that wasn't actually there. Not only is she unable to sleep because of these thoughts, she cries and tries to make sure no one else can hear her.

The young heartbroken lover had gone to bed early in the hopes it would hide her feelings from her parents. But all going to bed early has done for her is give time for the same thoughts to run over and over through her head.

I don't know if this will mean much in the grand theme of things, but the moon that night is a half moon.

Unlike Edward, who is both a man and a member of a rich family, Susannah is a nobody who could've lost everything if their relationship had been found out. Yet Edward played with her heart when he had nothing to lose and a fiance once he was done playing with Susannah.

Susannah makes the decision to never trust anyone ever again to save her heart from hurting once more. You go, girl! Though...this might mean bad things for her in the future...

Now the book switches to what's really going on with Edward. Will he turn out to be the horrible person Susannah thinks he is? Or is he a good guy?

Benjamin and Edward Fier are in the dining room. The son does not appear to be happy at all. So maybe he has just found out about the engagement and is annoyed at his father. This is understandable if the marriage is arranged since love doesn't really factor in to those.

Benjamin has a really scary appearance. Apparently he looks like he could wrestle a bull. He also likes that people are scared of him. That totally sounds like the hero everyone dreams of becoming. All the heroes just love having people tremble in fear at the sight of them.

Edward openly admits that he will defy his father. He is scared as he has always been an obedient son. He's currently of the belief that it is wrong to defy his father. That's something only bad people do and Edward is a good boy.

So it doesn't seem like Edward knew of the arranged marriage. If he had known about it earlier I'm sure he would have told Susannah. Unless he thought that the arranged marriage would go away once he told his father that he was in love with another. Which is something that could only happen in a book. Oh wait...

Benjamin is adamant that Edward marry Anne Ward in the fall. He is so adamant that he turns away before his son can argue any more.

Now is the time when Edward will prove himself to be a good or bad person. He worries both that he isn't strong enough to defy Benjamin and it is wrong to defy his father. He surprises me by deciding to disobey his father on the matter of who he will marry.

Edward argues that Anne is a stranger to him. But Benjamin points out that they can become acquainted after the wedding and that the marriage is an extremely favorable one. Edward raises his voice and his father reprimands him for the rudeness.

When Edward says he doesn't love Anne, Benjamin laughs. He points out that he didn't travel all this way for love. While cruel, back in those days only the lucky could find love. The rest had to deal with the harsh reality of the world with no option to pursue a loving relationship.

Benjamin starts to go into detail about how poor he and his brother were before moving to Wickham. I can see why he is so cruel and loves power so much because of how miserable he used to be. The marriage to Anne is to increase both his wealth and power.

Edward who has never experienced poverty still argues that he needs to marry for love. His father immediately turns even nastier when he brings up the fact that he's in love with someone else. I can understand about retaining wealth and feeling love shouldn't be pursued, but outright mocking your own flesh and blood because they're in love is crossing the line.

The young man admits to being in love with Susannah Goode and is extremely nervous while doing so. Benjamin continues to mock his son for being in love with an extremely poor person. You know, someone that can't be used for a financially favorable marriage.

Edward is extremely frightened and prays for the strength to stay true to the woman he loves. The woman who he is willing to go against his father's wishes for. He stands against his father by saying that Susannah is a good girl and that he is unable to marry for anything but love. While sweet, it is naive thinking for the time period. If he hadn't found someone to love, he'd still need to marry.

Somehow no arguments will convince the ever so kind Benjamin to change his mind about the arranged marriage. Edward loses his cool and screams at his father that he will marry Susannah before storming off. Instead of being worried, he feels empowered by what he had done.

Edward should have been more worried about openly defining his father as after his son leaves, Benjamin looks at the fire while thinking he will make sure his son never marries Susannah. The imagery of a witch burning is not coincidence.