The Real Charlotte IV

Francie is increasingly unhappy with her aunt and uncle and their children when they are settled in Bray, a seaside town. Her aunt is trying to run the house on even less money, and Francie's small income has diminished due to her investments going down. Roddy Lambert comes to Bray to pay her a visit and he can see how miserable she is. He has always been attracted to her as she is so pretty and when she was a little younger, she used to flirt with him. Now she's older and not so taken with him, but she is leading such a dreary life, that when he asks her to marry him, she accepts. They get married quietly and go to Paris. Roddy is not well off. He has his job and Lucy had a modest income but that's only settled on him for life. But he has been "borrowing" bits of money from the rents of the Dysarts' tenants, and hoping he can pay it back before they find out. Francie is grateful to Roddy for his affection but she is not in love with him and finds him a bit boring. Then Sir Benjamin Dysart dies, and Roddy has to hurry back to Ireland. He and Francie go to see Charlotte, and Charlotte makes a pretence of making up her quarrel with her cousin. Francie had said to her angrily that she could keep herself without getting married but now she's married Roddy mostly to have a secure home. She is not that happy back in Lismoyle. Roddy is good to her but she finds him dull. Roddy himself is not very happy. He has been having financial problems since he's had delays with his wife's small fortune being transferred to him... and he has now married a wife who has only a tiny income and has debts of her own. He has been filching money from the estate funds, and now that Christopher has inherited the estate and come home, he may be found out before he has time to put things right. Charlotte knows Roddy well as she used to work with him when he came as assistant to her father, and she knows he is not all that honest. She snoops around and finds evidence of his hiding money. She writes to Christopher to tell him that his agent has been cheating. Gerald Hawkins is back in Lismoyle and he gets involved with Franice again. She is tempted by him, but while she is not happy with Roddy, she knows how fickle Hawkins is. He asks her to run away with him, telling her that he can support her. Christopher talks to Francie and tells her that if Roddy pays back what he owes to the estate he won't take it any further. Meanwhile, Roddy who had been a bit romantic with Charlotte in her younger days, goes to her and asks her for help. he tells her that he has debts and is in despair how to pay them and is in danger of losing his job. He asks if she can lend him some money. Charlotte slams him down immediately, telling him she won't lend him anything and that he has gotten himself into this mess. He wonders what on earth he can do, and isn't aware that Francie is on the point of leaving him. She has told Hawkins that she can't leave Roddy when he is in trouble, but she is tempted. She and he are out riding, when they pass a funeral. It is Julia Duffy who has died in the asylum. They hold back their horses to let the funeral pass, but a mourner, who is keening, flings her arms about and cries out, loudly, and the sudden movement spooks Francie's horse. She is thrown on her head on the road, and is killed.