Mary Meeke

"Gabrielli." Something Strange: a Novel. 4 vols.

London: Lane, Newman, and Co. 1806.

 

Synopsis of Something Strange

Mary Meeke's Something Strange is an enormous "four-decker" filled with intricate plot twists, exotic locations, and familial intrigues. Following Meeke's standard "inheritance plot" convention, the novel is, nevertheless, well-written, entertaining, and compelling. As an introduction to "popular" fiction in the Romantic period, one could do worse than Something Strange. As its original (and only) reviewer in James Mill's Literary Journal noted, it "will not suffer by comparison with most of the novels of the day."

The novel opens as two schoolboys head back to their school at Atherstone House, near Wakefield in Yorkshire, after an afternoon walk. The two boys are Theodore Seymour, whom we are told is the hero of the story, and his friend Charles Lambert. In the manner of schoolboys in all times, the boys make a boastful wager as to which one can successfully jump over a creek. The prize is each other's best fishing rod. While negotiating the wager, a mysterious stranger meets them along the road. The stranger asks the boys if he is on the right road to Wakefield where he hopes to attend the Wakefield Fair. Theodore offers to take the stranger to the town after the consummation of the wager, which he promptly wins. In Wakefield, the boys join the still unnamed stranger in an alehouse where we learn that Theodore is soon to be apprenticed to a lawyer in London, while Charles is to work under his father, a banker in Liverpool, a profession that Theodore much prefers to his own prospects. We also learn that Theodore is estranged from his family. He has all but been abandoned by his profligate, grasping father, Henry Seymour, who married a rich widow on the heels of Theodore's mother's death, and been raised by his miserly Uncle Benjamin, who arranged for his education at Atherstone.

Next, we are informed of the circumstances of Theodore's birth and of the unsavory character of his greedy father. Following a stint in the army after being disowned by his own father for his profligacy, Henry Seymour escaped to the continent to avoid debtor's prison. There he meets Theodore St. Germains, who he presumes to be the daughter of a wealthy Dutch merchant. He soon seduces the giddy Theodora, eloping to Flanders where they are married. Returning to London, Theodora soon finds out that she has been duped by Henry and that her own fortunes will not be made available to her for him to squander. With his plans foiled, Henry soon abandons the poor girl to the care of his own father while he returns to his regiment, having paid off all of his old debts with the moneys he was able to extort from Theodora. Soon thereafter Theodora gives birth to a son, Theodore. Six months later, the loving grandfather dies and provides his grandson with a legacy under the executorship of the boy's Uncle Benjamin. The abandoned mother soon dies too, leaving the infant in the care of his uncle, who swears to care for him. Henry promptly returns to the families estate and demands all of the money which is meant for his son, including money issued by the poor girl's family. Henry receives 5000 pounds from Theodora's family, meant to be held in trust for Theodore, which he promptly uses to outfit himself for another seduction of a rich woman. On departing, he promises to not interfere with Benjamin's upbringing of his son. Enlisting the aide of a servant, George Wilson, Henry soon successfully dupes a rich widow in Southampton, Mrs. Allardyce, widow of a wealthy banker and only daughter of Lord Pendennis, an Irish peer. It is not long before the new Mrs. Seymour gives birth to a son, Patrick Pendennis Seymour. As the years pass, the Seymours have two daughters, Caroline and Amelia, and young Theodore is soon forgotten by his father. We are also told of Uncle Benjamin's marriage to a Miss Styles who is a perfect match for him because of her inherent stinginess. Despite his own avariciousness, Uncle Benjamin does do right by Theodore by sending him to Atherstone.

We return to the present at the Wakefield Fair. All of the boys at Atherstone attend the event and after a day of adventures, Theodore comes up missing as the boys reassemble for their return to the school. This causes an uproar not only locally but also amongst his Uncle who promptly visits Henry to see if he has heard from the boy. Henry is not the least bit interested in the boy's fate and Benjamin leaves in a huff.

Meeke now gives us background on Theodore's maternal ancestors. The story unfolds that his grandfather, a Captain Sutherland, fell in love with the young Marchioness of Algarva, already a widower at eighteen with twin sons, while his ship was being repaired in Lisbon, Portugal. Despite their religious differences, he a protestant, she a Catholic, the couple soon marries and move to London. Soon thereafter, the Duke of Ravensburgh dies and his heir is drowned at sea. Thus, Captain Sutherland's father becomes the Duke of Ravensburgh and Sutherland finds himself Marquis of Montalban; as time passes he succeeds his father as Duke. The couple have two daughters who are sent to Portugal to be educated Catholic. The marriage falters when the Duke returns home to find his wife in bed with another man. He files for divorce and attempts to get his daughters back from the clutches of the Catholic church through legal channels. When this fails he enters Portugal in secret and kidnaps the girls who he sends to Nice where they are taken in by a Dutch merchant named Vanhagen. Vanhagen takes the girls to Geneva where they are raised in secret, so that their mother and her family cannot recapture them. In the meantime, soon after the disappearance of her daughters, the Marchioness enters a convent on the insistence of her father who says she must make up for her sins. As related earlier, one of the daughters is Theodora St. Germains. The other, Leonora, marries an Englishman, Colonel Adelson, and gives birth to a son. Leonora dies when her son is four. At Eton, the boy is killed while playing cricket and the Duke is left without an heir. He and Colonel Adelson secretly go to Atherstone to observe Theodore to see if he will make a suitable heir. The noblemen are impressed with Theodore's deportment and learning and plan to make themselves known to him. But then, he disappears.

In the meantime, his curiosity raised about the disappearance of his son, Henry Seymour sends his old friend in intrigue, Wilson, to investigate the disappearance of Theodore in Yorkshire. The scent of money soon leads Henry himself northwards, as it does Uncle Benjamin as well. The two avaricious brothers meet in the office of the master, Mr. Jenkinson. Rumor has it that Theodore has set sail for America as a cabin boy. Both Henry and the Duke quickly send agents to America in search of Theodore, bringing an end to volume one.

Volume two begins by returning to the story of the Marchioness, who over the years has become the Abbess of her convent. The Abbess had found out about her grandson in the course of trying to find out the fate of her daughter Theodora. She sent an agent to Wakefield to try to secure him, this is the mysterious stranger, who it turns out is an Irish priest by the name of Father O'Reilly. Father O'Reilly has been sent in disguise to kidnap Theodore under the directions of the Abbess' chief confessor, Father Pedro, a fanatically zealous monk. It turns out that O'Reilly, having reencountered Theodore at the fair, invites him to dine at an alehouse where he drugs the boy. While Theodore is asleep, O'Reilly speeds towards the coast. Theodore finally awakes and O'Reilly comes clean with his story, informing Theodore that he is the heir to a title in Portugal and that his grandmother longs to see him. The honest Theodore agrees to go to Portugal. Once arrived, however, Theodore is quickly sequestered in a monastery where he is pressured to vow his devotion and life to the Church. Theodore refuses to enter the Church despite his grandmother's insistence and he thus becomes a prisoner within the monastery.

In the meantime, news has reached England that the ship upon which Theodore supposedly took to America had sunk off the coast of Ireland. Henry sees this as an opportunity to seize the funds belonging to Theodore which Benjamin has in his control. The brothers once again meet and Henry is able to procure the money despite Benjamin's attempts to block him. The Duke, hearing of the tragedy, demands the money be returned to him through an agent, but so not to reveal his relation to Theodora and Theodore openly to the avaricious Henry, he backs off until a later time. Henry's relationship with Wilson begins to cool and then flare into animosity. When he attempts to break with the scoundrel, however, Wilson blackmails him, explaining that it was his own son who had booked passage as Theodore Seymour on the fateful ship to America. Henry decides it best to keep Wilson on the payroll and this pattern persists throughout the rest of the story.

Returning to the monastery, Theodore continues his refusal to take vows despite his grandmothers demands. He is befriended by another prisoner of sorts, one Chevalier De Solange, a Frenchman. De Solange instructs Theodore in the art of music, further extending his refined manners. After two years, Theodore's captors finally give him an ultimatum: he must submit or face the Inquisition. In his despair, Theodore discovers a secret passage in the corridor that leads him to a small spy alcove next to the guest corridors. He overhears the conversation of two older Englishmen: the Duke and Colonel Adelson. Theodore enters the room, makes himself known, and his protectors vow to liberate him in a few days time.

While these plans are being made, we find out that Benjamin has moved into a country house outside London next door to Lord Pendennis, Henry's father-in-law. Benjamin's young son falls over a wall into Pendennis' garden and is rescued by the old gentleman. This prompts an acquaintanceship, and then a close friendship, between the Lord and Benjamin. After about a year, Pendennis dies and makes Benjamin the executor of his estate. Thus, Benjamin becomes the supervisor of his nephew Patrick's (now the new Lord Pendennis) estates until the boy comes of age. Henry, meanwhile, has again worked his way into financial difficulties and in order to avoid the wrath of his creditors, he breaks with his partners and intends to live abroad.

Things have now come to a head in Portugal. Theodore is brought before the Abbott who threatens him with the Inquisition if he does not take his vows. Suddenly, Cardinal Torrismond, one of the twin sons of the Abbess, enters, condemns the whole business, and takes Theodore with him to his estate, where he promptly informs him of his acquaintance with the Duke and Colonel Adelson. So ends volume two.

Beginning volume three, Meeke fills us in on how the Cardinal came to know of Theodore's situation. The Abbess had been ill and fast approaching her deathbed, insisted Father Pedro call for her son in Rome so that she could make her final confession. Upon the Cardinal's arrival in Portugal, the old woman tells him what she has done with young Theodore, and then she dies in her son's arms. The Cardinal promptly makes plans to rescue Theodore. He punishes both Pedro and O'Reilly for their part in the deception, then he meets with the Duke and the Colonel, who have arrived in Portugal independently, before rushing to the monastery to rescue Theodore. Once this is accomplished, as related at the end of volume two, Theodore has a long-anticipated meeting with his three benefactors at which he is informed of his true place in the world. In order to keep his identity hidden from the ever-grasping Seymours, Theodore's name is changed to Torrismond. He is also made heir to both the Duke and the Cardinal and given sufficient funds from both nobles to make him a very wealthy young man. The entourage soon departs for Paris from where they can advocate for De Solange.

Meanwhile, Henry's wife has inherited 80,000 pounds from her Uncle Melling, a wealthy Indian nabob, whose family was lost at sea while returning to England from the East. Henry, of course, seizes this large sum and promptly begins work on building a splendid mansion in London. He also takes a young mistress named Susan. Wilson, tired of his partner in deceit, introduces Susan to a young fop, Dorril, who promptly elopes with her to Paris. An enraged Henry is in hot pursuit. Along the coast, Henry thinks he has caught up with the young fop and quickly challenges him to a duel. This is not Dorril, however, but young Theodore, now the Marquis of Monatablan. Wisely, Henry backs down when he realizes his mistake.

The young Marquis takes up residence in the Duke's London townhouse. He is soon to finish his education in the care of the accomplished Dr. Fielding, but before taking up his studies, he wishes to return to Atherstone and visit Mr. Jenkinson and inquire about his friend Charles. At Atherstone, Theodore learns that Charles' father had gone bankrupt and the family had moved to the Continent. There has been no news from Charles. Theodore then begins his studies with Dr. Fielding, who has purchased the home of the deceased Lord Pendennis, right next to Uncle Benjamin's home. Here, Theodore makes fast friends with fellow students Lord Fitzwalter and George Forrester. Dr. Fielding reluctantly takes on a fourth student, recently expelled from Winchester, Patrick Pendennis, Theodore's half-brother. Pendennis is just like his father, the opposite of the admirable Theodore. Uncle Benjamin keeps a tight reign on his finances, much to the young Lord's irritation. It's not long before Theodore and Fitzwalter grow tired of the boorish Pendennis, though Forrester seems to befriend him. Nevertheless, Pendennis accompanies Theodore to Wilson's hostelry where Theodore seeks a new horse. There, Pendennis meets a Miss Wingrove who he soon has designs for, figuring her for an heiress. Pendennis' antics come to a head following an accident that leaves Uncle Benjamin with a broken arm and Dr. Fielding vows to be rid of him by Christmas. While Uncle Benjamin recovers from his accident, good Theodore tends to the stricken man.

Theodore's own love-life begins to blossom. Fitzwalter's sister Margaretta introduces him to a Miss Conway who soon steals Theodore's heart. Meanwhile, Henry prepares to move into his new house in January. He marks the event by throwing a huge party. Tragedy strikes as the servants accidentally catch the curtains on fire and the entire house goes up in flames. The generous Theodore determines to secretly give his father some money to make up for the loss, despite all these years of misuse. Henry immediately sets to rebuild Seymour House on an even grander scale, leaving Theodore with second thoughts about his donation. Benjamin requests that Dr. Fielding give Pendennis one last chance to which the good doctor agrees, but Pendennis has disappeared. Indeed, like his father before, Pendennis has eloped to France with Miss Wingrove. A short time later, Henry encounters the scoundrel Dorril at a coffee house. Here he learns that Miss Wingrove is really Cary Jones, the former mistress of Dorril's associate Dick Popham. Thus, the young Lord has himself been duped. Henry rushes to his brother to tell him of the misfortune at which time a gleeful Pendennis arrives with his new bride. As it turns out, Miss Jones is really Wilson's daughter and Wilson requires 500 a year to hush up the affair. A shamed Pendennis moves in with Benjamin where he is deprived of all of his extravagances.

To make matters worse, an estranged relation of the Duke comes on the scene and brings into question the legitimacy of Theodore's claim to the title. Therefore, Theodore's true identity must now be made public and this is the subject of volume four.

Beginning volume four, the estranged relation, Mr. Sutherland, immediately enlists the aid of Henry in his scheme to secure the Ravensburgh title. The ever-conniving Henry cannot see which path opens to his own best interest and agrees to aid Sutherland in his scheme. Miserly Uncle Benjamin joins their charade and they appear before the Duke. The Duke quickly recognizes the Seymour's involvement with Sutherland and threatens to expose their own history of fraud. Theodore speeds to Atherstone to warn Jenkinson of the scheme. As Theodore heads north, he sees that his Uncle Benjamin is also heading to Yorkshire. Theodore rides ahead and meets with Jenkinson before Benjamin arrives. They enlist the aid of the school usher, Bennet, who had always treasure young Theodore. They determine that Jenkinson should play ignorant when the Seymours arrive and pretend to go along with the Sutherland scheme. Meanwhile, Henry lets young Pendennis into the scheme and the naughty Lord is all-too happy to assist in the downfall of his rival. Theodore prepares to embark to Paris to meet with the Cardinal and inform him of events so that they can enlist his aid. While on the London road, he and Fitzwalter are ambushed, just escaping the assassins bullet. More death threats occur and the Duke fears for Theodore's safety. In the meantime, Miss Conway is being solicited in marriage by a Mr. Blake and her doughty aunts are pressuring her to accept. Theodore rescues his love from Blake who goes on a hot pursuit of the couple. But the carriage he has been chasing holds none other than Fitzwalter and his good sister Margaretta; Theodore and Miss Conway have gotten safely away to Dunkirk where they are married. Following their nuptials, Theodore meets a musician, M. Chenevier, in an inn who piques his interest. The musician is tending to an ill traveling companion in town and they are sorely in need of funds. The compassionate Theodore goes to visit the ill gentleman and discovers that he is his long lost friend Charles Lambert! Theodore relates his entire "strange story" to his friend and vows to provide him with 1000 a year from here on. The friends depart, the ill Charles now much recovered and Theodore and his bride go to Paris to visit the Cardinal. They soon catch up with Charles and Chenevier on their way to Geneva and dine at Chenevier's father's villa. In Geneva, they are joined by Fitzwalter and Margaretta.

Back in London, Mrs. Seymour has died and Susan Pendennis is pregnant. By August, Seymour House is nearly completed. Lord Pendennis now resides with his father. Thieves invade Wilson's home in the night and Susan is bludgeoned to death. The baby dies, too. Pendennis openly rejoices in this bit of fortune and thus becomes a mortal enemy of the distraught Wilson.

Things begin to come together as the Cardinal arrives in London to offer his testimony when the case comes before the court. He has brought Father Pedro, the Abbot, and O'Reilly in tow. Theodore makes his return as well, joined by Lambert. While the trial proceeds, Fitzwalter and Margaretta remain in Geneva with his wife. The trial begins on November 10 and both Henry and Benjamin give their false testimony. Thinking Jenkinson is one their side, they are shocked when the old schoolmaster identifies the Marquis as his former, beloved student. Things get worse when Wilson takes the stand and confesses the entire sordid story. This is his final revenge upon the Seymours. Theodore obviously wins the case. The villainous brothers flee the proceedings. Henry flees to the Continent with his equally villainous son. Benjamin plans to lay low in England. He gets caught out in a storm as he tries to hide and catches fever, which shortly causes his death.

Our hero and his entourage also return to the Continent so that Theodore can reconnect with his bride. On February 13, a son is born to the happy couple. In May, everyone prepares to return to Ravensburgh Castle for the celebration of Theodore's twenty-first birthday and coming of age. Before they leave Geneva, however, Lambert encounters Henry at Chenevier's where he is attempting to buy jewels as he is involved in another duping of a young woman. Lambert relates the tale of Theodora to these latest victims of Henry's wiles and the brother of the young woman, Baron D'Affry, challenges Henry to a duel at dawn. Lambert witnesses the duel at which Henry is shot. He rushes to Theodore who speeds to his dying father's side. On the road they meet the cowardly and unfeeling Pendennis who drives on without a second thought. Henry requests forgiveness from Theodore, who gives it, and then requests that he will look after his half-sisters, Caroline and Amelia, which the good Marquis certainly will do. The profligate father dies in the arms of his misused son.

Finally, the tale comes to a close with all of the good characters returning to Ravensburgh Castle for the celebration of Theodore's coming of age. And the happiness and goodness continue on: Lambert marries Lady Margaretta and Fitzwalter marries half-sister Caroline and all live happily ever after. Excepting, of course, Pendennis, who dies at twenty-two in Venice from his excesses, and Wilson, who upon returning to England himself is duped and ends up in a workhouse. Thus ends this fascinating novel of intrigue and family drama that adequately fills the expectations of storytelling that continues to this day in our "popular" fictions.

- Prepared by Michael Page, University of Nebraska, November 2002