It is the 1880’s, and these are tough times for the working communities in northern England. But they are also uplifting times, with the ideas of Ibsen, Mary Wolstonecraft, radical liberals and socialist idealists permeating the air. Into our story stride our characters, Noakes, intelligent and savage, Fiona, full of moral zeal, Ida, full of immoral zeal, but whose sheer froth and impudence endear her to us, and uncle Richard, whose wise counsel Fiona always seeks, and whose exploits with his back street lady friend bring the laugh lines to Fiona’s face. Noakes is captivated by the mine owner's daughter, well educated, sensitive, a radical with a social conscience. She is captivated by Noakes, but whereas hers is a fulsome attraction we are never sure about him. Is it Fiona he is captivated with, or is it her money and position? Here is a fundamental question in this narrative, human beings as means, or as ends. Their relationship develops, both physically and intellectually. Their future seems idyllic, with Noakes' success at his evening school suggesting an extra mural place at Oxford, and his heroics in the mine making him a local celebrity. However, Noakes' dark side, his shady dealings, begin to catch up with him. Their relationship begins to sour, and Noakes begins to retreat to safety, the ever welcoming arms of Ida. Ida sparks and fizzes, as in the following extract - “You bloody little liar, you bloody little liar”, this was the effervescent Ida starting to fizz. “Who you callin' a liar?”, the woman, much to Henry's chagrin, was'nt going to let Ida's wild accusations go unchallenged. “'Im, that's who, 'im”, and her accusing finger pointed straight at Henry. “What you talkin' about?”, Henry gurgled. “ Why, them eyes' o'yours 'ave never been off my bust since I come in 'ere”, Ida, who was an expert on masculine eye movements, delivered the verdict. “What”, spluttered the unfortunate Henry. “You 'eard, you bloody well an' 'eard”. Even this effervescent Ida is changing. She attends Fiona's classes, and begins to appreciate literature and music. This is much to Noakes' chagrin, women like Ida have a certain place and a certian function, and anything that disturbs this is an affront to Noakes. Noakes' dark side begins to assert itself. He is involved in shady dealings. A fellow tough miner attempts blackmail, This leads to a cataclysmic midnight encounter between the two, resulting in the murder of the fellow miner. Noakes disposes of the body. The body is discovered, but noone suspects Noakes, except Ida. Profoundly troubled, she goes to see Fiona. But Fiona, herself in a turmoil of emotion, and to her great chagrin, is full only of platitudes, and sends Ida back to her fate. Whether Noakes feels threatened by Ida’s new learning, or whether he finds out about her visit to Fiona, we can only guess. Whatever it was, it led to Ida’s grisly fate. Fiona, filled with remorse regarding the way she spoke to Ida, finds her way to Ida’s house accompanied by Daisy May. The scene that meets her there sets her path, she crosses her Rubicon. Noakes feels he is safe from Fiona, for is’nt she a part of the upper classes, and whatever she spouts, whatever revolutionary rhetoric escapes from her lips, she will never, never threaten her position and the position of her family. But has Noakes reasoned correctly this time, has he stirred something so deep in Fiona that she must, whatever the cost, shake his mind set of the inherent selfishness of mankind, and show him that there is a higher plane to human kind than he ever imagined????? 画面が切り替わりますので、しばらくお待ち下さい。 ※ご購入は、楽天kobo商品ページからお願いします。 ※切り替わらない場合は、こちら をクリックして下さい。 ※このページからは注文できません。
