‘Probably all the lectures I’ve been to over the years,’ I comment, twisting a bar mat between my fingers.Not that I’d put him in the same league as a dry, dusty lecturer. He’s far more interesting.
‘How’s your reading going?’ he asks.
‘Good. I’ve finishedThe Life of Charlotte Brontë, and I’m almost at the end ofVillette.’
‘Enjoying it?’
‘Very much so. It’s different fromJane Eyre.’
‘In what way?’
‘InJane Eyre, we know we’re rooting for Jane and Rochester. InVillette, Charlotte’s done a bait-and-switch. Dr Bretton isn’t the love interest for Lucy Snowe after all. Well ... he is,’ I correct myself after a pause. ‘But Lucy can’t have him even though he’s totally gorgeous.’
Dain cocks an eyebrow, and I flush a little at my effusing about the good doctor. ‘Indeed. Did that disappoint you?’
‘Initially. But it’s often the way in life, isn’t it? The person you want isn’t the person you end up with. And I know Charlotte was writing from personal experience. You can sense a certain sadness in the prose.’
Dain nods. ‘The novel is a homage to Monsieur Heger, the Belgian professor she was in love with.’
‘I haven’t taken to him personally as a character, but the writing itself depicting the passion and yearning Lucy feels for him under her cold exterior is wonderful, especially after learning about Charlotte’s shitty real-life circumstances in the biography. She was alone and horribly depressed after her sisters died.’ Agitated, I tear off a piece of the bar mat. Dain doesn’t say anything, and I look up to find him watching me intently.
‘Poor Charlotte,’ he says softly. ‘It’s agony to read, isn’t it? Knowing she’s writing in the house at night without Emily and Anne. Knowing that the man she’s writing about and desperately loved belonged to someone else. It’s tragic.’
I swallow, feeling uncomfortable; he’s spot on with his observation. Somehow, he’s tapped into exactly what I was thinking and feeling when I was reading it.
I change the subject.
‘At the house, you mentioned that you think Branwell was the catalyst for the heroes of the other novels. What makes you think that?’
Dain shrugs. ‘How could he not be? You saw how close the living quarters were. Apart from their father, he was a male role model. They were all impressionable. He was heartbroken from his affair with Lady Scott. His pain must’ve influenced them deeply, Emily especially.’
I nod animatedly. ‘Yes! I was thinking she may have used him as inspiration for that bit inWuthering Heightswhen Cathy dashes her head on the sofa and grinds—’
‘“Her teeth, so that you might fancy she would crash them to splinters.”’ Dain finishes my sentence.
I’m impressed. ‘Wow, you know the exact words.’
‘I’ve readWuthering Heightsnumerous times, and I love that scene,’ he says simply. ‘But, and here’s the ironic thing ...’ He leans forward to emphasise his point. ‘Branwell wasn’t as despised as Mrs Gaskell made out. He was well liked by the village and respected for his intelligence. He fell in love, he was spurned, and he got his heart broken. I don’t blame him for being upset about it. Maybe he’s watching us right now and feeling glad that someone’s sympathetic.’
I peer around the room cautiously, as if I might see a ghostly Branwell lurking and sobbing into his beer tankard.
Dain sees me and chuckles, then abruptly pulls his fob watch out of his waistcoat pocket to check the time. ‘Sorry, I have to get back. I didn’t realise it was getting so late.’
I’m startled back to the present. Our sandwiches are gone, and our glasses are empty. But my brain is on fire.
Dain smiles at me. ‘We only just got started on the Brontës, didn’t we?’
‘Yes, but what we did talk about was interesting. Thank you for meeting with me.’
He gets up and starts putting on his coat. ‘Tell you what. Text me your email, and I’ll send you a linkto the online Brontë Museum and Library. There are documents, letters, and all sorts of personal artefacts—things that aren’t on display in the house.’
‘OK, great, thanks.’ I quickly text him my email as he buttons his coat with nimble fingers.
‘Oh, by the way, is there anywhere I should check out on the moors?’
‘Yes, there’s the Brontë Waterfall andBrontë Chair. Farther afield, there are Top Withens and Ponden Hall, both said to be inspiration forWuthering Heights. But you shouldn’t go alone. It’s easy to get lost if you wander off the trail. If you do, at least take a fully charged phone. You should get Google Maps out there. There’s coverage.’
I watch him winding his green scarf around his neck. ‘You sound like you know a lot about it.’
