A Fatal Silence, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Florence Marryat's *A Fatal Silence, Vol. 2* traces the marriage of Paula Sutton (formerly the disgraced schoolmistress "Miss Stafford") to the devoted young squire Hal Rushton, and the swift unraveling of their happiness under the weight of a buried secret. The volume opens with Hal and Paula's quiet wedding at Lynmouth, followed by an idyllic honeymoon in which Hal reveals unsuspected depths of thought and tenderness, extracting from Paula a promise never to take up dangerous pursuits like hunting and probing gently at the pain behind her reticence about her disabled son, Paulie, who remains hidden away with her mother, Mrs Sutton, in Grassdene. Their triumphant return to Deepdale — riding in Lady Bristowe's barouche, showered with flowers — humiliates the village gossips Mrs Gribble and Mrs Axworthy, who had once driven Paula from her post, while the vengeful Widow Rushton and her son Ted Snaley, brooding over their loss of Highbridge Hall, begin quietly scheming to reinsinuate themselves into the household. Society closes in around the new bride: the wealthy, foolish Lady Bristowe adopts Paula as a pet, showering her with gifts, but her prying questions about Paula's mother and her "Navy" antecedents sow unease. A magnificent garden party cements Paula's social triumph — but that same night, a summons comes: her mother is gravely ill. Rushing to Grassdene, Paula and Hal arrive too late — Mrs Sutton has died suddenly, alone, her face frozen in an inexplicable expression of shock. Worse, Paulie and his attendant, Eliza, have vanished without trace, last seen talking to an unidentified tramp. No accident, body, or witness can be found, and the disappearance remains a haunting, unsolved mystery. Paula returns home shattered, sinking into a prolonged depression compounded by guilt over her ambivalent feelings toward her lost child. Lady Bristowe, offended at being refused visits while the Widow Rushton is admitted as housekeeper-nurse, turns spitefully against Paula, resurrecting the old schoolhouse scandal via the churchwardens; only the loyal Mrs Measures stands firmly by her, even as her own husband, the vicar, withholds full vindication, still troubled by Paula's past refusal to explain herself. As Paula's spirits partially revive with news of her pregnancy, the Widow Rushton and Ted secretly plot murder-by-poison should the coming child threaten their hopes of reclaiming the estate — while covertly ensuring the trusted nurse, Mrs Cornes, is unavailable when Paula's labor begins early. The volume ends on a cliffhanger: Paula's labor commences unexpectedly, no proper nurse can be found, and a frantic Hal Rushton, forced to leave his wife in the care of the very stepmother he distrusts and fears, races through the night in a desperate, likely futile search for help.
By Florence Marryat · First published 1891 · Genre: Gothic Drama, Domestic Drama, Victorian Romance · 10 chapters · 52,510 words
First lines
A FATAL SILENCE.
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A Fatal Silence, Vol. 2 (of 3) is listed on Textopian as a novel by Florence Marryat, dated 1891 CE.
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- Work type: Novel
- Author: Florence Marryat
- Date: 1891 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Gothic Drama, Domestic Drama, Victorian Romance, Mystery, Melodrama
- Length: 52,510 words
- Structure: 10 chapters, 859 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for A Fatal Silence, Vol. 2 (of 3) by Florence Marryat
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Gothic Drama — The novel employs Gothic conventions including mysterious deaths, dark family secrets, atmospheric tension, cryptic letters announcing sudden illness, and an ominous widow scheming within the household, creating pervasive dread throughout the narrative.
- Domestic Drama — Central to the plot are conflicts within domestic spaces—marital tensions, household management disputes, the return of an unwelcome stepmother to the Hall, and the management of servants and social hierarchies within the home.
- Victorian Romance — The narrative pivots on Hal and Paula's courtship and marriage, their honeymoon happiness, their intimate conversations and mutual devotion, and romantic declarations that frame the domestic and tragic events.
- Mystery — The unexplained disappearance of Paula's child Paulie and the servant Eliza, coupled with Mrs. Sutton's sudden death and the cryptic circumstances surrounding them, creates an unresolved central mystery that propels the second half of the volume.
Tags
Victorian fiction · sensation novel · mystery · crime · romance · domestic drama · family secrets · social class · marriage · inheritance · betrayal · suspense
Contents
- New Prospects, 221
- CHAPTER 5
- CHAPTER 6
- CHAPTER 7
- CHAPTER 8
- CHAPTER 9
- CHAPTER 10
- CHAPTER 11
- CHAPTER 12
- CHAPTER 13