Discussion for the second part of the book.

WARNING:  The discussions in the threads have gotten pretty detailed already and there are spoilers!  I caution you not to read a discussion thread until you've finished with the section of the book that it pertains to! 

The adventure really gets going in this section, with a daring escape for Campion. I really like that she doesn't wait around for Toby to come and rescue her. She fights her enemies every step of the way - clawing, kicking and screaming!

I'm really intrigued by the Covenant and the seals and eager to keep reading to find out more! Personally, I think Campion's father will turn out to be Kit Aretine, the sea captain/poet described in the Prologue. We shall see!

It was nice, after Campion's escape, that the story slowed down a bit to show her blossoming in the care of Toby's mother. Her true self is really starting to shine through. I really appreciate the humor in the story and the lightness of tone. It seems the authors are just having fun and inviting the reader not to take the story TOO seriously!

Cornwell & Kells have invented some really revolting villains in this story, but thus far, their crowing achievement has to be Sir Grenville Cony. What a disgusting man, inside and out! I get the feeling he's the type of scumbag people feel they have to deal with, because he has a certain amount of power and influence, but they have to hold their noses to do it.

I just finished this section last night. 

I love Lady Margaret!  What an awesome character.  Campion has really come into herself under Lady M's tutelage, yet I don't think she is going to become Lady M. Jr.  I think she is drawing on Lady M's strength and guidance to discover her own true self. 

Villians? Yes, I agree Felicia.  Cony is beyond disgusting.  He gets worse in the next part.  Ebenezer is also a really nasty human being, who also slides further down the scum scale in the next part.  I think he may be actually worse than Cony. I also have a feeling that these two slimes will eventually have a falling out, which will benefit Campion.  Two lowlife creeps like this can't remain loyal to anyone, including each other.

Felicia, I hadn't thought of that! Yes, Campion being the daughter of Kit Aretine is an intriguing possibility.  I sure hope we get to meet Aretine and the other seal holder, Lopez.  It's said that Aretine is dead, but I'm not counting on that.  You know, now that I go back and look at the Prologue, I think you are definitely be right. I totally forgot the Prologue!   It's said Aretine went to America, and so that is obviously him leaving England at the beginning. It's said he was the "handsomnest man in England," which would explain Campion's exquisite beauty.  He was leaving a child.  He was leaving the child a fortune.  Hmmm, who could the mother be?  From the description of Martha Prescott Slythe, it does not seem like she would be Campion's biological mother.  Campion describes her as fat and bitter.  Although perhaps her life was controlled by others like Campion's was/is thus making her such.  Cony's letter to Matthew Slythe says the beatuiful gloves Campion finds with the Cony letter and the seal are "of the Prescott girl," which Campion assumes is her mother, Martha.  Is Martha "the Prescott girl" or is there perhaps another Prescott girl?  A sister of Martha's?  It's said in the Prologue that the Captain was wearing a gold chain around his neck.  Could it be the seal?  If so, how did the seal get from Aretine back to Matthew Slythe?  Maybe it's not the seal.  The book says it's a golden chain. It doesn't say anything about anything hanging from it, so it could be that the Captain relinquished the seal before leaving England and then just wore the chain.  I just re-read the letter from Cony to Matthew Slythe, and it appears as though the seal was sent to Slythe by "the Jew," who must be Lopez. 

My only beef is that BC is giving us precious little in the way of information for us to try to figure out exactly what the Covenant is.  Well, other than what I've just noted.  LOL!    I'd love some more tantalizing tidbits dropped here and there to get our wheels turning.  Right now I'm somewhat clueless, although it may be one of those things where once the secret is revealed you realize there were plenty of sign posts along the way!  Of course, I totally gapped the Prologue until I read your comments, Felicia, so I could also be missing a lot of other clues. Lord help me!  I will never be a detective! 

Don't ya love Lady Margaret!!  She reminds me of someone else literature wise and I just can't think of who- what a wonderful, feisty lady.  I have my suspicions about Campion's father- my money's on Vavasour Devorax (what a great name).  By the way, I think he is really Kit Aretine.

Cony is awful, a real slime ball along with Ebenezer.  They deserve each other.  I did guess that the painting in Cony's office was of Aretine though.  No real surprise there.

I'm pages away from being done with part 3.  Cheryl, the question is answered there!  Will wait until tomorrow when I'm done w/part 3 to post my thoughts on that section.  Depressing for the most part, but the end of the section makes up for it!

I finished up this section last night, and also had the same though as Felicia at this point - that Kit Aretine, who we saw in the prologue, is Campion's real father.  Clearly Campion looks nothing like her family, so Michael Slythe can't be her real father.  I just can't imagine how Aretine let her end up in the hands of the Slythes, though. 

Agree with everyone that Ebenezer is a miserable, awful human being.

Can't wait to get to Part 3 tonight!