Now that Minnie has the letters, she needs to figure out what to do with them. However, the words of Hal to Esme shock her in A Fugitive Green chapter 14.
The initial plan was to send Esme’s letters to the Secretary of War as a way to prove that Hal had reason to start the duel. However, now she can’t do that, as Hal would work out what had happened. Plus, it’s clear that he didn’t intend to let the letters leave his personal space.
So, she needs to work out another plan. Mike O’Higgins is the one to help her figure that one out.
Breaking down A Fugitive Green chapter 14
We start with a look at Hal’s letters to Esme. It’s clear that they were written after Esme’s death, after Hal learned of her affair. He’s in a lot of pain, and he’s full of rage and anger. The letters are filled with comments about how he wants to kill her, but it’s clear that he also still loves her. Minnie is shocked by Hal’s words, and considering what we know of Hal, I’m shocked by them as well. It just goes to show that people who are in pain can go to some dark thoughts.
Minnie needs to take a walk to clear her head after reading the letters, and Mike O’Higgins follows her to keep her safe. It’s on this walk that she starts to think about what she can do next. She now doesn’t want to reveal the letters to the Secretary of War, and it’s not like Hal’s letters would ever prove that he didn’t go insane in the moment.
She doesn’t want to hurt Hal by sending the letters to the Secretary of War, but she still wants to help prove that there was a reason for the duel. So, she and Mike disucss their options, which leads to the idea of forging Nathaniel’s hand. What if they could forge a poem that he wrote?
That leads to its own problem, as Minnie isn’t a forger and she doesn’t know Nathaniel’s work. If it’s found to be a fraud, it could make things worse for Hal, so she needs to get her hands on some of his past poems. Lady Buford shares that he didn’t publish his poems, but maybe some friends have some.
It’s clear that he wrote something to Esme, so Minnie suggests that the O’Higgins brothers find someone to get the poems from the house. Their cousin, Aiofe, goes in and she is able to steal the poems. There’s no need to completely forge one, because there’s one that has no title. Minnie is able to forge his handwriting enough to give it a title and to sign it for Esme from Nathaniel. This should be enough to make it clear that Hal had a reason to suspect the affair and call for a duel.
Now, Minnie needs to find a way to get the letters back to the house. Hal is hosting a birthday celebration for his mother, who is still in France. This allows people to see that he’s no insane, and Minnie is invited, so she can get into the house and put the letters back where they came from.
Could this chapter be used in a TV adaptation?
There is no doubt that we would need to see this chapter if A Fugitive Green was adapted. A lot is going on in this, including Minnie realizing that she can’t send the letters to the Secretary of War. We would need to have a flashback of Hal writing his letters to Esme, but at least then, we can get conversations flowing.
This chapter also gives us the reason Minnie is going to be back at the house to drop of the letters again. It needs to play out because, otherwise, there would be questions about why she would be in Hal’s house in the first place.
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