Lord John Grey is able to get to the house Olivia and Benedicta are at in Besieged Section 11. It brings some bad news.
While the start of this section is focused on the plans for the slave revolt, it is more personal for Lord John Grey. It’s time to finally get to the house that Olivia has been staying at. It’s not good news.
Breaking down Besieged Section 11
The section starts with a bit more of the slave revolt. Thanks to the cover of darkness and the slaves living out in the fields, they are able to move easily to get to the fortress. The British Navy showing up and having wagons is also helpful for Lord John Grey.
He has hope that all of this will work out in his favor. He even tells Inocencia that he will be able to get Malcolm Stubbs freed. I don’t think he should have made that promise, but it all works out for them, so it’s fine!
What doesn’t work out is getting Olivia and Benedicta out of the country. John is finally able to get to the house, which is where he immediately learns of the bad news. Olivia and Charlotte have died of the fever. Olivia seemed to recover but then she went into labor and died shortly afterward. She did live long enough to name the baby, Seraphina.
Benedicta is understandably heartbroken by the news. John thinks that while he will miss Olivia, Benedicta has raised her from the age of 10. They were close, and Benedicta has been there for Olivia’s childbirths and has helped with raising the children. The good news is baby Seraphina and Cromwell are healthy and alive. Benedicta also hasn’t caught the fever.
Could this chapter be used in a TV series adaptation?
There is no doubt that we would need this chapter if Besieged was ever used for a TV series adaptation. It has so much going on that is important for Lord John Grey’s personal storyline. This brings us the devastating conclusion for Olivia and her daughter, Charlotte.
There is also the part with Inocencia. We would need to see that as well. The issue for me is that there’s a lot of talk. We could do with seeing what’s going on rather than just being told about it. I could see this playing out with scenes of the slaves on the move.
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