Joan is taking in the sights and smells of Paris in The Space Between Section 25. As she sees Leonie, she decides to get a message to Michael.
We know what’s happened between Leonie and Michael, but Joan doesn’t. So, Joan thinking that things are still fine between the two of them is perfectly normal. I do feel for Joan in this chapter as she sees things that Leonie probably doesn’t want anyone to see.
Breaking down The Space Between Section 25
The section starts with Joan and the other postulants on a trip around Paris. Joan is excited about this, as she gets the chance to take in the sights and smells. She thinks about how good the food must be, especially considering the food is good in the convent. This is likely surprising to many, but Joan reminds us that she was in Scotland after the Rising when food was scarce. It’s easy to overlook what she would have gone through as a child.
When Joan sees Leonie in the market, she heads over to her to get a message to Michael. She would like to see her cousin again, but before she can get the message to her, she spots something in Leonie’s bag. Joan had wondered why Leonie would come to the market alone, and now it’s clear why. She’s picking up an ingredient that is known to end pregnancies.
Is Leonie pregnant? This would certainly explain why she wanted to sleep with Michael. I don’t think Leonie is married, so she is pregnant out of wedlock, and that would mean bad things for both her and her baby. If she was able to get Michael to sleep with her, she could have claimed the child is his. Now the previous section with Michael makes more sense.
Back to this section, Joan is disturbed by what she has seen, but she doesn’t bring it up. Instead, she just begs Leonie to pass on the message to Michael, and then she leaves. As she leaves, she hears a voice tell her “Tell him not to do it,” about a handsome man in the street. She tells him what the voice said and then runs off.
We don’t get to know who the man is, and I can’t help but feel like this is Le Comte looking out for her so that he can get more of a sense as to who she is.
Could this chapter be used in a TV adaptation?
We need this section if The Space Between is ever used in a TV adaptation. This section would also mean that the section between Leonie and Michael is also needed, as it would connect to this storyline. Overall, the entire market scene gives us a look at Paris at the time and how Joan is viewing the new world that she is in.
It also continues the voices storyline and the threat against Joan. I do get a sense that the voices mean something much more, and they could actually make Le Comte believe even more that Joan is Claire’s daughter. So yes, I suspect that this section would end up being adapted if the whole story was.
Let us know what you spotted in this chapter via Facebook and Twitter