Maybe I'm just an old romantic at heart...

How can you think that, he is not only really unattractive but also has a horrible character. How could you want Cynthia to end up with somone who she clearly wouldnt be happy with??

Whilst I think Cynthia is quite happily off with Mr Henderson, I think I do feel a little sorry for Mr Preston. Mind, I'm not defending completely his later conduct towards Cynthia, but, as Molly herself said, 'I think he really does love you, in his way', and also, 'He's not as bad as I thought', when he returns the letters.

I don't think you have 'missed the plot', Phantom. And, yes, Hubbububbu, his wish for, in his words, 'revenge', was ungentlemanly of him, and it was a mistake at least to try to hold on to a foolish promise made by a girl of fifteen in a moment of gratitude - and made by Cynthia at that.

Again, I will stress that I neither blame nor side with either of them in this. I don't think there's any doubting that Mrs Gaskell did indeed mean to show that Cynthia is Hyacinth's daughter after all; equally, Mr Preston was initially prompted by the best of wills, however ill-guided, and was, I think, driven to desperation by rejection. He did do the right thing in the end.

'...the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.'

I agree with you, Phantom. I never liked Cynthia and thought it would serve her right if she ended up with someone with a touch of cruelty like Preston. They'd have that in common. After all, they both know how to use and exploit people...I also wondered if Cynthia wouldn't just marry Preston to spite her mother (who obviously was seriously infatuated with Preston).
I also thought it would be one time where Cynthia would have to keep her word.
But in the end, they bring in this new guy, Henderson, and she's off with him. Perhaps that device worked well in the novel, but I wanted Cynthia and Preston to be forced to marry (perhaps if they were discovered together in a compromising position).
Cynthia deserves the worst and there Preston is!
Other than that, I thought this was a wonderful series. I love Anthony Howell from "Foyle's War." He plays such kind, sensitive, overlooked men.

I like the way Gaskell marries Cynthia to Mr. Henderson, as it is adds to Cynthia's development (as a character) by showing that she ends up married to a man who's really only looking for a pretty wife (arm candy) and doesn't really care about her character! (or lack thereof).

But Mr. Preston is not without negative qualities, either. How very ungentlemanly, to make an offer to a young lady who is only 15 years old. And one whom he knows to be sans father-figure, and stuck with a mother whom does not look after her daughter properly. Mr. Preston should have gone to Cynthia's family. That would have been the proper form. He could have sought out her nearest male relative, or even spoken to her mother. He agrees to keep his engagement a secret because he knows that Cynthia won't agree to it otherwise. This is not the behaviour of a gentleman.

Further, the only reason, IMO, why Preston returns Cynthia's letters is because he knows that Molly will tell Lady Harriet, who in turn, will tell Lord Cumnor. Preston doesn't want his boss to find out about his ungentlemanly behaviour, so he acquiesces. Besides, at this point, even Preston realizes that there is no longer any hope of ever getting Cynthia to marry him. So he concentrates his efforts on revenge -- on Molly as well as Cynthia.

How utterly horrible of him to go out of his way to give the appearance of a secret tryst between him and Molly to Mr. Sheepshanks, when he comes upon them in the park. He even says as much to Mr. Sheepshanks, fully knowing what a gossip that man is, and that he associates with other town gossips! Again, these are not the acts of a gentleman.

I have no quibble with acknowledging Cynthia's many faults. As Lady Cumnor herself points out, Cynthia uses Mr. Preston wrongly, then uses Molly wrongly, too. I'm not sure that I can accuse Cynthia, though, at the tender age of 15, of being a heartless user/manipulator of men -- although, it is clear that she does do this later on. IMO, Preston did take advantage of her naivete when she was 15.

Back to Cynthia's bad qualities--
I think that Cynthia and her mother are very much alike. They both are very self-absorbed; they both need to be the center of attention. However, unlike her mother, Cynthia is able to feel some compassion for other people (albeit very little, indeed!). Hyacinth can only ever see a situation from the perspective of how it affects her. She has no empathy or sympathy for the pains and problems of others (everything is always all about her!)

Cynthia, by contrast, has some ability to go beyond her selfishness. For example, she is able to see the wrong in her mother's thinking when Hyacinth speaks about how, if Osborne died, Roger would become the heir of Hamley Hall. And she speaks up about it.

I think that he really did love her! She treated him badly and probably would treat any husband she had badly, so maybe he got lucky! I think that he was hurt by her rejection though. And, I did think that they would end up together!
"I'll think of it tomorrow."

I didn't really want Preston and Cynthia to end up together since neither would have made each other happy. I agree with the other poster who said that Preston is not all-out evil...he's more of the anti-hero. He's not your typical straight-laced guy who saves the day, but he does after he cools down, do the right thing. He's driven by his passions. First it was passion for Cynthia, then it was the desire to exact vengeance for the way she toyed around with him. Neither was appropriate, but at least, he realized his mistake in the end and eventually did the right thing.

Cynthia for all her denials, obviously also had strong feelings for Mr.Preston. Her real issue with him is that he wasn't wealthy. She tells this to Molly the first time she confides to her about Mr.Preston (with alot of denials of course). In the end, she stays true to her nature and chooses to marry a man for his money. A man who is also most likely, will act as her lapdog to do her every bidding. The opposite of Preston.

If Preston and Cynthia had married, I doubt very much if they would have gotten along very well. Cynthia with her attention-seeking ways would have frustrated the controlling and dominant Preston.

BTW, I am commenting from the perspective of someone who has not read the book. I've only watched the mini. I enjoyed the mini alot. I have to say though, the Cynthia character annoyed me to no end...especially how she put Molly in a compromising position. Urgh.






I loved "The Painted Veil." Please do try to see it.

No, hah I caught that little look between them at the end. They deserve each other, she's a woman who can take care of herself and he's a cad who'll have to change his ways b/c I dare say his usual tricks won't cut it with her. lol There could be whole new spinoff miniseries.

I was agreeing with someone somewhere in this thread, about Lady Harriet and Mr. Preston. For some reason my reply didn't appear immediately after their's so it did seem confusing didn't it?