Chapter 17: 18 April

Spoiler Notice: This analysis assumes you have read Chapter 17. It explores plot events, character arcs, and thematic elements in full.

Summary

The chapter opens on Barbara Havers seething with fury after a phone call from Salvatore Lo Bianco, which she believes Lynley orchestrated to meddle in her grief. At New Scotland Yard, she storms into Lynley’s office and accuses him of telling Salvatore about her mother’s death. Lynley claims Salvatore initiated the call, but Barbara sees through the evasion. Their escalating argument draws the attention of DCS Isabelle Ardery, who orders Barbara onto a week’s compassionate leave, criticizing both her emotional state and her wardrobe. Simultaneously, Daidre Trahair learns from Kayla Lobb that her half-brother Goron Udy has been arrested and taken to Truro Magistrates’ Court to be formally charged with murder. Daidre, estranged from her Cornwall family, reluctantly agrees to help find a murder solicitor. After Isabelle dismisses Lynley’s request for time off to deal with estate business in Cornwall, Lynley phones Barbara, telling her “the game’s afoot” and invites her to accompany him to Howenstow. After initially resisting, Barbara agrees, using the trip as cover from her forced leave.

Key Events

Barbara confronts Lynley over the Lo Bianco phone call, accusing him of violating her privacy.
Lynley maintains he did not call Salvatore first, though internally the narration reveals he did.
Isabelle overhears the row and puts Barbara on a mandatory one-week compassionate leave, ordering her to improve her wardrobe.
After the confrontation, Lynley takes a call from John Penellin about a mining company interested in his Cornwall estate; he requests time off from Isabelle, who grants it readily.
Daidre cannot reach her sister Gwynder by phone and learns from Kayla Lobb that Goron has been transported to Truro for a murder charge.
Kayla asks Daidre to help arrange a solicitor for Goron; Daidre agrees despite her desire to remain uninvolved.
Lynley calls Barbara, teasing her with “the game’s afoot,” and persuades her to travel to Cornwall with him the next morning.

Character Development

Barbara Havers: Her grief over her mother’s death manifests as uncontrollable anger at Lynley’s perceived interference. The forced leave humiliates her, yet her vulnerability shows when she worries about her clothing and fit at the earl’s estate. Her sarcasm slowly returns when she banters with Lynley, signaling a tentative re-engagement.
Thomas Lynley: His paternalistic meddling is fully exposed; he privately admits to having phoned Lo Bianco. He uses a half-truth about estate business to involve Barbara in a scheme that he hopes will distract her. His blend of genuine care and aristocratic assumption of authority drives the chapter’s central conflict.
Isabelle Ardery: She reasserts her authority with crisp, sometimes punitive force. While she correctly identifies Barbara’s unfitness for duty and orders rest, her remarks about Barbara’s clothes betray her own prejudices about professional appearance.
Daidre Trahair: Pressured by Kayla’s plea, Daidre must confront the family she fled. Her reluctance to speak Bran’s name and her initial response to her birth name “Edrek” underscore deep-rooted family estrangement. Yet she steps into the crisis for Gwyn’s sake, hinting at residual loyalty.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Class and Power: Lynley’s aristocratic privilege and his “belted earl” conduct clash with Barbara’s sense of working-class privacy. The conflict over who gets to decide what others know about personal tragedies exposes the assumptions bred by class.
Grief and Control: Barbara’s rage is tied to her inability to control her own mourning. Lynley’s action takes even that small agency from her, while Ardery’s forced leave removes her professional identity as a coping mechanism.
Intervention versus Duty: Lynley frames his interference as care; Daidre’s family expects her to intervene as a relative. Both scenarios question whether unsolicited involvement is morally justified or a violation of boundaries.
Estrangement and Return: Daidre’s story arc mirrors the chapter’s forced returns—Barbara is pushed back into private life, Daidre is pulled back to Cornwall. The estate trip for Barbara will become its own form of return to a world of privilege she resents.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 17 functions as a turning point that merges the book’s two plotlines. Barbara’s personal turmoil propels her out of London and into Cornwall—the very setting of the murder investigation that involves Daidre’s family. It reveals Lynley’s manipulative side while cementing the reader’s sympathy for Barbara. Ardery’s disciplinary actions tighten the professional stakes, and Daidre’s reluctant entry into the murder case foreshadows an emotional collision between the London police world and Cornish secrets. The chapter also rebalances the tone with moments of barbed humor, particularly in Lynley and Barbara’s telephone negotiation about appropriate cutlery.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why is Barbara so deeply angered by Lynley’s phone call to Salvatore Lo Bianco?

Barbara sees Lynley’s action as yet another instance of his class privilege overriding her autonomy. She is raw from her mother’s death and feels that Lynley has stolen her right to decide when and how others learn of her loss. The fact that Salvatore mentioned DCS Ardery’s return—information Barbara never shared—proves to her that Lynley intervened. Her fury is less about Salvatore’s sympathy and more about Lynley treating her personal life as something he can manage from his position of power.

2. How does Isabelle Ardery’s handling of the confrontation reflect her leadership style and personal biases?

Ardery is decisive: she immediately identifies Barbara’s emotional unfitness and orders compassionate leave. However, her pointed comment about improving Barbara’s wardrobe and her directive to “do some shopping” reveal an underlying judgment about Barbara’s non-conformist appearance. She enforces professional standards sharply, but the personal critique suggests she equates external polish with competence, a bias that might blur her assessment of an officer in crisis.

3. Why does Lynley invite Barbara to Cornwall, and how does this offer serve both the plot and his character arc?

Lynley’s invitation masquerades as a spontaneous adventure (“the game’s afoot”) but is actually a calculated move. He knows Barbara has been ordered off work and fears she will isolate herself in grief. The trip to Howenstow gives her a purpose and keeps her under his influence. The offer also serves the plot by placing Barbara close to the murder investigation’s physical setting while deepening the personal stakes: she will be a fish out of water among Lynley’s family, potentially forcing her to confront her own insecurities.