Yes but don't you see how Jerott is used by La Dame de Doubtance - when he says he'll never love again do you think La Dame wants to hear it because actually nothing would be sweeter to Jerott Blyth at that moment than hearing Francis defend his right to love and then Francis says don't let me drive you away but this is part of La Dame's plan isn't it and when it's said he's adequate to his task what is that precisely? to love Francis enough to go back again and again and again to save him even when Francis doesn't want to be saved even when it goes against common sense and Jerott thought he might just leave actually, Francis Crawford lives because of Jerott Blyth's heart while La Dame has an army of people to get Francis into trouble because his fate requires it her stupid plan relies on Jerott to pull him out of trouble because a dead Great Man just won't do but Jerott couldn't serve the Voivoda it would break his heart too much so he needs to be driven away, just enough, but not so far that he won't be back again to save Francis when he doesn't want to be saved in Checkmate and to let him die when it's the only thing that can give him life, so Marthe is used as well, but Marthe's eyes are open to her fate and she hates him and she hates it but she thinks she'll be rewarded for playing her part - with gratitude maybe, with a brother at least, with a Great Man - and she's so trapped in the game she thinks kindness can hold a man together who has no purpose but to wait until it's required of him to love again and to fight again only it's not kindness is it because no one believes it and it's love he needs and has always needed and the first one died the second one was a betrayal, hers is a trick too just like her wigs and her antique dresses, and the other the other is not for him it's not in his stars, so he's adequate to receiving kindness and how can Francis walk back into this illusion of life - it was the troop of St Mary's that should have been his - and say 'she's not your keeper' 'why did you marry her' when he didn't get kindness from Francis so turned to Marthe, when she married him for the work her grandmother started and Francis left them together at Volos all but making her his keeper - kindness. He shall have it. But what does La Dame or her granddaughter know about kindness? - and even after all this it's just like Fleabag said man he has all this love to give and he doesn't have anywhere to put it so he puts it in a single bullet fired into Austin Grey's head and then it turns out he's brought the stars into allignment Francis and Philippa can love and he can take his rightful place but Marthe Marthe never knew that was how things ended for her did she? did she not read her own stars as she looked over the tasks given to her the work she inherited when La Dame died and did she not read them and take out their injustice on the man who was going to cause her death which is the only reward in the cup for her, or did she not want to know did she suspect did she hope to the last that Francis would welcome her with open arms as a sister this is why Marthe's advice is 'lie back and think of England' you have to take whatever's coming to you so Francis can be a Great Man only he's already great and she doesn't understand it because she has no concept of a healthy family of love for parents and siblings, of being satisfied with enough just enough to live happily please give Russia to Marthe give Francis his fate back that is to say I know Jerott would never make him happy like Philippa does but I'd just like it to be known that being adequate to his task, no one loves like Jerott Blyth and you should take him seriously when he says you don't know what love is because he's a knight leaning his head on his lord's knee and þinceð him on mode þæt he his mondryhten clyppe ond cysse, ond on cneo lecge honda ond heafod, swa he hwilum ær in geardagum giefstolas breac. Ðonne onwæcneð eft manwineleas guma, gesihð him biforan fealwe wegas, baþian brimfuglas,brædan feþra, hreosan hrim ond snaw hagle gemenged. When he shoots is it La Dame he's serving or Francis? He believes it's the latter but events indicate it's still the former. Afterwards, does he even share any words with Francis? Nothing but practicalities, at any rate. It's like he might as well be dead to him. He's running away like he did after love's first death, to where love first betrayed him, there's nothing for him at St Mary's - just as he couldn't serve the Voivoda he can't serve Francis in love. What is love, Jerott? Not kindness and curiosity, but faith and fate. Being adequate to the task of bringing Francis' greatness to fruition, though you never understood the music and the art because you're a man who wishes for a leader and a companion and in the end you get neither.
