History Literature / PassageToNovember

''Clara Grace cannot recall the events that brought her to this desolate beach. Cold and alone, dim memories surface: a terrible storm… men swept to their deaths… a final kiss from the man who promised never to leave her.''

''Captain William [=McTavish=] believed life was best lived alone... until Clara Grace came to work aboard his ship. Something in her eyes... something in the music from her old violin, broke through his hardened heart... at last he'd finally found his kindred spirit.''

''Passage to November'' is an Historical {{Romance Novel}} set against the backdrop of the Great Lakes in 1913, culminating in the worst storm ever to hit the Lakes. The storm, called the ''White Hurricane'' by historians, devastated most of the Great Lakes shipping fleet and caused nearly 300 deaths. Written in 2011 by Phyllis [=DeMarco=], the novel went on to win the 2012 EPIC Award for Best Historical Romance.

* {{All Love Is Unrequited}}: Firmly believed by Clara and Captain [=McTavish=] [[spoiler:until the very end]].
* {{Always on Duty}}: The crew of the ''Longhope''. Especially Clara Grace.

* {{Anguished Declaration of Love}}: subverted. Clara and Captain [=McTavish=] go well out of their way to avoid saying the words "I love you."
* {{Anyone Can Die}}: And boy howdy do we mean ANYONE.
* {{Banging for Help}}: When [[spoiler:Old Mr. Carew dies]], Clara bangs on the galley bell to attract the crew's attention.
* {{Beast and Beauty}}: Particularly in the beginning, before Clara breaks through [=McTavish=]'s hardened heart.
* {{Beautiful Dreamer}}: Clara falls asleep before [[spoiler:[=McTavish=] can propose]].
* {{Berserk Button}}: Go ahead, try to do something nasty to Clara Grace while Captain [=McTavish=] is around.

* {{Beta Couple}}: Hiram and Flora Miller. Amusingly, he is terrified of her.

* {{The Captain}}: William [=McTavish=], a 40-ish, decorated veteran of the Royal Navy who came to America at the request of Cleveland Transport to run their sole "salty," the ''SS Longhope''.
* {{Chest of Medals}}: Implied, as [=McTavish=]'s career in the Royal Navy is over and he does not brag about his service, but Clara spots many medals and commendations when she visits [=McTavish=]'s cabin.
* {{The Consigliere}}: Hiram Miller.
* {{Cool Boat}}: The ''SS Longhope'', a 250-ft canaller originally designed for ocean-going voyages, later outfitted for travel on the Great Lakes.

* {{Crazy Jealous Guy}}: [=McTavish=] shows definite shades of this, particularly when he must escort Clara to public places.
* {{Curb Stomp Battle}}: [=McTavish=]'s savage beatdown of [[spoiler:Eli]] results in [[spoiler:a broken jaw, broken nose, a mouthful of busted teeth, and Eli's being dumped from the boat in Buffalo]]. Also directly leads to [[spoiler:Eli's spiteful order to overload the boat just before the last critical trip of the season]].
* {{The Cynic}}: [=McTavish=] again. He believes theirs is a Crapsack World and that [[spoiler: Clara Grace deserves better than a life lived sailing the lakes]].
* {{Damsel In Distress}}: Clara, though she is loathe to admit it while working aboard the ''Longhope''.
** [[spoiler: lost, alone, and extremely hypothermic after the storm]] she's a true damsel in distress, [[spoiler:but too weakened to realize it]]
* {{Dance of Romance}}: subverted. [=McTavish=] only dances with Clara when his jealousy of Chauncey Ney gets the better of him.
* {{The Day of Reckoning}}: November 9, 1913. The day-- and the storm-- [=McTavish=] has long feared.
* {{Deliberate Values Dissonance}}: Enforced hard.

*** Or in 1913, for that matter. See {{Berserk Button}} and {{Curb Stomp Battle}} in case you're not sure.

** Miller's exasperation at the possibility of the men fraternizing with each other. {{It Makes Sense in Context}}.
* {{Do Not Go Gentle}}: When the Great Storm of 1913 hits, the men of the ''Longhope'' are literally fighting for their lives, and go to extraordinary lengths to keep the ship afloat. It is only when [[spoiler: the boat's steel plates begin to fail that they realize all is lost. See {{Heroic BSOD}}]].
* {{Dying Alone}}: Miller promises this will be [=McTavish=]'s end if he doesn't act on his feelings toward Clara.
* {{Fallen on Hard Times Job}}: Penniless and newly-homeless, Clara takes the job as ship's cook out of sheer desperation... and then finds herself begging to keep the job.
* {{A Father to His Men}}: [=McTavish=]
* {{Feminine Women Can Cook}}: Enforced and mildly subverted. Clara Grace is a decent enough cook, but she hates cooking. Especially for a crew of eighteen men who are constantly judging her work.

* {{Florence Nightingale Effect}}: Following the [[spoiler:union riots in Duluth, Clara cares for [=McTavish=]'s brutal injuries]]. Her concern for him catches him off-guard.
* {{Grand Romantic Gesture}}: Captain [=McTavish=] pretends to be all sorts of put out by the prospect of escorting Clara to the Cuyahoga County Fair when they put in to Cleveland for a brief stay... but knowing that all she has to wear are work dresses and a pair of hand-me-down trousers, he buys her a beautiful dress and hat for the occasion.
* {{Hates Being Alone}}: [=McTavish=] is a loner by nature, but [[spoiler:his growing feelings for Clara Grace]] make him realize he despises his loneliness.
* {{Heroic BSOD}}: Happens to [[spoiler: [=McTavish=]]] twice, or may be considered one long BSOD. First, when [[spoiler: the ''Longhope'' tears against the rocky lake bottom and he realizes they are doomed]] and then [[spoiler: when he reaches the beach and surveys the devastation still coming ashore, including his best friend's corpse and Clara's smashed violin. He can't help but believe that Clara is dead, too]].
* {{Heroic Neutral}}: [=McTavish=], who firmly believes life is simpler when lived alone. Until [[spoiler: Clara Grace comes along]]... and even then he [[spoiler: fights like hell to protect his heart]].
* {{Heterosexual Life Partners}}: [=McTavish=] and Miller.
* {{Historical Domain Character}}: Chauncey Ney, a real-life lake boat captain who arranged his sailing schedule around various local dances.
* {{I Want My Beloved to Be Happy}}: The reason [=McTavish=] believes he must let Clara go.
* {{The Ingenue}}: Clara Grace starts out as this, but as the story progresses she gets better.

* {{Jerk with a Heart of Gold}}: [=McTavish=]. All he wants is to do his job and get through life with as little drama as possible. His plan comes to a screeching halt when he's forced to accept a beautiful young woman as the ship's cook. Believing she is a distraction to the crew, he is not nice to her.
** Lampshaded by Hiram Miller, who points out that the only one distracted by Clara Grace is [[spoiler: the captain himself]].
*** Even further lampshaded by Miller when he dares [=McTavish=] to fire her. [[spoiler: he balks at the idea, fearing what might become of such an innocent beauty.]]
* {{Kid Sidekick}}: Jimmy O'Donnell, a 17-year-old deckhand whom [=McTavish=] is grooming to become an officer.
* {{Karma Houdini}}: Having been fired, [[spoiler: Eli Filch]] is not aboard the ''Longhope'' when it [[spoiler: founders in the storm]].
* {{Love at First Note}}: Though she's physically quite beautiful, it is Clara's violin-playing that breaks through [=McTavish=]'s hardened heart.
* {{Love Hotel}}: The boardinghouse in Duluth.
* {{Manic Pixie Dream Girl}}: Clara shows some deep shades of this, particularly when Inspiration strikes.
* {{Moment Killer}}: That dastardly Eli Filch.
** And let's not forget Hiram Miller, who [[spoiler: totally killed a very important moment for our beleaguered lovebirds during a stay at the {{Love Hotel}}]].
* {{No FEMA Response}}: Enforced, as there was no FEMA in 1913. Subverted by [[spoiler:the arrival of the Canadian Lifesaving Service, which on this particular Canadian beach encompasses all of two men and a horse]].
* {{Oh Crap}}: oh so many:

** Clara, after she [[spoiler: innocently plants a grateful kiss on the captain's cheek following his {{Grand Romantic Gesture}}]]. She's terrified the act will scare him away.

*** Which Second Mate Travis Whitney promptly attempts to do, [[spoiler: unsuccessfully]].

* {{Orphans Ordeal}}: Clara Grace was orphaned at age 6 and makes occasional references to her deceased parents and to her lonely life as the outcast of the orphanage where she was raised.

* {{Platonic Life Partners}}: Clara and Jimmy. She even helps him write a marriage proposal to his sweetheart back home.
* {{Plucky Girl}}: Clara Grace, whose "Positive Thinking" mantra and generally sunny outlook on life defies her grim circumstances.
* {{Relationship Upgrade}}: The relationship between Captain [=McTavish=] and Clara Grace undergoes several upgrades throughout the story:

* {{Secret Relationship}}: What [=McTavish=] hopes his relationship with Clara will be. Knowing the men on his boat, he feels this is more for her sake-- but when [[spoiler:their relationship becomes fodder for gossip amongst the crew, [=McTavish=] uses it as a reason to push Clara away]].
* {{Shipper On Deck}}: Despite being a {{Moment Killer}}, Hiram Miller is bound and determined to make sure Clara Grace and Captain McTavish end up together.
* {{Smug Snake}}: Eli, dear Lord, Eli. Gets away with doing as little work as possible, agitates for the unions to sow discord amongst the crew and officers, and sexually harasses Clara throughout the story... knowing full well he'll get away with it because his uncle owns the shipping company they all work for.
* {{Sneaky Departure}}: Averted. Clara tries this when the ''Longhope'' reaches her first destination, only to be thwarted by [[spoiler: a riot between unionists and the Duluth police]].
* {{Starving Artist}}: Clara. No respectable orchestra will hire a woman, no matter how talented a musician she might be.
* {{Survivor Guilt}}: [[spoiler:Clara]] shows shades of this in the epilogue.
* {{Thinks Like a Romance Novel}}: Clara, who believes Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters to be the Great Triumvirate of English authors. She even goes so far as to accuse [=McTavish=] of secretly having an insane wife (insane because, of course he'd ''driven'' her insane) hidden away somewhere in Scotland.
** A {{Shout Out}} to ''Jane Eyre'', which Clara claims is her all-time favorite book, aside from the Bible.
* {{Through His Stomach}}: Subverted, inverted, and later enforced. His officers and crew love the meals she makes for them, but [=McTavish=] is loath to admit that Clara is a very good cook. "Adequate," is the word he initially uses to describe her cooking. His estimation of her skill improves as the story (and their relationship) progresses.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: They [[spoiler: don't]]
** [[spoiler: It's not for a lack of trying, though. See {{Moment Killer}} above]].
* {{You Are Better Than You Think You Are}}: Miller's sort-of pep talk to the drunken and heartsick [=McTavish=]. It doesn't work. [[spoiler: Until nearly the end.]]

* {{Badass in Charge}}: [=McTavish=], in spades. Retired Royal Navy Commander? Check. Brawny Scotsman with a hair-trigger temper? Check. Shades of {{Crazy Jealous Guy}} who will stop at nothing to protect the young woman in his care? Check and check mate.

* Five Man Band:
**{{The Leader}}: Captain [=McTavish=]
**{{The Lancer}}: Hiram Miller, the First Mate
**{{The Smart Guy}}: Jimmy O'Donnell
**{{The Big Guy}}: Smitty
**{{The Chick}}: Clara Grace (also {{Team Chef}} and a bit of {{Team Mom}})
**{{Token Evil Teammate}}: Eli Filch

* {{May December Romance}}: Though not terribly out of touch with the times (early 20th century) [=McTavish=] is 17 years older than Clara Grace. He cites this as one of the reasons [[spoiler:he cannot allow their romance to continue]].

''Passage to November'' contains the following tropes:

* {{Smug Snake}}: Eli, dear Lord, Eli. Gets away with doing as little work as possible, agitates for the unions to sow discord amongt the crew and officers, and sexually harasses Clara throughout the story... knowing full well he'll get away with it because his uncle owns the shipping company they all work for.

* {{Will They or Wont They}}: They [[spoiler: don't]]

* {{Jerkass With A Heart of Gold}}: [=McTavish=]. All he wants is to do his job and get through life with as little drama as possible. His plan comes to a screeching halt when he's forced to accept a beautiful young woman as the ship's cook. Believing she is a distraction to the crew, he is not nice to her.

* {{Nightmare Fuel}}: The bodies, dear God, the bodies that are flung ashore after the storm. Described as "frozen and blue, their faces contorted with the pain of death."

* {{Squick}}: Several:
** The rat in the pantry. Actually, [[spoiler: what's left of it when [=McTavish=] is done clobbering it]].
** Eli Filch, in general. A filthy, leering, rotten-mouthed pig of a young man who knows he can get away with just about anything. One glance from him leaves Clara Grace feeling like she needs a shower... only he would probably be watching.
** Any of the boardinghouses and waterfront dives frequented by the ''Longhope'' crew.

''Captain William McTavish believed life was best lived alone... until Clara Grace came to work aboard his ship. Something in her eyes... something in the music from her old violin, broke through his hardened heart... at last he'd finally found his kindred spirit.''

''Passage to November'' is an Historical {{Romance Novel}} set against the backdrop of the Great Lakes in 1913, culminating in the worst storm ever to hit the Lakes. The storm, called the ''White Hurricane'' by historians, devastated most of the Great Lakes shipping fleet and caused nearly 300 deaths. Written in 2011 by Phyllis DeMarco, the novel went on to win the 2012 EPIC Award for Best Historical Romance.

* {{All Love is Unrequited}}: Firmly believed by Clara and Captain McTavish [[spoiler:until the very end]].

* {{Anguished Declaration of Love}}: subverted. Clara and Captain McTavish go well out of their way to avoid saying the words "I love you."

* {{Badass In Charge}}: McTavish, in spades. Retired Royal Navy Commander? Check. Brawny Scotsman with a hair-trigger temper? Check. Shades of {{Crazy Jealous Guy}} who will stop at nothing to protect the young woman in his care? Check and check mate.

* {{Beast and Beauty}}: Particularly in the beginning, before Clara breaks through McTavish's hardened heart.
* {{Beautiful Dreamer}}: Clara falls asleep before [[spoiler:McTavish can propose]].
* {{Berserk Button}}: Go ahead, try to do something nasty to Clara Grace while Captain McTavish is around.

** Everyone, including Captain McTavish, is terrified of Flora Miller.
* {{The Captain}}: William McTavish, a 40-ish, decorated veteran of the Royal Navy who came to America at the request of Cleveland Transport to run their sole "salty," the ''SS Longhope''.
* {{Chest of Medals}}: Implied, as McTavish's career in the Royal Navy is over and he does not brag about his service, but Clara spots many medals and commendations when she visits McTavish's cabin.

*** It is stated that the boat's primitive nature is one of the biggest reasons Captain McTavish and his crew loved sailing her. The ship spoke to their own primal nature.
* {{Crazy Jealous Guy}}: McTavish shows definite shades of this, particularly when he must escort Clara to public places.
* {{Curb Stomp Battle}}: McTavish's savage beatdown of [[spoiler:Eli]] results in [[spoiler:a broken jaw, broken nose, a mouthful of busted teeth, and Eli's being dumped from the boat in Buffalo]]. Also directly leads to [[spoiler:Eli's spiteful order to overload the boat just before the last critical trip of the season]].
* {{The Cynic}}: McTavish again. He believes theirs is a Crapsack World and that [[spoiler: Clara Grace deserves better than a life lived sailing the lakes]].

* {{Dance of Romance}}: subverted. McTavish only dances with Clara when his jealousy of Chauncey Ney gets the better of him.
* {{The Day of Reckoning}}: November 9, 1913. The day-- and the storm-- McTavish has long feared.

** McTavish's extreme displeasure at having a woman aboard his ship causes him to be unnecessarily cruel to her.

* {{Dying Alone}}: Miller promises this will be McTavish's end if he doesn't act on his feelings toward Clara.

* {{A Father to His Men}}: McTavish

**{{The Leader}}: Captain McTavish

* {{Florence Nightingale Effect}}: Following the [[spoiler:union riots in Duluth, Clara cares for McTavish's brutal injuries]]. Her concern for him catches him off-guard.
* {{Grand Romantic Gesture}}: Captain McTavish pretends to be all sorts of put out by the prospect of escorting Clara to the Cuyahoga County Fair when they put in to Cleveland for a brief stay... but knowing that all she has to wear are work dresses and a pair of hand-me-down trousers, he buys her a beautiful dress and hat for the occasion.
* {{Hates Being Alone}}: McTavish is a loner by nature, but [[spoiler:his growing feelings for Clara Grace]] make him realize he despises his loneliness.
* {{Heroic BSOD}}: Happens to [[spoiler: McTavish]] twice, or may be considered one long BSOD. First, when [[spoiler: the ''Longhope'' tears against the rocky lake bottom and he realizes they are doomed]] and then [[spoiler: when he reaches the beach and surveys the devastation still coming ashore, including his best friend's corpse and Clara's smashed violin. He can't help but believe that Clara is dead, too]].
* {{Heroic Neutral}}: McTavish, who firmly believes life is simpler when lived alone. Until [[spoiler: Clara Grace comes along]]... and even then he [[spoiler: fights like hell to protect his heart]].
* {{Heterosexual Life Partners}}: McTavish and Miller.

* {{I Want My Beloved to Be Happy}}: The reason McTavish believes he must let Clara go.

* {{Jerkass With A Heart of Gold}}: McTavish. All he wants is to do his job and get through life with as little drama as possible. His plan comes to a screeching halt when he's forced to accept a beautiful young woman as the ship's cook. Believing she is a distraction to the crew, he is not nice to her.

*** Even further lampshaded by Miller when he dares McTavish to fire her. [[spoiler: he balks at the idea, fearing what might become of such an innocent beauty.]]
* {{Kid Sidekick}}: Jimmy O'Donnell, a 17-year-old deckhand whom McTavish is grooming to become an officer.

* {{Love at First Note}}: Though she's physically quite beautiful, it is Clara's violin-playing that breaks through McTavish's hardened heart.

* {{May December Romance}}: Though not terribly out of touch with the times (early 20th century) McTavish is 17 years older than Clara Grace. He cites this as one of the reasons [[spoiler:he cannot allow their romance to continue]].

** McTavish has an Oh Crap moment before they are due to return to their home port of Cleveland for a brief stay. While the officers talk about their plans for their time off, McTavish announces his plans to work on upgrades to the boat. He then realizes he's just left the door wide open for one of the other men to swoop in and sweep Clara off her feet by showing her a good time in the city.

** McTavish, when he realizes that his bosses are ordering him to overload the ''Longhope'' at the worst possible time of the year.
** As the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 intensifies, Captain McTavish and his wheelsman look on in horror as [[spoiler:another lake freighter swings too close to the SS Longhope— they avert the impending collision just in time to see the monstrous waves tear the other boat to pieces and drag it to the bottom of Lake Huron]]. A similar fate awaits them [[spoiler:when their boat's steel plates give way]].

* {{Relationship Upgrade}}: The relationship between Captain McTavish and Clara Grace undergoes several upgrades throughout the story:

* {{Secret Relationship}}: What McTavish hopes his relationship with Clara will be. Knowing the men on his boat, he feels this is more for her sake-- but when [[spoiler:their relationship becomes fodder for gossip amongst the crew, McTavish uses it as a reason to push Clara away]].

** The rat in the pantry. Actually, [[spoiler: what's left of it when McTavish is done clobbering it]].

* {{Thinks Like a Romance Novel}}: Clara, who believes Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters to be the Great Triumvirate of English authors. She even goes so far as to accuse McTavish of secretly having an insane wife (insane because, of course he'd ''driven'' her insane) hidden away somewhere in Scotland.

* {{Through His Stomach}}: Subverted, inverted, and later enforced. His officers and crew love the meals she makes for them, but McTavish is loathe to admit that Clara is a very good cook. "Adequate," is the word he initially uses to describe her cooking. His estimation of her skill improves as the story (and their relationship) progresses.

* {{You Are Better Than You Think You Are}}: Miller's sort-of pep talk to the drunken and heartsick McTavish. It doesn't work. [[spoiler: Until nearly the end.]]

* {{All Love is Unrequited}}: Firmly believed by Clara and Captain McTavish until the very end.

* {{Brooding Boy Gentle Girl}}: Oh boy...

** Although the sinking of Titanic a year earlier brought massive changes to the maritime industry (i.e. telegraph machines on all vessels, adequate lifeboats, etc.) the changes only impacted ocean-going vessels. Great Lakes ships were not required to adhere to the new laws. Newer ships were outfitted with the latest communications devices, but older ships such as ''Longhope'' had two lifeboats and no way to communicate with other ships.

** She's literally a damsel in distress at the end, and she knows it.

** The fact that no "respectable" orchestra would hire Clara Grace, despite her prodigious musical talents.

* {{Do Not Go Gentle}}: When the Great Storm of 1913 hits, the men of the ''Longhope'' go to extraordinary lengths to keep the ship afloat... and to save their own lives. It is only when [[spoiler: they hit a rock and the boat's steel plates begin to fail that they realize all is lost. See {{Heroic BSOD}}]].

**{{The Chick}}: Clara Grace (also Team Chef)

* {{Florence Nightingale Effect}}: Following the [[spoiler:union riots in Duluth, Clara cares for McTavish's wounds]]. Her concern for him takes him off-guard.
* {{Grand Romantic Gesture}}: Captain McTavish pretends to be all sorts of put out by the prospect of escorting Clara to the Cuyahoga County Fair when they put in to Cleveland for a brief stay... but he buys her a beautiful dress and hat for the occasion.

* {{Heroic BSOD}}: Happens to [[spoiler: McTavish]] twice, or may be considered one long BSOD. First, when [[spoiler: the Longhope tears against the rocky lake bottom and he realizes they are doomed]] and then [[spoiler: when he reaches the beach and surveys the devastation still coming ashore, including his best friend's corpse and Clara's smashed violin. He can't help but believe that Clara is dead, too]].

** Lampshaded by Hiram Miller, who points out that the only one distracted by Clara Grace is [[spoiler: McTavish himself]].
*** Even further lampshaded by Miller when he dares McTavish to fire her. [[spoiler: McTavish balks at the idea.]]

*** Actually, more like her first few days aboard the ship. Several months pass before she is accepted as a member of the crew, and then she's the topic of all the hot gossip.
** Clara, after she [[spoiler: innocently plants a grateful kiss on McTavish's cheek following his {{Grand Romantic Gesture}}]]. She's terrified the act will scare him away.
** McTavish... while the officers are planning their recreation plans for their stay in their home port of Cleveland, McTavish talks of the work that will have to be done on the ship... and he realizes he left the door wide open for one of the other men to swoop in and sweep Clara off her feet.

*** Also becomes a Break the Cutie moment when she realizes that [[spoiler:Captain McTavish may be the next corpse to come ashore]].

*** It is stated that the boat's primitive nature is one of the biggest reasons Captain McTavish and his crew loved sailing her. The ship spoke to their primal nature.

** Miller's exasperation at the possibility of the men fraternizing with each other. {{It Makes Sense in Context.}}

* {{Curb Stomp Battle}}: McTavish's savage beatdown of [[spoiler:Eli]] results in [[spoiler:a broken jaw, broken nose, and Eli's being dumped from the boat in Buffalo]]. Also directly leads to [[spoiler:Eli's spiteful order to overload the boat just before the last critical trip of the season]].

** Miller's exasperation at the possibility of the men fraternizing with each other.

* {{Anyone Can Die}}: And boy do we mean ANYONE.

* {{Banging for Help}}: When [[spoiler:the Old Man dies]], Clara bangs on the galley bell to attract the crew's attention.

** Everyone, even McTavish, is terrified of Flora Miller.

* {{The Captain}}: William McTavish, 40-ish decorated veteran of the Royal Navy who came to America at the request of Cleveland Transport to run their sole "salty," the ''SS Longhope''.

** She's temperamental at best, with cargo hatches that refuse to close, a Chadburn (engine order telegraph) that rarely works, Spartan crew accommodations, and a crew shower that spews only cold water.

*** It is stated that the boat's primitive nature is one of the biggest reasons Captain McTavish and his crew loved sailing her.

* {{Deliberate Values Dissonance}}: Invoked hard.

* {{Jerkass With A Heart of Gold}}: McTavish. All he wants is to do his job and get through life as easily as possible. His plan comes to a screeching halt when he's forced to accept a beautiful young woman as the ship's cook. Believing she is a distraction to the crew, he is not nice to her.

* {{Orphans Ordeal}}: Clara Grace was orphaned at age 6 and makes occasional references to her deceased parents.
** The death of [[spoiler:Old Man Carew]] hits her hard-- not because he was particularly nice to her, but because his death brings back memories of her loss.

* {{Thinks Like a Romance Novel}}: Clara, who believes Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters to be the Great Triumvirate of English authors. Even goes so far as to accuse McTavish of secretly having an insane wife (insane because, of course he'd ''driven'' her insane) hidden away somewhere in Scotland.