Edward shows an entirely different side with Nora. He's very sweet and patient. Nice way of showing that he's got more than one dimension.
LOL Love the Quentin and Beth scene. Very 30s movie. They've been fencing for such a long time. Though this scene tells you something interesting for the period (especially in light of a discussion that I skipped past until I have time to do a response that won't go on and on forever with period minutia). As obnoxious and overbearing, as Quentin can be, even giving rape overtones at times, he clearly DOES take no for an answer, or this scene would never exist. If he'd gotten what he wanted (or was willing to take it by force), he wouldn't be bargaining to get her to sleep with him in return for not killing Jenny.
The scene is very revealing in terms of character development, especially if you factor in Victorian attitudes toward sex. His tomcatting around is pretty much spot on for his age and class, and the inference is that he brings his anonymous conquests to the cottage, and that they're mostly soiled doves like the yet to be seen Tessie Kincaid. They're there -- and know that they're there -- for a good time, no strings attached. Yet, interestingly enough, he flirts with, but doesn't try much else, with the respectable, and presumably inexperienced women he interacts with. Oddly, that's considered appropriate behaviour, like Edward VII, who would only consort with married women, because he wouldn't be responsible for "ruining" a woman. But with Beth, we see something more developing, to the point where I think he gets tangled in his own web and starts falling in love with her.
For her part, giving in to him immediately and irreversably brands her as "ruined" -- a whore by Victorian standards, and, discounting what she knows about the family secrets, it's pretty certain that normally she would probably be fired on the spot, no references, no way to make a living but the streets. Its a huge risk, all dependent on Quentin the pathological liar keeping his word.
On the one hand we have Quentin, who seems to enjoy the chase and the seduction, who would probably go into this as a game of seduction. And Beth, a respectable, unless a widow inexperienced, woman, who would probalby have the typical Victorian ignorance of sex as anything but an unpleasant duty. Interesting to think how the emotions here would play out, and how it will affect their interactions going forward.
Now, what WOULD that make this milestone? First kiss, or first implied nookie?
Jeannie