Beyond the drama of Anne Lister：part 3

Belcombe Family

Anne Lister的至愛，全名為Mariana Percy Belcombe(1790-1868)，父親Dr William(1757-1828)，職業是精神科醫生，在Clifton開設精神病院．母親的名字也叫Marianna(1760-1842)．

Mariana有四個姊妹和一個弟弟：

Sarah Anne Sherson [Nantz](1785-1847)

Henrietta Willan(1787-1860)：嫁給Lieutenant-Colonel Milne，婚後仍與許多男士發生誹聞，聲名狼藉．Whitbread指出她還曾勾引Anne．不過，我看到在1817/12/10，Anne招認："I flirted with Henrietta."

Eliza Stilbert [Eli]

Louisa Meynell Travis [Lou]：1820/4/7，Anne和她討論起Mariana嫁給Charles的婚事．出乎觀眾意料之外，Lou認為姊姊是為金錢結婚，丟了家族的顏面．Anne反而護衛起Mariana，認為這場婚事是有利於其他姊妹未來的財產分配．

Henry Stephen [Steph](1790?-1856)：職業也是醫生．Anne兩位情人住進精神病院都與他有關．

話說1813年，Anne-Mariana相識，天雷勾動地火，兩人也開始用暗語魚雁往返．Mariana稱Anne為"Fred"．在Anne的日記中，M = Marianna，或簡稱Mary.

但是三年後，1816年3月9日，時年26歲的Marianna決定嫁給有錢的大地主Charles Bourne Lawton (1771-1860)成為第二任妻子．影片裡把Anne描寫得痛不欲生，都是Marina不斷哄騙Anne，兩人才維持多年的地下戀情．



在紀錄片，為Mariana結婚一事做了緩頰，說是當時大部份的女人擋不住婚姻的壓力．Belcombe 的家產未來是留給獨子，她別無選擇，只能期望找個有錢人家安身立命．

很多文章提到內情不單純．我看到的例子是1820/4/7，妹妹Lou批評Mariana嫁給Charles的動機：

"Lou said the good of her family had been no consideration, that it had been no good but the contrary, for that Mariana had been much abused for it. It had been said that she, or any of them, would marry anyone for money. That a man of such character as Charles was no credit to anybody he was connected with & that Mariana had married him entirely to please herself & for nothing but an establishment.  (Lou認為Charles是個爛貨色，Mariana結婚純為一己之利，結果讓別人以為他們家每個人都可為金錢結婚，這門婚事使家族未蒙其利，反受其害)

I maintained Mariana [was] not so wholly selfish in the business & that it was a good to her family. There was one less to keep & she had given up her share of her mother's settlement, all her fortune in fact, to her sisters. Lou thought this no obligation. Her father & mother asked it & she could not refuse. No one could in such a case. I said I could & should have done & that what Lou said had only made good my words at the time to Mariana, that she was giving away the power of obliging her sisters hereafter & they would none of them thank her for it  (Anne辯護，Mariana放棄將來繼承娘家財產的權利，所有的好處都留給姊妹們，怎麼好心沒好報．Lou不鬆口，這是兩碼子事，爸媽若要留給Mariana，屆時她可以拒絕啊)

我對這段談話的疑點不在Lou的批評，而在Anne的辯護．實情不像影片那般純情，她與Marina對於Charles的財富有共同的計劃．她的動機雖然有些天真，但同時也包含不良意圖．兩人盤算等到Charles死後，不只能重新在一起，還可一起享用Charles的遺產．(這是在演《Bound》嗎？)

到底Anne是從何時開始接受Mariana的婚事？影片透露兩人有一年的時間未通信，一年半後事情有些轉變．

Charles一開始並不像影片中那般看緊Mariana，她不但可以出門好幾天，而且照樣與Anne同床共枕。Anne於1817年底至Belcombe家族在York的莊園小住，Mariana也回來了，兩人有機會「敘舊」(*別忘了，Anne同時趁著在York，前往精神病院探視Eliza Raine)．1817年12月18日的第一句就是："A kiss this morning just before getting up" ，(網站上稱："a great scandal"）

Mariana為什麼回頭找上Anne？不可否認有性與愛的因素，但金錢可能是重要原因之一．

Charles原配在1814年難產去世，小孩也沒有保住，但Mariana始終沒為Charles生下一兒半女．Charles顯然無法再生育．這件事亂了整個金錢婚姻的計劃．（*曾有一說是因Charles有性功能障礙，Anne竟發現Mariana婚後是完壁之身．）

由於Charles在遺囑中沒有列入Mariana，她又沒有子嗣，男主人一死，她就身無分文．Anne支持Mariana的利益，後來還扮演起調合他們夫妻關係的角色．她甚至曾替Mariana向Charles爭取到，即使他身故，Mariana還是能獲取年俸．

從負面的角度來看，Mariana是個狼角色，她很清楚如何運用優勢．製片高招找到Anna Madeley來演出，不只Anne Lister會言聽計從，AM粉絲也只有俯首稱臣的份：不論妳做什麼，都會原諒妳．

Mariana剛結婚時，Anne向外另尋發展，例如她1817年企圖勾引Miss Brown，拖到1819年才吻到對方的唇．不可否認，這與Mariana在1817年底回來鞏固地盤有一點關聯．連舊情復燃的Tib都在1819被三振出局．

1820年4月，Mariana前來Shibden Hall，兩人再一起回到York，接著又帶了Lou前往Priestley Family(就是影片中作媒的銀髮太太)在Sowerby的莊園作客．從下面4/6~4/14的日記，可以看出Marian不斷強化Anne的心理建設，說服兩人才是真正的靈肉伴侶．但在那個年代，Anne只能用(地下)Husband來了解自己的角色：

4/6： Very good one last night.....- Half-hour more conversation. Mariana will leave me with more confidence & happiness this time than she has ever done before　（安，妳對我要有信心啊！）

4/7： Very good one last night & one also this morning just before getting up （有錢有閒真好，早上有充裕的時間愛愛之後才起床）

4/8：No kiss last night　(因為Anne將Lou的批評告訴Mariana，人家心情大壞)

4/9：No kiss. Mariana took salts, an ounce, this morning （用到嗅鹽了，肯定極不舒服，所以沒有愛愛．）

4/10：No kiss......went upstairs at 11. Sat up lovemaking, she conjuring me to be faithful, to consider myself as married & always to act to other women as if I was Mariana's husband.（除了口頭上說服，還得加上行動收服才有效．Anne考慮要為她守貞，不再拈花惹草．）

4/11：Very good kiss indeed last night（再補上一劑加強藥效．）

4/12：No kiss　（昨晚休息一下吧．可惜當天接到老頭子Charles的來信，週末就得回家當家庭主婦）

4/13：No kiss last night （要回家了，真沒心情）

but one this morning..... went upstairs at 11 20/60 - Mariana & I had a good deal of talk. She again conjured me to be faithful & let the rule of my conduct to ladies be - what would a married man do? （臨行前再度加強管訓，妳和別的女人往來要注意言行舉止．）

I shewed her three pages of a letter I wrote to Miss Vallance when I was in York. Mariana pointed out the improprieties of style, convinced me it was too gentlemanlike & too loverlike & I promised not to send [it] but to write another letter such as I knew she would approve. （Anne立刻拿出一封給Miss Vallance的信件徵詢意見，Mariana馬上指出這裡那、裡都不對，怎麼寫得像情書？Anne答應統統改過．）

She was very low after we came upstairs. As soon as Watson went & even while Lou was lolling [?] in bed she cried a good deal & seemed very miserable at the thought of leaving. （Mariana心情低落，哭得一塌糊塗．快要回家了，怎麼能遠端監控Anne？）

I said & did everything that was kind. Told her I believed she loved me most fondly & faithfully & I loved her better & had more confidence now than ever before. I said I would do or promise anything but that she needed no further promise than my heart at that moment gave her (I made no further promises). I am indeed satisfied of her regard & I shall now begin to think & act as if she were indeed my wife （請妳相信我的忠誠，我的心只屬於妳．我會將妳視為我的妻子．如果妳還不信，以後我會做更進一步的承諾．這一次先說到這裡為止）

- She was very sick & threw up just after she had got into bed. This was probably the effect of agitation & grief - （Mariana很不舒服，竟然反胃嘔吐，大概是悲傷過度吧．）

4/14 ：No kiss（Mariana早上先搭車離開，臨行前把Anne從1817年寄來的信件全交還給她．應該不是像影片裡要求Anne燒掉．我覺得比較像加強信念．）

所謂「做更進一步的承諾」發生在1821年，她們想辦法把地下戀情偷渡得更正式，更精緻化．我猜想Anne Lister此後一直在期望真有一場教堂婚禮．但是發生了另外一件意外，讓這場浪漫情史蒙上陰影，連影片的編劇Jane English都曾經承認，壓根不想把那件事放進劇本裡（雖然她已經少放了很多故事）．