Maria
I know, i know....surely the subject of Maria has been discussed a thousand times. Now, that i make good progress with my audio- books,i discovered Lady Barbara...and all that stuff about her. That brought me back to Maria...and how much i pity her, really. For my opinion, and i say again MY opinion, she is a woman who has such a big, good heart, that it almost hurts. Of course, that`s only my opinion. I know how it feels if you love somebody who only pretends to love you again, and deep inside you know, that he does only pretend. So i think Maria knows. We don`t have to discuss that stuff, if you don`t want, it just came up to my mind, cause i watched "Duty" yesterday. :-)

Yes,I tend to agree with you,Hope. Horatio leaves some to be desired where treatment of the ladies in his life are concerned. (Keep reading the books and you'll find out what I mean.) His "mistress" is his naval career and the sea! Blast it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Duty, I felt sorry for both of them. Her because she so deeply loves someone who doesn't love her back. And him because he knows so little of life apart from the sea that he feels obligated to do what he thinks is his duty. He has never been in love and I think can't imagine any woman truly loving him or even how to carry on a relationship. The conversation with Archie in prison kind of give the impression that he never had a sweatheart at home. Probably some trysts in Port with working girls, but no relationship except Maria.

That's the idea I got too,GG,of course,starting out at seventeen the way he did.......didn't really leave much time for such amourous pursuits...........

Remember, book Horatio is not film Horatio. I now get them a bit confused myself. But book Horatio was not nearly so innocent.

I figured when they painted the town before Renown, they probably had quite a time, but in terms of true relationship - it seems like neither Horatio had a clue. Though, admittedly, I haven't read all the books.

Also remembering, Horatio was a product of the 18th Century - a pretty brutal time on shore as well as in the navy (one was an extension of the other)

Havoc, I'm only on the second book at present --- Lieutenant Hornblower --- you've got my curiousity up for finding out about Mr. H's "early on-land conquests" now,............hmmmmmmmmmm