Patrick

[charverz]

Patrick's romantic life provides a lot of scope for speculation.  The canon only provides Ginty, Claudie, and Nicola.  I'll state up front that, of the three, Nicola is obviously the best match, in my opinion.  Claudie is a non-starter, and unless Ginty gets a massive dose of maturity or Patrick goes off the deep end, we can rule Ginty out.

On the

Comments

[antfan]

I'm always fairly convinced that Patrick would not end up with either Ginty or Nicola. After all AF pretty much says so in her interview with Sue Simms. But more than that, I think it's easy to forget that the whole Marlow canon covers such a tiny slice in the life of the characters - it's something like two years in all, isn't it? And during that short time all their relationships with each other are fairly fluid - as is typical of adolescents. So to start to imagine they might imagine marry each other in terms of how they feel (briefly) when they're fourteen, fifteen...I don't think AF is that kind of writer

Patrick and Jan Scott

[charverz]

Now why didn't I think of that! Patrick and Jan Scott. There was a recent Folly AF fan fiction which has Patrick as a young solicitor (15 years on). We know Jan is planning on a career in law.

There's the motive and the opportunity...

[highfantastical]

This would never happen, but - Patrick/Lawrie would be hilarious.

[jackmerlin]

I've never seen Patrick and Nicola together romantically. I've never even been sure that her feelings for him had anything romantic about them - I've always thought that she cares about his friendship in the same way that she cares about Mirandas; she is upset in Cricket Term at the thought of Miranda having traditions with someone else, just as she is upset when Patrick goes off with Ginty.
I can see Patrick and Rowan because of the proximity when both of them will be at home running neighbouring estates. However, as you say the likelihood of any of them marrying each other rather than all the new people they'll meet in the navy, nursing, at university and beyond is extremely low. I'd like to imagine Ann meeting a lovely doctor while doing VSO - in my imagination he's Scandinavian and probably a Quaker...
Nicola with her sympathy for both Edwin and Miranda's dad I can see with someone quite unlikely and non-Naval although the glamorous Naval officer is also a possibility..

[nineveh_uk]

For me, there's no question that the most likely pairing is Patrick/Patrick.

[flemmings]

Oh, I'll agree with that 100%. But some unfortunate young woman will be sacrificed to Patrick's need for an established household. A pity he's not likely to marry the equally narcissistic Ginty so that, like the Carlyles, only two people need be made miserable, rather than four.

[jackmerlin]

Need she be unfortunate? He could end up in a useful marriage of convenience with a self-sufficient, detached character not unlike his mother.

[antfan]

tee hee. lovely to find there's lots of other Patrick-haters. I'm sure we're supposed to like him but...

[manda_09]

I don't quite agree with Jan Scott about life-time friendships.

I'm 32, and my best mate is the same as from our school days - we met at school when we were both 13. I met my other half in our first year at uni, too.

My Dad's best mate is from his school days, too, and they are both 60!

Amanda

[nzraya]

Not Ann -- she thinks Catholicism is immoral (wouldn't lend Nicola her bike to go to Mass) and Patrick will never give it up. The very fact that she's *actually* religious, and sectarian, means that would be an irreconcilable difference. I agree with whoever said Patrick/Lawrie would be hilarious, and I can actually kind of see it, romantically! But -- as one of the readers who actually *likes* Patrick (quite a lot actually) and Nicola, I like them together -- not because it's romantic, but because I enjoy the spectacle of them enjoying each other's company, getting each other's jokes etc.

[charverz]

One of my favourite passages is Patrick and Nicola sleeping in the haystack. There is something very beautiful about their friendship. No one would ever write that passage today - it would have to be sexualized.

[rekraft]

Maybe it had been Patrick/Cousin Jon until then...

I've always imagined Patrick ending up with someone completely different. But what part of Patrick do you see Rowan - or Ann for that matter - being drawn to?

[charverz]

Well, with Rowan I think it's opposites attracting. And if Rowan decides she wants to get married, she might want something other than the local farmers (yes, there's always Ronnie, but I suspect he's dull in his own way). Patrick is a known quality, and besides, their lands run together and bigger is better. Marrying a younger man would be a rational Rowan decision.

Ann is almost totally on a common religiosity, even if it's different churches.