The French Lieutenant’s Woman: Chapter 46 Summary & Analysis

In the hotel, Charles knocks on an open door and finds Mrs. Endicott. He asks after Sarah, and Mrs. Endicott says she twisted her ankle on the stairs but won’t see a doctor. She says he can go up to see her, assuming he’s a relative. He says he’s come on business, and lets her believe he’s a lawyer. He asks her to find out if Sarah would rather he come back when she’s better. Remembering Varguennes, Charles feels like it’s improper to meet in private. Mrs. Endicott sends a maid up to Sarah, who sends her back bidding Charles to come up.

Charles follows the maid to Sarah’s room and finds her sitting by the fire with her feet up, her legs covered with a blanket. She’s wearing a shawl over a nightgown, and her hair is loose. She looks up at him once and then bows her head. He says he was just passing through, and asks whether he should get a doctor. She says a doctor wouldn’t do anything different than what she’s doing. He can’t stop looking at her in her helplessness. She says she was very foolish to twist her ankle, and he says at least it didn’t happen in the Undercliff. The shabbiness of the room seems embarrassing.

Sarah invites Charles to sit down, which he does. He asks if she’s given Mrs. Tranter her address, but she says she’s only given it to him. After a silence, he says he’s come to discuss that. He examines her again. The firelight makes her look particularly beautiful, and it seems like her mystery is out in the open. He realizes he came because he needed to see her again. He tries to look at the nymphs above the fireplace instead, but when Sarah moves, he looks back at her. She’s crying, and Charles says he shouldn’t have come, but she shakes her head.

As Sarah wipes away tears, Charles feels an extreme sexual lust. He suddenly realizes that he feels the need to see her because he wants to possess her and turn to ashes on her body. He can wait for that satisfaction, but he can’t wait forever. Finally she says she thought she would never see him again. His heart pounds and his hands tremble. He closes his eyes to keep from looking into hers. The silence is awful until the fire sends some coals onto Sarah’s blanket. Charles stamps them out and replaces the blanket over her legs. She puts his hand on hers, and he finally looks into her eyes.

Sarah’s eyes look grateful and worried and make it clear that she’s waiting. She seems lost. It feels like they look into each other’s eyes forever. Finally their fingers intertwine and Charles kisses her passionately, violently, all over her face. He touches her hair. Then he buries his head in her neck and says they mustn’t do this. She hugs him to her, and he feels like he’s flying. They kiss again, and her foot falls off the stool. She simultaneously turns away from him and strains towards him. He goes to the door to the bedroom and looks into it. Sarah stands and falls towards him. He catches her and her shawl falls away. He presses her against him with a hunger created by everything banned to him.

Sarah seems almost to have fainted. Charles carries her into the bedroom and throws her on the bed. He kisses her hand and she touches his face. He runs into the other room and tears off his clothes frantically. He locks the door to the hallway and returns to the bedroom. Her face is hidden by her hair. He falls on top her and kisses her all over while she remains passive. He lifts her nightgown and her legs part; she flinches as he enters her, and then she throws her arms around him. When he lies still, only ninety seconds have passed since he looked into the bedroom.