Love triangle!
Anne Lister faces a romantic dilemma when she visits her ex…
Anne Lister’s trip to see her ex-lover, Mariana Lawton, proves eventful in this week’s Gentleman Jack. The businesswoman has travelled to Cheshire to stay with Mariana because she’s concerned about her bitter reaction to Anne’s new life with wealthy Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle).
Mariana is full of recriminations and tells Anne that she feels abandoned and her life is no longer worth living without her.
She also claims that Ann is too insipid to keep Anne’s interest and that Anne is only attracted to Ann’s money.
But when Mariana tries to kiss Anne, the landowner rejects her and furiously bites back about Mariana leaving her to marry husband Charles Lawton (Rupert Vansittart).
Well-matched
‘Mariana Lawton was maybe Anne’s true love and they were perhaps more intellectually well-matched,’ says Lydia Leonard, who plays Mariana. ‘Now, Mariana is driven by the panic of not wanting to let go.’ However, Anne is torn
Exes… Anne (left) and Mariana
Anne’s new lover... Ann Walker after Mariana shares troubling stories about Charles’ ugly behaviour…
‘Mariana’s story is tragic,’ reveals Lydia. ‘She didn’t have the financial security that Anne Lister had and felt confined to the expectations of a woman at that time, which was to get married to a wealthy man, as opposed to following love. Now, she’s living a desperately lonely existence with her horrid husband. She’s spiralling out of control and it’s sad.’
As Mariana makes another move to rekindle her romance with Anne, will Anne give in and cheat on Ann?
Distraught... Anne (left) comforts Mariana