Pages 41-42
“’George,’ said Robert Audley, laying his hand gently upon the young man’s arm, ‘you must remember that the person whose name you saw in the paper may not be your wife. There may have been some other Helen Talboys.’
‘No, no,’ he cried, ‘the age corresponds with hers, and Talboys is such an uncommon name.’
‘It may be a misprint for Talbot.’
‘No, no, no; my wife is dead!’
The repeated use of the words “no” and “may” convey a sense of doubt and suspicion to this scene, where George Talboys first finds out about the death of his wife. George Talboys and Robert Audley are supposed to be friends, so Audley’s reluctance to acknowledge the death of Helen Talboys seems to contain an ulterior motive. Furthermore, obituaries and other articles related to death are often fact-checked multiple times, making Robert Audley’s claim that “it may be a misprint for Talbot” seem all the more suspicious. Braddon may use this exchange in order to connect the Audleys to the death of Helen Talboys. In my opinion, this exchange foreshadows Lady Audley’s secret, either that she murdered Helen Talboys, or that she is in some other way connected to her death. However, this is not the only possible outcome; it is also possible that Helen Talboys conspired with the Audleys to fake her own death, in order to avoid George Talboys. Thus, this passage puts an air of uncertainty over the death of Helen Talboys.
This post is very interesting, and it connects closely with the events found on pages 144 and 145. In these pages, Robert reveals his plans to travel back to his home in order to examine George Talboys’ belongings. Of particular interest in this passage is the presence of George’s correspondence with Helen, as well as Lady Audley’s peculiar reaction to the knowledge. She specifically asks if Robert is familiar with her own handwriting before hurrying off to London, and Robert implies that he believes she is going to fetch the letters. At the very least, your theory that Lady Audley is related to Helen’s death certainly seems likely, but I would take it one step further. I think Lady Audley is Helen Talboys.
I do think it is interesting that Braddon uses Robert to raise this suspicion around Helen’s death because there are so many other suspicious circumstances surrounding the whole situation. How did Helen happen to die right before George got back? Did Captain Maldon receive the letter from George saying he’d found wealth in Australia and was returning? Why does Georgey hate mommy? Why was Helen’s hair different? Where did her picture disappear to? I agree that it seems like Helen’s death must have been faked, and I suspect that Lady Audley is actually Helen Talboys because of Lady Audley’s ring, baby shoe, and how so many “coincidences” kept her from meeting George.
I also think it is interesting that the passage chosen uses the unusual words “no” and “may” to bring up suspicion regarding the death of his wife. I also believe this leads to foreshadowing as there seems to be too many questions left unanswered and there is also too much of a push by Robert Audley for George Talboys to forget the matter. Although it could seem like Robert is trying to be a good friend and offer some hope to George, there is also the possibility that he is trying to cover up something else. Secrets are not uncommon in this book, just like how Lady Audley has the secret ring around her neck.