Favourite Moment of Awkwardness: Affair at Bromfield Hall

Amanda has it all mapped out in her head – Lady Bromfield is behind the murder and when Lee asks her why she thinks it’s Lady B she tells him it’s a feeling: she doesn’t think that Lady B loves her husband.

  

When Lee tries to derail her line of thinking and deny it, she tells him exactly what she thinks: “Lee, it’s just something about the way she looks at him. There’s nothing in her face when she looks at him. She just doesn’t look like she loves him. There’s nothing in her eyes and they never touch each other. Have you seen them hold hands or seen him put his arm around her?”

Then, as if to really put her point across in a more physical way, she reaches out to touch Lee.

“You know, people who care about each other, they want to be close to each other and they…ahh…”

By this point Amanda realises that she’s stroking Lee’s hands and Lee is very much aware of the fact.

Her embarrassment is tangible and she looks decidedly awkward as she removes her hands from his and looks out onto the river to avoid his eye.

The wonderful thing about this is that her analysis of Lord and Lady Bromfield’s relationship is the polar opposite of hers and Lee’s.

She and Lee very much, by her own reasoning, represent two people who care about each other. They hold hands, he puts his arm around her, they want to be near each other (even though half the time they are in denial of it). And I think it dawns on them both at exactly the same moment.  Although neither is willing to admit it out loud, Amanda certainly realises it because she sees what she’s doing and falters before adding, “She doesn’t touch him.”

  

Neither of them knows quite what to say next, although it is Lee who manages to find his voice and tell her that she really does have some interesting theories.

Amanda laughs and, in an attempt to move on from the moment of awkwardness between them, mentions the fact that they ought to get going – to which Lee willingly agrees.

Yet what is the first thing that Lee does as they walk away? He puts his arm around her! It’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Amanda – which in turn makes him hastily drop his arm from around her.

It seems that Amanda’s analysis is true: people who care about each other do naturally want to be close to each other – whether they are willing to admit it or not.