Argh, you're making me all wibbly. It's a false freedom in some ways. That idea of how they used to be something together, and having to contend with the damage that Navy life does over time, to that and to people.
I've only just started SotL. H. is so neurotic and so admiring of Bush. And I wonder if it could also go another way -- Archie doesn't make Horatio feel better. Maybe he's a reminder of the (nicer?) past, or maybe Horatio has guilt, or some of his usual self-loathing, especially with splendid Bush and bravest Archie around him suddenly. Unmarried, excellent men that he admires and is now senior to. His life must feel cumbersome and stressful in comparison, especially since his connection with Archie stems from a time when he didn't have those burdens.
And the idea of Horatio not telling Archie about his children, and Bush doing it instead: *________* And see, Bush and Archie share the same solicitousness of Hornblower. They are very much his lieutenants.
I agree, Bush isn't a jealous type (and I think he's more intelligent than Horatio gives him credit for). But what would it mean to him that Archie got a command? And how would he perceive the dynamics of the three of them.
Going below gets a whole new meaning.
I've only just started SotL. H. is so neurotic and so admiring of Bush. And I wonder if it could also go another way -- Archie doesn't make Horatio feel better. Maybe he's a reminder of the (nicer?) past, or maybe Horatio has guilt, or some of his usual self-loathing, especially with splendid Bush and bravest Archie around him suddenly. Unmarried, excellent men that he admires and is now senior to. His life must feel cumbersome and stressful in comparison, especially since his connection with Archie stems from a time when he didn't have those burdens.
And the idea of Horatio not telling Archie about his children, and Bush doing it instead: *________* And see, Bush and Archie share the same solicitousness of Hornblower. They are very much his lieutenants.
I agree, Bush isn't a jealous type (and I think he's more intelligent than Horatio gives him credit for). But what would it mean to him that Archie got a command? And how would he perceive the dynamics of the three of them.