Honor/Hamish/Emily

Anyone else hate this relationship?
It's terrible what happens to Emily during it.

Honor cheats with her husband, invades her marriage and when Emily dies, takes her husband and children for herself. Her kids even get Honor's last name instead of their mother's.

Sixty years of marriage and no heir. But along comes Honor and suddenly there is one. Honor's son is first in line, Emily's daughter ends up second place.

Honor and Raoul basically usurp and erase Emily and Katherine's place in the family.

Seriously, what the hell?

How can this be a spoiler thread?

But to answer your question Hamish and Emily were not very forward thinking about parenthood, but Honor has a mother who is a genius doctor. Without Honor, Emily may never have been a mother at all.

tlb wrote:How can this be a spoiler thread?

But to answer your question Hamish and Emily were not very forward thinking about parenthood, but Honor has a mother who is a genius doctor. Without Honor, Emily may never have been a mother at all.

I don't believe it was due to not being able to have a kid, they knew they would have to provide an heir, it just appears that they lost the will to talk about it after the accident.

And then Honor pops in and provides the heir instead. Emily's kid (the spare) is born in reaction to that.

I've been interested in amusing trinities since the Honor & Nimitz & Pavel Young thread. This certainly fits the bill. Nice.

Regardless of any other considerations, I think it's very difficult not to sympathize with Emily, if you know her story. Which is why that notion goes for us readers, as well as Emily's extensive domestic help. And, truth be told, I hated the fact that Honor appeared to become a home wrecker, as well. Nobody likes a homewrecker. Least of all, the maid.

When you consider Emily had to watch the two of them touching and flirting from a wheelchair doesn't seem fair at all. Possibly even cruel. At least with Honor, Hamish showed a little. . .good taste? She was the pride of the fleet.

One thing it did do is show what Emily is made of.

cthia wrote:I've been interested in amusing trinities since the Honor & Nimitz & Pavel Young thread. This certainly fits the bill. Nice.

Regardless of any other considerations, I think it's very difficult not to sympathize with Emily, if you know her story. Which is why that notion goes for us readers, as well as Emily's extensive domestic help. And, truth be told, I hated the fact that Honor appeared to become a home wrecker, as well. Nobody likes a homewrecker. Least of all, the maid.

When you consider Emily had to watch the two of them touching and flirting from a wheelchair doesn't seem fair at all. Possibly even cruel. At least with Honor, Hamish showed a little. . .good taste? She was the pride of the fleet.

One thing it did do is show what Emily is made of.

I hated that Emily didn't even fight back. It's like once she found out, she realized it was over and immediately surrendered.

But let's face it, with her disability, what chance did she have against the mighty Honor Harrington?

She could tell them "No" but that would only stop them in the short term.

She could get a divorce, but then Honor and Hamish would skip off into the sunset, happily ever after and Emily would die childless and alone.

I guess opening up the marriage was the "best" option she had.

At least she got Katherine out of it, however little time they had together. She's Honor's daughter now.

MC1560 wrote:I hated that Emily didn't even fight back. It's like once she found out, she realized it was over and immediately surrendered.

But let's face it, with her disability, what chance did she have against the mighty Honor Harrington?

She could tell them "No" but that would only stop them in the short term.

She could get a divorce, but then Honor and Hamish would skip off into the sunset, happily ever after and Emily would die childless and alone.

I guess opening up the marriage was the "best" option she had.

At least she got Katherine out of it, however little time they had together. She's Honor's daughter now.

Do not forget that Hamish has had other lovers before, so Emily had time to reconcile herself. It is not that Honor came in to destroy a marriage; Hamish was the pursuer, not her.

tlb wrote:

MC1560 wrote:I hated that Emily didn't even fight back. It's like once she found out, she realized it was over and immediately surrendered.

But let's face it, with her disability, what chance did she have against the mighty Honor Harrington?

She could tell them "No" but that would only stop them in the short term.

She could get a divorce, but then Honor and Hamish would skip off into the sunset, happily ever after and Emily would die childless and alone.

I guess opening up the marriage was the "best" option she had.

At least she got Katherine out of it, however little time they had together. She's Honor's daughter now.

Do not forget that Hamish has had other lovers before, so Emily had time to reconcile herself. It is not that Honor came in to destroy a marriage; Hamish was the pursuer, not her.

Those other lovers(except Kuzak) were courtesans. His relationships with them were completely physical. He would spend the night and then leave in the morning. His relationship with Honor is emotional, he loves her.

Hamish being the pursuer doesn't exonerate Honor. She still has agency. She chose to have an affair with a married man. She knew it was wrong but didn't stop.

I often wonder how intimate Honor and Emily were. How much "exercise" did that aspect of the marriage get? In the end, did Honor and Emily fall in love?

Courtesans, eh? Is that what they're called in the Honorverse?

MC1560 wrote:I hated that Emily didn't even fight back. It's like once she found out, she realized it was over and immediately surrendered.

Why should she fight back? It's not like Hamish stopped loving her. He just also loved Honor. Honor brought Hamish happiness (and other physical benefits), which made him a better person. No one wants to be around a grumpy old man. Why shouldn't Emily want that?

Honor wasn't competing for Hamish's attention or love. She was complementing it.

As for heirs, considering Raoul is going to be Duke and Steadholder Harrington, they may want to leave the Earldom of White Haven to Katherine. She'll become Countess White Haven, like her ancestor Karina Alexander. And as others have said, if not for Honor, she would have none.

MC1560 wrote:Those other lovers(except Kuzak) were courtesans. His relationships with them were completely physical. He would spend the night and then leave in the morning. His relationship with Honor is emotional, he loves her.

Hamish being the pursuer doesn't exonerate Honor. She still has agency. She chose to have an affair with a married man. She knew it was wrong but didn't stop.

As you say, there was Kuzak; so Honor was not the first.

Whether or not there is an emotional connection, a sexual arrangement with another woman is still cheating on his wife.

I think we should cut Honor some slack, since she literally ended up in Hades while trying to avoid the feelings that she felt from him. Consider what an empath has to go through when around him.