The Story of Brideshead Revisited

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The story moves forward ten years. In that period Charles has become a professional architectural painter, published three books of prints of English country houses, and organised successful exhibitions. He has also married Boy Mulcaster’s sister Celia and had a son named John.

To regain inspiration he has travelled around Mexico and Central America for two years creating drawings and paintings of a very different character from his usual style. We soon learn that he had another reason for escaping from England : he had discovered Celia in an adulterous relationship. Now he has travelled to New York and met his wife there in preparation for returning to England and putting together an exhibition of his new canvases. It is quickly clear that their relationship is based on inertia rather than commitment and love. Charles hears that there is a new baby whom Celia has named Caroline, that the old barn he loved has been converted into a modernistic studio for him, and that Boy Mulcaster has had to pay £2000 to escape from marriage to a totally unsuitable girl.

On the liner back to England Celia decides to arrange a cocktail party to show Charles off to prominent passengers and rings up all her acquaintances on board. Among them is Julia, who Charles had heard was unhappy in her marriage. He sometimes saw her photograph in the magazines. When he goes to the bar he discovers her there and they chat. Julia had gone to America following a man with whom she thought she was in love, but had found she was chasing a fantasy. Charles decides that she is sadder but more beautiful; she thinks him leaner and harder, not at all the pretty boy he had once been.

Julia does not come to Celia’s party. As a result Charles finds it almost unendurable. Celia expects him to charm two movie moguls into giving him lucrative jobs designing film decor. He does not even try. He meets Julia again at the Captain’s table, where the conversation is, if anything, even worse. During dinner a full Atlantic storm begins, and the passengers retire to their cabins, many of them, including Celia, to be continuously ill.

Charles and Julia are good sailors, however. They are naturally thrown together and fall in love. Julia tells Charles all about her life, some of which we already know, but she fills in the past ten years. Although his wife is now dead Lord Marchmain has not come back to Brideshead, so Julia and Rex live there; Rex’s political career has stalled and he is disgruntled that Julia is not the beacon in society he had thought her to be; Bridey has not married and lives a solitary, reclusive life. Julia had tried to have a baby but it was stillborn. Finally she and Charles make love; it is clear that they feel committed to one another.

When they land Charles tells his wife that he must stay in London to deal with his pictures instead of travelling home to see Caroline and Johnjohn. Celia is disappointed but accepts this excuse as a valid one.