The Solitary Cyclist: Bob Carruthers

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Solitary Cyclist
Author: scfrankles
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: “…I loved her, Mr. Holmes, and it is the only time that ever I knew what love was…”


Bob Carruthers
Said he’d never loved others.
Can’t have been much of a life
For his late wife.

Comments

[vaysh]

Perfect rhyming and rhythm.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much ^_^

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

My thoughts entirely. I wonder what happened to her?

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

My guess is that she'd died young due to illness. Or perhaps in childbed? I hope that Carruthers was at least fond of her. Maybe it was a happy marriage in its way - it was just that neither spouse was experiencing a grand passion.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Well pointed out. Though I hope they both thought he loved her at the time. Older men so often get these crushes on younger women.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Well, I suppose at that time romance wasn't at the forefront of people's minds when they got married. Perhaps both spouses accepted they weren't "in love" but were fond enough of each other?

It's interesting you use the word "crush". Which maybe trivialises Carruthers' feelings a little. Personally I don't doubt that he was in love ("in love" and "loving someone" being perhaps not exactly the same thing). The strength of his feelings meant that he kept Miss Smith in danger because he couldn't bear to be parted from her, and also meant that he tried to murder someone for her.