A Wildwood Story

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I was recently rearranging some books and came across a stack of well-worn Agatha Christie novels. {I mentioned one in my top favorites list here.} When I saw my copy of The Secret Adversary, I couldn’t help but smile. In this book we’re introduced to a charming couple I adore: Tommy & Tuppence.

Many people are familiar with Agatha Christie the great mystery writer and her intelligent detective Hercule Poirot and character-discerning Miss Marple, but lesser known are her stories about stumbled-into-it sleuths Tommy and Tuppence. They meet after the first world war as young twenty-somethings and are depicted true to their time; the book was published in 1922. Tommy is genuine, reliable and thoughtful. He’s less likely to be rash and more likely to carefully assess a situation. Tuppence (whose true name is Prudence) is his natural balance with her impetuous and bold personality. She can be a bit of a goose sometimes, but her heart is good. The account of their friendship is very dear to me, and I find their stories to be nearly perfect in every way.

Postern of Fate is the final book in which they appear, having aged with the books and last shown to be in their seventies. It’s one of my recent re-reads and I love how it carries the story of a timeless couple. In fact, it’s not one of Christie’s best mystery novels but I read and appreciate it for the narrative of one of my favorite literary romances. Look at me, getting all sentimental over book characters!

I wrote the following to a friend and thought I’d share it here as well:

Christie’s books have been my companions since I was a teenager, and are especially delightful for travel. They make long car rides and trans-Atlantic flights bearable and even enjoyable. I first started out with “Ten Little Indians” and that made me an addict. I’m in the habit of purchasing cheap paperback copies of her books for such occasions, and leaving them at airports or other waiting areas when I’m finished with them, so someone else can fall in love with Poirot or Miss Marple or dear Tommy and Tuppence.

The Tommy and Tuppence books are my very favorite of Agatha Christie’s characters. When I read the following passage in “Postern of Fate,” I couldn’t help but think it highly resembled the dynamics of my relationship with Tom and similar conversations we’ve had, and was exceedingly funny:

‘Tuppence! Tommy called, as he came into the house.

There was no answer. With some annoyance, he ran up the stairs and along the passage on the first floor. As he hastened along it, he nearly put his foot through a gaping hole, and swore promptly.

‘Some other bloody careless electrician,’ he said.

Some days before he had had the same kind of trouble. Electricians arriving in a kindly tangle of optimism and efficiency had started work. ‘Coming along fine now, not much more to do,’ they said. ‘We’ll be back this afternoon.’ But they hadn’t been back that afternoon; Tommy was not precisely surprised. He was used, now, to the general pattern of labor in the building trade, electrical trade, gas employees and others. They came, they showed efficiency, they made optimistic remarks, they went away to fetch something. They didn’t come back. One rang up the numbers on the telephone but they always seem to be the wrong numbers. If they were the right numbers, the right man was not working at this particular branch of the trade, whatever it was. All one had to do was be careful to not rick an ankle, fall through a hole, damage yourself in some way or another. He was far more afraid of Tuppence damaging herself than he was of doing the damage to himself.

He had had more experience than Tuppence. Tuppence, he thought, was more at risk from scalding herself from kettles or disasters with the heat of the stove. But where was Tuppence now? He called again.

‘Tuppence! Tuppence!’

He worried about Tuppence. Tuppence was one of those people you had to worry about. If you left the house, you gave her last words of wisdom and she gave you last promises of doing exactly what you counseled her to do: no, she would not be going out except just to buy half a pound of butter, and after all you couldn’t call that dangerous, could you?

‘It could be dangerous if you went out to buy half a pound of butter,’ said Tommy.

‘Oh,’ said Tuppence, ‘don’t be an idiot.

‘I’m not being an idiot,’ Tommy had said. ‘I am just being a wise and careful husband, looking after something which is one of my favorite possessions. I don’t know why it is –’

‘Because,’ said Tuppence, ‘I am so charming, so good looking, such a good companion and because I take so much care of you.’

‘That also, maybe,’ said Tommy, ‘but I could give you another list.’

‘I don’t feel I should like that,’ said Tuppence. ‘No, I don’t think so. I think you have several saved-up grievances. But don’t worry. Everything will be quite all right. You’ve only got to come back and call me when you get in.’

But now where was Tuppence ?

‘The little devil,’ said Tommy. ‘She’s gone out somewhere.’

Often when I’m flying out the door to go somewhere, even just the grocery store, Tom calls after me, “Be good!” Be good? When am I NOT a good little wifey? Or he may add, “Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.” “Well that’s a lot of things,” I may grumble back.

If this amuses/interests you even slightly, I suggest you start with The Secret Adversary (where our couple reconnects as old friends, become inadvertent blackmailers, then find they want to pursue a life of detecting) and work your way through the five Tommy & Tuppence books after which we can Discuss over a proper tea and form our own book club. Just a thought.

Photo by Josh Felise on Unsplash