Matching Priory

Matching Priory. Ancestral home of the Palliser family, in the county of Yorkshire. Its owner, Plantagent Palliser, is devoted to politics. Matching Priory is the scene of political and social gatherings, and its description is sparse, save for a mention of one room, which is “small warm [and] luxurious.”

Portray Castle

Portray Castle. Castle in Scotland owned by Lizzie Eustace, who has inherited it from her husband. It is a large stone building, “really a castle,” with battlements, tower, and gateway. The public rooms are magnificent but uncomfortable, and the bedrooms are “small and dark.” The grounds are “sombre, exposed, and in winter, very cold.” The castle is formal, showy, and stiff. This impressive but comfortless place is an apt setting for Lizzie, whose outward beauty masks inward selfishness, and who is herself disastrously influenced by people who are glib, rich, or titled but whose morals and manners are debased. A superbly funny moment at Portray occurs when Lizzie gazes out of a window at the sea and gushes to Miss Macnulty that the shining water reminds her of her dear, deceased husband. Miss Macnulty utterly fails to respond to Lizzie’s affected romanticism, muttering that the “light is too much for my poor old eyes.” The castle’s name suggests a “portrayal,” in particular one that is all surface show with little true substance or genuine worth.

*London

*London. Characters in The Eustace Diamonds ricochet between their own or their friends’ country homes and London houses. In contrast to the country, where entertaining, riding, and lovemaking are the focal activities, London is a center of business, law, and politics. Many scenes of conflict are set in London. The lawyers who are employed to recover the diamonds from Lizzie are located in London, and it is from London that Lizzie flees in order to try to keep the jewels. Furthermore, it is to London that the steward of Portray Castle, Andy Gowran, travels in order to denounce Lizzie for her loose behavior at the castle. Anthony Trollope says nothing about the appearance of London; it is, rather, a blank canvas upon which he paints the story’s action.

Fawn Court

Fawn Court. Country home of the Lady Fawn, her son Lord Fawn, and Lady Fawn’s unmarried daughters. Lizzie Eustace visits Fawn Court after becoming engaged to Lord Fawn. Some important moments in Frank Greystock’s courtship of Lucy Morris also take place at Fawn Court.

*Naples

*Naples. Italian port city to which Lizzie and her first husband, Sir Florian, travel and where he dies of consumption. Lizzie states that it is in Italy that he gives her the valuable diamond necklace, which his family wishes to have returned after his death. In several of Trollope’s novels, Italy is portrayed as a place where shady dealings take place. Lizzie speaks with great sentimentality about her Italian sojourn: “I always think of those few glorious days which I passed with my darling Florian at Naples.” However, it was in Italy that Florian realized that his wife was “utterly devoid of true tenderness.”