What could
be more romantic than falling in love with a pirate who is as charming as any gentleman?
In a sentence, that is the story of ‘Frenchman’s Creek,’ a novel by Daphne du
Maurier, the author of ‘Rebecca.’ I have read romances in my time, but none can
appeal to me more than this one right now. The heroine Dona is a married woman
with two children. She is the rich wife, whose husband is slower than her, unmindful
of the mild flirtation his friend Rockingham carries on with Dona. Bored of her
life in London, Dona takes her two children and comes to Navaron, her husband’s
property on the Cornish coast. And while trying to have some peace, she
stumbles upon an adventure. She discovers that a French pirate, who has been
terrorizing the neighbourhood has been hiding right on her property. When Dona
tries to investigate further, she gets captured, only to discover that the
pirate is a very educated, cultured person, who, just like her has taken to
piracy only because of boredom. Dona joins his crew and has the time of her
life. But her fun is short lived, as she realizes her responsibilities and
refuses to sail away with her love.
The story
is an escape to a fantasy, which is ridiculously unlikely to happen. Daphne du
Maurier herself wrote it at a time when she was overwhelmed by the worldly responsibilities
of life. But its her. Her genius is felt in the suspense and the words chosen
to create the romance. The impact I felt was a languid drowsiness that I let
caress me like the winds on the Cornish coast. Dona is a woman who is present
in each one of us women. She is the one who rebels against norms that
patriarchal societies have bound her with and yearns for the same freedom that
men save for themselves.
Unfortunately,
I am really happily married and the pirate I love is sitting in this room even
as I type. So, I never get to do anything illegally exciting. But we’ve had our
share of adventures. We still do, when the ordinariness of life springs unexpected
surprises at us now and then.
