Pal and Cressida’s Alliance

Good Morning, Midnight (Reginald Hill Edition)

The siblings’ early closeness, shared hostility toward Kay, and different responses to the family tragedy shape their adult lives.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Children in Partnership Children in Partnership from "Good Morning, Midnight". Children in Partnership A close unit Cressida and Palinurus Maciver Junior become unusually close after their mother’s death.

Children in Partnership from "Good Morning, Midnight". Children in Partnership A close unit Cressida and Palinurus Maciver Junior become unusually close after their mother’s death.

Children in Partnership A close unit Cressida and Palinurus Maciver Junior become unusually close after their mother’s death. Pal is a source of safety and companionship for his younger sister. A shared outsider They experience the household as a place where adults fail to understand them. Their alliance gives each a witness to the other’s feelings.

Resistance to Kay Resistance to Kay from "Good Morning, Midnight". Resistance to Kay A common adversary Cressida and Pal reject their father’s new wife and interpret her closeness with Helen as manipulation.

Resistance to Kay from "Good Morning, Midnight". Resistance to Kay A common adversary Cressida and Pal reject their father’s new wife and interpret her closeness with Helen as manipulation.

Resistance to Kay A common adversary Cressida and Pal reject their father’s new wife and interpret her closeness with Helen as manipulation. Their shared opposition keeps them aligned. Different costs Cressida leaves for boarding school, while Pal remains in the house for longer. Their separation changes how each experiences Kay’s presence.

The Father’s Death The Father’s Death from "Good Morning, Midnight". The Father’s Death Anger and blame After their father dies, Pal and Cressida blame Kay and oppose her guardianship of Helen.

The Father’s Death from "Good Morning, Midnight". The Father’s Death Anger and blame After their father dies, Pal and Cressida blame Kay and oppose her guardianship of Helen.

The Father’s Death Anger and blame After their father dies, Pal and Cressida blame Kay and oppose her guardianship of Helen. Pal takes a more active role in the accusations. A rift with Helen Helen stays with Kay, leaving her older siblings feeling rejected. The siblings’ shared grief becomes mixed with resentment and suspicion.

The Inheritance Agreement The Inheritance Agreement from "Good Morning, Midnight". The Inheritance Agreement A decision about the house Cressida and Pal agree to place Moscow House on the market once Helen is an adult.

The Inheritance Agreement from "Good Morning, Midnight". The Inheritance Agreement A decision about the house Cressida and Pal agree to place Moscow House on the market once Helen is an adult.

The Inheritance Agreement A decision about the house Cressida and Pal agree to place Moscow House on the market once Helen is an adult. The compromise ends a long dispute that had represented their resistance to Kay. Renewed closeness Pal’s games with Jason and contact with Helen offer Cressida a chance to imagine a less divided family. She does not forget the past, but the old alliance becomes less defensive.

An Inheritance After Death An Inheritance After Death from "Good Morning, Midnight". An Inheritance After Death A changed will Pal leaves most of his estate to Cressida and Lavinia.

An Inheritance After Death from "Good Morning, Midnight". An Inheritance After Death A changed will Pal leaves most of his estate to Cressida and Lavinia.

An Inheritance After Death A changed will Pal leaves most of his estate to Cressida and Lavinia. Cressida receives an unexpected inheritance at the moment she loses her brother. Love and resentment Her grief remains entangled with suspicion of Kay and anger at the family’s history. The new money cannot replace the brother who once formed her closest alliance.

Before Kay’s arrival

Late 1980s

March 1992

Late 2001

March 2002