Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

The Major calls the wife of his former commanding officer and asks to use the Colonel’s old fishing cottage, which is in Wales. The Major feels little regret at missing the shoot in Scotland. Mrs. Ali makes them a meal, and the Major tries to put the lodge in order. The Major tells her that the Colonel wanted to use this fishing cottage but is now restricted by age and disability, and he notes that “we, who can do anything, we refuse to live our dreams on the basis that they are not practical. So tell me, who is to be pitied more?” (317). The Major tries to be courteous by not making romantic advances, so Mrs. Ali suggests outright that they abandon practicalities, enjoy their dream, and make love. The Major joins her in bed.

The next morning, feeling happy and vigorous, the Major goes for a walk outside. He jokes to Mrs. Ali, who comes to join him, that he is doing some manly capering. As they drink tea, the Major is content, but he tells her, “Passion is all very well, but it wouldn’t do to spill the tea” (321).

The Major feels anxious as they return to Edgecombe St. Mary. It is the day Abdul Wahid is supposed to marry Amina. Mrs. Ali confirms that she is ready to sign the shop over to Abdul Wahid. The Major is surprised to find Roger at Rose Lodge. Roger returned early from Scotland because Gertrude rejected his proposal of marriage. Gertrude had a splendid time managing things at Loch Brae, and when Frank Ferguson asked her to marry him, Gertrude accepted.

The Major is glad to think that Gertrude found a place where she belongs. However, Ferguson canceled his development plans for the Dagenham estate, since if he marries Gertrude, it will become his property. Roger says Ferguson fancies being lord of the manor, so Roger refused to sell him the Churchills and took the train south, returning to Rose Lodge because it still feels like home. The Major embraces his son and assures him that Rose Lodge will always be his home. Roger jokes about getting the solicitor to put that in writing.

There are ambulances blocking Mrs. Ali’s shop. Noreen, Amina’s aunt, emerges from the shop in bloodstained attire. She holds George, who is wearing a bandage. Noreen blames Mrs. Ali for what happened. The policeman says an old woman stabbed Amina with a knitting needle and then stabbed George. Amina, who is being taken to the hospital, asks Mrs. Ali and the Major to find Abdul Wahid, who said he was going to Mecca. The policeman asks if that is a restaurant somewhere. The Major packs his shooting bag with binoculars and a mint cake, then takes one of his guns and heads to the cliff.

The Major and Mrs. Ali drive to the cliff, where a volunteer from the Suicide Emergency Corps tries to keep them away from the cliff. Another volunteer, Brian, reports seeing Abdul Wahid and his great-aunt. When Mrs. Ali questions the older lady, she says she’s doing what needs to be done, claiming, “No one remembers what it is to have honor anymore” (336). The elder Mrs. Ali describes how, when she was six, she watched her father drown her mother in the family cistern because he believed she had flirted with a visiting salesman. She accuses the younger Mrs. Ali of debauching herself, who replies that she at least has known happiness. When the old woman attacks Mrs. Ali, the Major strikes her on the head with the butt of his gun, dazing her.

Brian and the Major approach Abdul Wahid. Abdul Wahid confesses that he feels burdened with shame, and the Major says he knows what that feels like, reflecting, “I was more proud of these guns than I was of your aunt Jasmina” (341). He suggests the solution is to work to make things right. When Abdul Wahid refuses to be persuaded, the Major gives Abdul Wahid his gun and steps between him and the cliff’s edge. He insists that if Abdul Wahid wants to allow himself to fall over the cliff, he will have to shoot the Major first. Abdul Wahid wails that he cannot shoot the Major and tosses the gun aside. It discharges, shooting the Major in the thigh, and the Major falls and rolls toward the edge of the cliff.

The Major wakes up in a hospital with Roger is at his bedside. Roger explains that Abdul Wahid and others grabbed the Major and kept him from falling off the cliff. Amina is in a hospital room one level above. When Mrs. Ali joins them, Roger shares the bad news that the Churchill fell over the cliff and has not been recovered. The Major expects to be devastated but instead only feels mild disappointment. He reflects that he valued the guns because he thought they made him look important. He admits that the lost gun was Bertie’s gun, and now he won’t have to be reminded that he might have cared for the gun more than his brother. Roger says they’ll have to pay Marjorie, but the Major reveals that he had both guns insured.

Amina visits the Major and shares that she doesn’t wish to marry Abdul Wahid. She wants to be a dancer, not a shopkeeper. She says George can still have a father even if they are not married. She leaves, and the Major “wondered again at how much love and grief could feel the same” (352).

The Major watches the wedding guests assemble in the yard of Lord Dagenham’s estate. Mrs. Rasool is their wedding coordinator. Roger appears to be examining the musicians’ instruments. Grace and Daisy are both in attendance, as are Abdul Wahid and Amina. The Vicar is present, but Daisy is not. Jasmina joins him, defying convention, and they embrace. They discuss how the Rasools have plans to turn part of Lord Dagenham’s house into a hotel. As they survey their guests, Jasmina says, “They are a motley and ragged bunch […] but they are what is left when all the shallow pretense is burned away” (355). The Major offers her his arm so they might go out and be married.