The main reason for producing articles that go into great detail about the temptation scenes in Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. books is that they remind me of similar scenes in other books, which changes the perspective and adds to their significance.
Looking at such scenes objectively and highlighting some common elements is a very useful exercise: it educates us and helps us to see through and build immunity against such efforts to manipulate us. Knowledge is power.
The article about temptation in The Creeping Shadow ends at the point where Anthony Lockwood has resisted all Penelope Fittes' inducements to merge his psychical detection agency with hers. This defiance is asking for trouble, but she refrains from taking immediate revenge.
This article carries on with the story; it also mentions yet another book that contains some typical temptation scenarios.
People who have rejected a tempter's flattering offer would do well to get ahead of the game by trying to deduce what the next enemy action might be, but Anthony Lockwood and his colleagues haven't reached that stage – yet.
An exciting – and distracting - new assignment comes along; they all leave London and for a while think no more about Penelope Fittes' proposition and what her reaction to its rejection might be. This is a big mistake, one that older and wiser people might not have made. They do however realise that she is up to something.
While on the case, Anthony Lockwood and his colleagues make some very sinister discoveries. Penelope Fittes soon learns that they have seen things they are not supposed to see, and this changes her attitude and behaviour towards them for the worse. Her real self starts to emerge; she shows her ruthless side and makes some threats.
At the end of The Creeping Shadow, Anthony Lockwood and his colleagues return to London after successfully completing their assignment. They are having a celebratory breakfast at his house when Penelope Fittes and her top henchman, a very unpleasant man, arrive unexpectedly and invite themselves in.
She has come to 'request' Anthony and the other agents to forget anything suspicious that they might have seen and heard while on their recent assignment.
Anthony Lockwood is not happy to follow her orders.
Things turn confrontational:
“Ms. Fittes looked at him levelly. "Don’t tell me you’re rejecting my suggestion again?"
"I’m afraid so….Yes, we reject your 'request', or order, or whatever it is." Lockwood’s voice was suddenly crisp. "Forgive me, but we’re not part of your organization. You can’t waltz into our kitchen and tell us what to do."
"Oh, but actually, we can," the lady said.”
Penelope Fittes has noticed the map on the wall that George Cubbins created to plot the spread of the Problem over time. It indicates that he has made some inconvenient connections.
She had wanted Anthony Lockwood and the others to develop their talents and go on to greater things – but only under her supervision and control. She now tells them to just stick to the small stuff when it comes to future assignments and not speculate about what is going on or get ideas above their station.
While Penelope Fittes wanted to exploit all the members of Lockwood & Co., Lucy Carlyle was always her prime target.
“"Oh, Miss Carlyle." The lady turned to me, then, and for the first time I felt the full ferocity of her smile."I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you didn’t take me up on my offer the other week. We could have done great things together. But there we are, there’s no use crying over missed opportunities…"”
Penelope Fittes also has something to say to Quill Kipps, the - now former - member of the Fittes Agency who made the first temptation attempt by offering Lucy a position on his team. He left Fittes of his own free will; he worked with Lockwood & Co. on a temporary basis on their recent assignment and is present at the celebration.
Penelope treats Kipps as a traitor; she speaks to him the way a cult leader might to someone who has left the cult:
“"...I shall make an example of you. Your pension will be confiscated; your reputation destroyed. I will see to it that you never work for any reputable psychic investigation company again."
"It’s all right, Kipps," Lockwood said. "You can work for us, if you want. We’re not reputable."”
Penelope Fittes departs after making a subtle threat – which she later carries out:
“She rose, looking around the kitchen a final time. "This is such a nice little house. So charming, so vulnerable. Have a lovely morning."”
This reminds me of the scene in An Enemy at Green Knowe where the witch Melanie Powers tells old Mrs Oldknow not to flatter herself that her house is invulnerable!
Anthony Lockwood and the others are left in a state of shock, but they soon recover.
Another edition of The Creeping Shadow:
Putting the Lockwood temptation scenes into the context of similar scenes in other books takes everything to a new level.
That Hideous Strength details the increasingly determined attempts made by representatives of an evil organisation, the sinister sounding National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments or NICE, to persuade a young man called Mark to join them and bring his wife Jane along too.
An evil man called Dick Feverstone tells Mark that he wants him to join the Institute as there is nothing more for Mark in his current organisation and he would be wasted on them even if he did get a higher position there. He offers Mark a chance to get in on something very big and join the winning side, to be one of the powerful not the powerless.
First the 'you deserve better' ploy, then the offer of a position of power. Same old, same old...
Needless to say, there are the usual ulterior motives and hidden agenda behind the offer. Mark will certainly be useful for producing propaganda, but his wife is their main target because she has second sight and they want to exploit it – just as Penelope Fittes wanted to exploit Lucy Carlyle's gift.
Unlike Anthony Lockwood and his colleagues, Mark doesn't resist the temptation to join an evil organisation.
