Fingersmith

Sue Trinder: [picking up a page of a manuscript that has fallen on the floor] "What's it say?"

 Maud Lilly: "They're full of words saying... how I want you. How I love you."

This is a tale about deception, manipulation and love against all odds. Sue and Maud both grew up in very different worlds. Sue was brought up by Mrs Sucksby as a sort of adopted child in the slums of London, where as Maud grew up in an insane asylum under the care of the matron. We watch the two different lives simultaneously, we see how they both adore their mother like figures, unfortunately for Maud she is separated from Matron when her estranged uncle Christopher Lilly comes to claim her to live with him in his mansion and vast array of  first edition books. Where as the first time we see Sue she is a young child begging Mrs Sucksby to witness someone being hung, they would charge people admission to their house as it was the best place to watch the hanging from a higher advantage than others. The two grow up in very different surroundings but still grow up wanting the same thing their own loving mothers. As the years go by the two mature in very different ways, Maud into a quiet, obedient young woman who's intelligence has rapidly exceeded that of a woman with such a difficult start to life whilst Sue has no education and only seems to know how to accumulate money the dishonest way under the watchful eye of her Mother like figure Mrs Sucksby. 

The two young ladies lives collide when 'Gentleman' a man who gambled away all his fortune and now wants to attempt to scam Maud of her vast fortune. He enlists the help of Sue to go in as her chambermaid so that she can befriend the young woman and that she may convince Maud to marry Mr Rivers so that they can they leave her in the madhouse and make off with her vast fortune. The plan initially works out well without a hitch as all Sue and 'Gentleman' can think about is swindling Maud out of her money. However things soon change as Sue and Maud become friends, the two spend every waking hour together and soon begin to share a bed as Maud constantly has nightmares and has done since she was young. She takes special drops to calm her but with the comfort of Sue there she is soon able to drift off easier. 'Gentleman' who is impersonating being an Art teacher in order to gain the confidence of Maud as a respectable man. 'Gentleman ' soon realises that their plans may go askew when he soon establishes that the two girls feelings for one another might be more than just a friendship. However there is another twist to 'Gentleman' plan he never had the intention of putting Maud in the madhouse but instead Sue, as she is just a lowly commoner with a new made up identity and with Maud watching her mannerisms and paying a lot of attention to how she speaks and carries herself they will be able to pull of the con successfully whilst Sue is none the wiser. After months and deception on 'Gentleman' and Maud's behalf, one night Sue and Maud friendship becomes a relationship in a sense as the two end up sleeping together when Maud enquires about what a wife is to do on her wedding night.

[Sue & Maud discussing Maud's impending wedding night in bed.]
Maud Lilly: "I...I know some things from books."
Sue Trinder: "How can you know it from books?"
Maud Lilly: "You're right, I know nothing, nothing, nothing."

Soon after 'Gentleman' and Maud marry and leave in the dead of night with Sue in tow. They go and stay at a little cottage where they put in the last of their deceptive plan. Under the pretence of going back to London to enjoy their new found fortune Sue is mistaken as Mrs Rivers and carted off into the madhouse. Maud and 'Gentleman' soon appear in London where she realises that 'Gentleman' is indeed a poor man who doesn't even have a home of his own. Instead they end up in Mrs Sucksby home where seven people already live, three of them being young babies of women who didn't want them. Whilst Maud is uncomfortably living with all these strangers, Maud is being mentally and physically abused in the madhouse. As she is adamant she is not Mrs Rivers the staff constantly ridicule and mock her, when she became irate the staff as well as the Doctors would punish her with various horrible methods. Eventually Sue escapes the madhouse with the help of Charles who used to work for Maud's Uncle. She slowly makes her way back to London as she has to venture through the countryside. 

Sue Trinder: "Country! I never knew there was so much of it. Mile after bleedin' mile."

When Sue finally arrives back at Mrs Sucksby she is both hurt and irate at the fact that Maud is living in her home and wearing her clothes even down to her bangles.

Maud: "Sue, leave now!"
Sue: "You'd like me to do that, wouldn’t you?"
Maud: "You don't know what's really happened."
Sue: "I know you've got my clothes! You've got even my bleeding bangles! Why? Isn’t your fortune enough? Isn’t what you did to me enough?"
Maud: "Please go..."
Sue: "They put me in the mad house, Mrs. Sucksby!"
Maud: "You planned to put me there!"
Sue: "Oh, I wish I had!"
Maud: "To cheat me…to kill me?"
Sue: "I will, I will, I will kill you!" 

'Gentleman' soon arrives back at the house and is somewhat shocked to see Sue but pretends to be happy to see Charles. After many accusations being thrown around Mrs Sucksby, Sue, Maud and 'Gentleman' get into a fight with Sue still holding the knife that she was initially wielding at Maud. Suddenly they all step back from one another when they realise someone has been stabbed but who?.... 'Gentleman' soon drops to the floor bleeding and Charles runs off to get a policeman declaring murder as he runs. When the policeman returns he asks who committed the crime and Mrs Sucksby steps forward even though both she and Maud know that Maud stabbed him by accident. Also with Maud's middle class way of speaking, the policeman pays her no mind as they escort Mrs Sucksby out of the house. What seems like a few days later Mrs Sucksby is hung but not before Maud who is her biological child comes to say goodbye and get close to her mother for the last time, where as Sue sadly watches Mrs Sucksby being hung from her own home. In the end of this tale the two women eventually end up together having forgiven each other for their past deceptions.