Tom Jones Book 15, Chapter 3

A Further Explanation of the Foregoing Design

• Lady Bellaston belongs to a club that began after "the late war." (That would be the War of the Austrian Succession: 1740-1748).
• This club's main goal is for each of its members to tell one lie every day.
• Then, they share the stories of their lies with the other club members.
• These lies are supposed to be funny and harmless.
• One of Lady Bellaston's guests that evening, Tom Edwards, is also a member of this liars' club.
• He, Lady Bellaston, Lord Fellamar, and Sophia all gather around a game of cards.
• Edwards claims that Colonel Wilcox has just killed someone in a duel.
• The victim is a guy from Somersetshire, connected to Squire Allworthy—a kid named Jones.
• Sophia hears this news and faints.
• Once she has regained consciousness, she goes back up to her room.
• Lady Bellaston follows her and tells her the truth: it was a joke, and Tom is still alive. (Ha. Ha. Ha. How sidesplitting this joke is. How humorous.)
• Seeing Sophia's fainting spell convinces Lord Fellamar of Sophia's love for Tom.
• When Lady Bellaston gets back, she and Lord Fellamar start making plans.
• The next evening at seven, Lady Bellaston will make sure the house is empty.
• She will leave Sophia with Lord Fellamar so that he can rape her.
• Lord Fellamar doesn't see a big moral problem with this rape, because he plans to marry her afterwards. (Ugh.)
• Still, once he's slept on the idea, he decides not to go through with it after all.
• Lady Bellaston and Sophia are together the next morning when a servant announces that Lord Fellamar has arrived.
• Sophia wants Lady Bellaston to stop letting Lord Fellamar come to the house.
• Sophia knows he wants her, and she doesn't trust him.
• She asks Lady Bellaston not to leave her alone with him.
• Lady Bellaston makes fun of Sophia for assuming that every man in town desires her.
• Lady Bellaston gets in a dig about Sophia running away with Tom.
• Sophia swears (again) that she's not going to elope with Tom.
• Sophia leaves, and Lady Bellaston meets with Lord Fellamar.