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Witch Weekly · March 29, 2021 – 1:31 AM

Meredith Watchword's Society News
Meredith Watchword turns her attention to another well-known gentleman, and to the potential secrets his marriage may hold...
Residents of Bartonburg will already be aware that our investigation into the mystery of Melody Crouch struck a chord with Mr. Reuben Crouch, who, having had his more subtle outlets uncovered and presumably made less available to him, turned instead to street brawling. For anyone intrigued by the tale of a man ruining himself over an unhappy marriage, luckily our attention need not pivot very far at all to continue the theme. Our Cast of Characters: Mr. Arthur Pettigrew — a man born with every advantage society has to offer, who since reaching adulthood has systematically gone about squandering each and every one of them; Mrs. Desdemona Pettigrew — a woman whose brains may have been a bit addled by too much rough Quidditch play, as she made the rather dubious decision to marry Mr. Pettigrew and not even her friends could ever have called this a sound choice. The Tale Those close to Arthur Pettigrew may have noticed signs that he has been rather unhappy for the last six months at least, though anyone with only a passing acquaintance can certainly be forgiven for not having noticed because the symptoms look very like his usual brand of casual self-destruction, primarily drinking to excess in public places. What is more noteworthy of late is the fact that Mr. Pettigrew has once again taken up gambling, both at the Irvingly Casino (on nearly every night of the week not already occupied by Quidditch games and practices) and at the recent Moony-Wormtail boxing match, where, if rumor is to be believed, he lost a startling five galleons with a poorly placed bet. Those familiar with Mr. Pettigrew's history may know that this gambling habit was the cause of his ruination as a young man; his father's fortune and several properties passed into the hands of the unseemly individuals who run the betting books at such events. It was generally believed, however, that he had since seen the error of his ways, and that particularly in choosing to settle down with Mrs. Desdemona Pettigrew and start a family he had finally gotten his feet on the straight and narrow. So why return to his old habits now? A cautionary tale for any young woman who thinks she can reform a gentleman with a fraught history: perhaps you can, but perhaps it won't last. Arthur Pettigrew's devotion to his wife (and to protecting their shared assets) seems to have wavered during the past year. Did they squabble over her career, one may wonder? Mrs. Pettigrew rejoined the Quidditch League as a coach but quietly retired from the position immediately following the Quidditch World Cup. Do they, perhaps, disagree on the new Quidditch League regulations in the aftermath of that deadly match last fall? Does the answer have anything to do with the fact that Desdemona Pettigrew has more or less ceased to exist within society since the match?	In the commotion that followed the Quidditch World Cup and the death of Ethel Turnbull, the rumor that Mrs. Pettigrew was escorted out of the stadium in labor may have been overlooked — particularly when the Pettigrews had not been known to have been expecting and had no child to show for the troubles in the following weeks. Perhaps if you heard the rumor, you assumed it had been a mistake, or that someone had mistaken the woman in question for Mrs. Pettigrew — but given her husband's behavior and her subsequent withdrawal from society, I would wager there is another explanation. Arthur Pettigrew Arthur Pettigrew may be a man of many talents on the Quidditch pitch, but almost certainly has relatively few when it comes to emotional turmoil and comforting a grieving spouse. Rather than supporting his wife during this time of need, he looked externally for a way to handle his own feelings, and found it primarily in alcohol. With a deteriorating marriage and without the skills to mend it, Arthur Pettigrew appears to have found himself in the same position as his friend Mr. Crouch: a man desperately longing for divorce, but too much a coward to ask for one. Without the advantage of a convenient and mysterious illness to put him on the track to becoming a widower, though, what recourse was left to Mr. Pettigrew? He certainly could not divorce his wife while she was grieving, and be known in what few social circles are still open to him as a villain. If, on the other hand, his wife were to suggest it — if perhaps she had no choice but to suggest it, in order to provide for herself and for her daughter financially... well, his renewed interest in gambling makes a good deal more sense. He may have even lost the five galleons on purpose (though he would certainly never admit to as much) to speed along the process; his wife, after all, could not fail to notice such a sum missing from their household coffers. Should we wish Arthur Pettigrew godspeed as he attempts to dismantle his marriage from the inside? Even before he began squandering their money, most would have agreed that Mrs. Pettigrew would be better off without him. Society has never been kind to divorcees, but perhaps even this would be preferable to the poor Mrs. Pettigrew than trying to manage the outbursts of an emotionally stunted overgrown teenager while also raising a toddler and working through her own unspeakable grief.

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