User:KTB0123/sandbox

Marion Burgess (maiden name Taylor) is a fictional character in Bethan Roberts’ 2012 novel 'My Policeman' which was later adapted into a film directed by Micheal Grandage in 2022.

Character Biography
Marion was born around 1937, this isn't explicitly explained however we know she met Tom in 1951 and stated "He couldn’t have been more than fifteen- barely a year older than me", so it is assumed that she was approximately born around this time. She had lived in Brighton since she was born but decided to move to Peacehaven once she and Tom retired and the audience meets them again there when she continues to tell her story in 1999. She became a primary school teacher in 1957 and pursued that career until she retired. Which is the same year Tom returned from the catering corps and police training. He came to see her at work one morning in September when Marion asked him "when are you going to give me that swimming lesson?" which acted as the catalyst question for their relationship.

Marion and Tom got married on the 29th of March 1958 after a "very short engagement- less than a month." They honeymooned on the Isle of Wight in Patrick's cabin during the half-term break after their wedding. Then later, Patrick joins them for their honeymoon, which was something Tom had arranged without Marion's knowledge. The three then indulge in a significant conversation, especially for the 1950s, about Marion returning to work after she and Tom have children "There’d be no need for you to go to work, Marion. I could provide for a family. That’s the father’s job."

During the summer of 1958, whilst on a school trip, Marion's colleague Julia asked her a question about Patrick "He's homosexual, isn't he?" which then plants the idea in Marion's head and completely changes how she views not just Patrick but his relationship with Tom from that point onwards. Later that year whilst with her school on a trip to Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, where Patrick works, he mentions that he and Tom are going to Venice together: "It’s terribly good of you to let Tom come to Venice. I know he appreciates it." This is the first time Marion hears about it and she is shocked by the news. They left on a Friday morning in the middle of August. Whilst they are gone, Marion confides in her colleague Julia after her suspicions about Tom and Patrick begin to consume her. She says "‘All this … lying. It’s not right, what he’s doing. He’s the one in the wrong." in regards to not only the acts that she suspects they are doing together but also how they lie to her about them. Julia responds with "‘If that’s the case,’ she said, ‘then I’m wrong, too...Good grief. Didn’t you know?" implicitly telling Marion that she too is a homosexual. Near the end of Patrick and Tom's trip to Venice, Marion writes an anonymous letter to Patrick's museum suggesting that Patrick is a homosexual "I believe it is in your best interests to know that Mr Hazlewood is a sexual invert who is guilty of acts of gross indecency with other men."

As a result of this letter, Patrick gets arrested in February 1959 "I have a warrant here for your arrest on suspicion of committing acts of gross indecency."

Patrick asked Marion to be his character witness in court and she obliged. The Barrister asks Marion questions about Patrick's relationship with Tom: "‘Is it not the case,’ continued Jones, ‘that the accused is a close friend of your husband, Constable Thomas Burgess?'" and then proceeds to read out extracts from Patrick's diary to Marion, which recalls all of the times Patrick has met Tom and the things they have done together. Marion is then asked, "Is Patrick Hazlewood the kind of man who would commit acts of gross indecency?" to which she replies with no, despite all she already knew and all she found out that day.

Marion later visits Patrick in prison and admits "I am a homosexual, Marion."

On the first day of the new term in September, Julia summoned Marion into her office and Marion apologised for their last interaction "‘I should apologise,’ I began, ‘for what I said …’" to which Julia responded with "Let’s not say any more about it."

One night, after Tom does not return home, Marion runs to Patrick's flat suspecting her husband would be there with him. Upon arrival, she pressed the buzzer of his flat repeatedly but there was no response until a neighbour informed her "The police took him (Patrick) away last night." She then goes to Sylvie's house and tells her not only that Patrick has been arrested for indecency but she also admits to writing the anonymous letter. Sylvie promises to keep her secret.

Marion returns home one evening to see a distressed Tom. He explained how Patrick had been arrested and how he had been working when he was brought in. Marion suggests "We can put all this behind us. We can start our marriage again" and Tom responds angrily, saying "‘This isn’t about our marriage! Patrick will go to prison, and I’m bloody ruined! They’ll find out about – everything – and that will be it." Implicitly admitting to his affair and showing a complete lack of care for his wife and his marriage. Marion then suggests he resigns from the police before they find out any more about his relationship with Patrick, which he does.

The audience is then not told much about Marion's life between 1959 and 1999 after she moved to Peacehaven. She explains how this book, the one the audience is also reading, is one she is writing for Patrick and Tom, a "confession of sorts", that she plans to read to Patrick now that he has moved in with the couple after experiencing a stroke. Patrick's doctor, Dr Wells, visits to check if his health has either deteriorated more or improved at all and informs Marion that Patrick has had yet another stroke and will soon become unmanageable to look after if Marion is looking after him herself so suggests he is either moved into a care home or Tom starts to help. Marion then speaks to Tom, purposely lying to him, telling him Patrick does not have long left to live to try and motivate him to help or maybe just talk to Patrick. She tells him about her book, asking him to perhaps read it to him, which makes him lash out at her "You’ve written it all down, have you? A catalogue of wrongs." Marion of course denies this, explaining that "It’s my confession. It’s not about anyone’s wrongs but my own." Tom eventually says that he'll "think about it." The next morning, she hands the book to Tom over breakfast and by the afternoon he is sitting in Patrick's room reading it to him. Marion enters the room and watches the two men before can see each other before she leaves not only the room but also leaves Peacehaven, her husband and her past behind her.

Portrayals
Marion was played by Golden Globe winning actress Emma Corrin in the 2022 film adaptation of the book.

They are one of the many members of the cast who identifies as queer as well as non-binary after they came out in July 2022. Something the production team of the film stated was important when they were going through their casting process

Marion's older self in 1999 is played by BAFTA winning actress Gina Mckee. When asked about what attracted her most to the story and the role, McKee said: "this whole triangle of people who meet when they are young and the choices and decisions they make link them forever and shape their lives quite profoundly" and "the decision to bring these three characters together to face their past is a really interesting element to explore.”

Inspiration
Marion Burgess is based on the wife of E.M. Forster's lover (Bob Buckingham) May Buckingham. May, much like Marion, became the friend and eventual nursemaid to her husband's lover. Forster even ended up becoming the godfather to May and Bob's child. Bob was also a policeman.