Abhiroop Das
Created by Steven Knight, Netflix’s ‘House of Guinness‘ is a dramatized retelling of the Guinness family’s rise and fall, with the story focusing on the lives of the four Guinness siblings, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Benjamin. Out of all of these, Arthur has the biggest bag of secrets, with social and traditional impositions forcing him onto a seemingly predetermined path. In comes Lady Olivia Charlotte Hedges-White, a Guinness cousin whose family is struggling with a financial crisis. As their paths come into contact, a relationship of convenience follows, but so do familial strifes. The pressure of mounting a company begins to clash with the idea of creating a family from scratch, and both begin to rely on relationships outside of marriage, which leads to an unlikely pairing between Olivia and Rafferty.
Olivia and Rafferty Plan to Continue Their Love Story in Secret
Arthur and Olivia’s lavender marriage gives them a considerable amount of sexual independence. However, that does not translate to the romantic side of things, and Olivia learns this the hard way when she ends up falling in love with Sean Rafferty, the foreman of the Guinness family. Their dynamic initially begins, not with sexual attraction, but with a deeper connection over their love for music. Rafferty’s hidden talent, playing the violin, comes as more than just an icebreaker between the two, as his heart-wrenching renditions end up giving Olivia a momentary sense of peace. From there, the couple begins to interact frequently, and their bond eventually takes a steamy turn. While the family butler is irked by this development, Arthur does not protest, allowing Sean and Olivia’s relationship to bloom even further. Before long, the pair’s feelings become permanent enough that Arthur has to step in.
In a stern conversation with Olivia, Arthur reminds her of their original agreement, where she was allowed to partake in all forms of sexual encounters, so long as none of them took a romantic turn. With her love for Rafferty being an open secret, Arthur steps in to ensure that things do not go any further, and a heartbroken Olivia is asked to formally break things off with him. Once alone with her lover, however, Olivia spins a new plan by pretending to break up with Rafferty, only to continue her affair with him in secret. While on the surface she can claim to have found a new sexual partner, the foreman can still build a relationship with her from outside of Arthur’s gaze. Olivia decides on this risky move due to the sheer love she has for Rafferty, which ends up deepening their interior lives as well. Rafferty goes one step further, promising to eventually find a way to legitimize their relationship, which sets the stage for a future confrontation.
Arthur and Olivia Have Different Wants in Their Relationship
One detail in Olivia and Rafferty’s relationship that makes things magnitudes more complex is the fact that she is pregnant. Given the familial and political ramifications this can have, Arthur orders an abortion, which adds to the emotional tragedy of this relationship. It also fuels the rage Rafferty harbours against his employer, and while he is still the most trusted member of the Guinness company, the thorns in his love life have the potential to overturn that dynamic. This situation mirrors the start of the story, where we learn that Rafferty previously had an affair with Anne Guinness, which also led to her pregnancy and then abortion. While he does not hold any strong feelings regarding the relationship, this string of emotional hits begins to take a toll on him, which is a burden shared by his lover, Olivia.
While Olivia and Rafferty develop a romantic chemistry, Arthur also realizes that he platonically loves his wife, and that revelation reframes the entire relationship. Olivia is surprised to hear of this and believes that her husband is trying to limit her life by imposing his own whims as he sees fit. Still, with the Guinnesses taking care of her family’s financial crisis, Olivia does not have much of a say in who she chooses as her lover. As such, she rebels in other ways, choosing to continue her relationship in secret. This tripartite struggle also explores the nature of true love and whether that is dependent on sexual attraction. Whether Arthur truly has feelings for Olivia is never quite confirmed, but in curtailing her demonstrated love for Rafferty, he only increases the tally of people operating against him. This can potentially lead the character to a tight spot, with no ally left to stand by his side.
Read More: Was Arthur Guinness Gay in Real Life? Was He in a Lavender Marriage?
