Chapter 2
Prince Vasili has arranged to go on a tour of his neglected estates, taking along Anatole so he can be married to the daughter of Nicholas Bolkonski. Before that, he has to sort out Pierre. Also, it's now November 1805, but I can't remember what month and year it was when the book started. Pierre is now 'absurd, excited, and foolish' as a young lover should be, but has not yet proposed to Helene.
Vasili feels slightly resentful about this, since he's been so kind to Pierre. It's been six weeks since the 'at home', and Pierre had decided that he really shouldn't marry Helene, but also hasn't yet been able to leave. Every day, he feels more Expected and entwined. Vasili has been organising events that Pierre must attend basically every day, so it makes it even harder for him to escape. Sometimes, Pierre tries to convince himself that he was wrong about Helene before, when he thought she was stupid and probably incestous, and so it would be right to marry her now, but it doesn't stick. Basically, everyone is attempting to politeness judo Pierre into wedlock. If this were a different sort of book, Helene would be sticking pins into condoms.
For this evening, Vasili has arranged a party for close family, and given them all to understand that Helene's fate will be settled this evening. Pierre and Helene are sitting next to one another and feeling quietly pressured. Pierre is a big, confused, dumb kitten. He's trying to figure out how he and Helene got so intertwined. Finally, they are left alone, and Pierre feels like he ought to talk of love but also that he really doesn't want to. He feels like there's something fundamentally wrong with him that makes him wrong for Helene (he's been going back and forth on that all evening). Pierre tries to retire for the evening, but Vasili gives him "a look of stern inquiry" as if he's being weird and makes him sit down again. He also refers to Helene as 'Leyla', just so we have another name to add to the list. Pierre desperately changes the subject again. Vasili leaves them alone, then sends his wife to check on them. Pierre has still not proposed. Taking matters into his own hands, Vasili decides to just carry on with the politeness judo, and goes to congratulate them on their engagement as if it's actually happened, loudly, and dragging the rest of the family into the conversation, presumably in the hope that Pierre won't be so rude as to contradict him. He isn't - they're married within six weeks.
Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed with Pierre.
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