The Wings of the Dove

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Another gross simplification we find in the movie is the way Kate finds out about Milly's interest in Merton. In the movie, Kate keeps her interest in Merton a secret and sees Milly's interest in her reaction to him. Later, Milly tells her in so many words that she is interested. And, now knowing this, Kate sees an opportunity to exploit her secret knowledge.

In the book, Milly knows Merton from before meeting Kate. And Milly learns that Aunt Maud is concerned about a possible relationship between Kate and Merton and Milly decides to keep her knowing this a secret from Kate! The desire to conspire begins with Milly not Kate.

This all begins because Milly's companion Susan has been speaking with Maud and, when Merton's name came up, she began to immediately play games. Conspiracy does not begin with Milly but is already all around her and it is brought to her by Susan. Here is what Susan says,

"I luckily remembered in time that I had nothing whatever to keep--which was much simpler and nicer. I don't know what Maud has, but there it is. She was interested, distinctly, in your knowing him--in his having met you over there with so little loss of time. But I ventured to tell her it hadn't been so long as to make you as yet great friends. I don't know if I was right."

I love that opening, there she is talking to Maud and Merton's name has come up and Susan "luckily"  remembers she has no secrets to keep about him. Does anyone much worry about keeping secrets without having any to keep? Think about that for a while. Of course we can see by the end of the excerpt that, well, maybe she does have a secret to keep. She is being terribly coy and, as people tend to do with young women, encouraging Milly to be coy as well. And, like a lot of young women, Milly doesn't need that much encouraging.

Whatever time this explanation might have taken, there had been moments enough in the matter now--before the elder woman's conscience had done itself justice--to enable Milly to reply that although the fact in question doubtless had its importance she imagined they wouldn't find the importance overwhelming. It was odd that their one Englishman should so instantly fit; it wasn't, however, miraculous--they surely all had often seen how extraordinarily "small," as every one said, was the world. Undoubtedly also Susie had done just the plain thing in not letting his name pass. Why in the world should there be a mystery?--and what an immense one they would appear to have made if he should come back and find they had concealed their knowledge of him! "I don't know, Susie dear," the girl observed, "what you think I have to conceal."

Well, Milly, how about you tell us?

And then Milly next sees Kate, she immediately begins playing the game on her:

It was accordingly on Mrs. Lowder's recommendation that nothing should be said to Kate--it was on all this might cover in Aunt Maud that the idea of an interesting complication could best hope to perch; and when in fact, after the colloquy we have reported, Milly saw Kate again without mentioning any name, her silence succeeded in passing muster with her as the beginning of a new sort of fun. The sort was all the newer by its containing measurably a small element of anxiety: when she had gone in for fun before it had been with her hands a little more free. Yet it was, none the less, rather exciting to be conscious of a still sharper reason for interest in the handsome girl, as Kate continued even now pre-eminently to remain for her; and a reason--this was the great point--of which the young woman herself could have no suspicion.

And thus does Milly step into the abyss.She is not, as the movie makes her, a passive victim.

All the above quotes are from chapter 9.