How does Linley’s relationship with her father change over the course of the novel?
At the beginning of A LOVE THAT NEVER TIRES, Linley has a loving relationship with her father. They work together as part of his archaeological team and he trusts her knowledge, instinct, and opinion—which is a big deal since she’s a young woman without a formal education. He’s confident she is just as capable as Archie (who trained with the great Flinders Petrie) and Reginald (who read Languages at Cambridge) because Bedford taught her everything she knows.
That says a lot about Bedford as a Victorian male.
One hundred years ago, raising a child was not an obligation like it is today. As a widower, Bedford could have easily sent Linley to boarding school or even abandoned her to his/his late wife’s family while he continued focusing on his career. The fact that he chose to take her to the most dark and dangerous corners of the British Empire, and also the fact that he taught her a trade, is highly irregular for the 1890s-1910s. It shows he loved Linley and wanted her to be a part of his life, but he also wanted her to have a future.
When Patrick enters the picture, Bedford trusts Linley to make the right decision—the problem is everyone has different opinions of what is “right” for Linley. Once he begins to see Patrick as a threat, his relationship with her changes. He’s scared she will throw everything they worked so hard to achieve away for a man. Bedford wants more for Linley than a husband, household, and family. He spent the last twenty years of his life shaping her to take over the Talbot-Martin team and knows she won’t be able to continue working when she’s married to a marquess.
He loves his daughter and wants what is best for her, but as she grows into a woman, Linley naturally draws away. She is forced to take sides and suddenly Bedford finds himself the enemy. Linley and Patrick are too love-blind to see how impossible their relationship would be. Bedford knows better and truly believes he is protecting her from a bad situation. And **SPOILER** as the stories progress, maybe he is right.