Did Gerrie Dislike JMB?

[Dani1923]

Did Gerrie dislike JMB? By sound of it in her interviews, she didn’t seem to care for JMB at all and didn’t want him around her family much, which is why he had no influence on Jack’s children and didn’t seem to be around them much. And if she did dislike JMB, I wonder why?

[andrew]

I wouldn't say that Gerrie actively disliked Barrie, but she was no doubt heavily influenced by Jack's mild aversion to "the little Baronet" or "Guardy" as he rather disparagingly referred to him in his letters to her (see pages 261-263 in my book). Had it not been for his money and extreme generosity, I'm sure that both Jack and Gerrie would have kept their distance. As it was - and as the scores of letters from Barrie to Gerrie and Jack testify - they almost entirely depended on him to keep them in the manner to which they were both accustomed, as well as footing the bill for their children's private education.
Why did she disike him?  Again, I think "dislike" is too strong a word; I would say that she was not particularly drawn to him, in the same way that I'm not particularly drawn to a whole bunch of people, but that doesn't mean to say that I dislike them: they're just simply not my cup of tea. I think it only fair to add that neither Nico nor Daphne and her sister Angela du Maurier cared to much for Gerrie either, although all three adored Uncle Jim.
I am gradually uploading all Barrie's letters to Gerrie, so perhaps from these you'll get a better handle on the chemistry (or lack thereof) between them.

[Dani1923]

Thanks for the info Andrew!