For the East India Company, Lorna is a potential "backstop." If they cannot bribe or break James, they may find her easier to manipulate.
Their marriage is revealed to be a joyless arrangement. Thorne Geary, desperate for the inheritance, views James with open hostility and is even suspected of having a hand in Horace’s poisoning. Taboo - Episode 2 ...
Lorna asserts she married Horace in Ireland two years prior, which would give her a legal claim to his estate. For the East India Company, Lorna is a potential "backstop
Episode 2 reinforces the idea that James Delaney is a man caught between two worlds. He performs ritualistic chants and displays tattoos that hint at a spiritual or cultural immersion in Africa that the London elite find terrifying. His "competency" and refusal to fear his enemies make him a ghost in his own city, a man who knows "things about the dead" and uses that knowledge as a weapon. Taboo: Episode 2 Review – Human Kindness Lorna asserts she married Horace in Ireland two
James inherits his father’s assets but pointedly ignores his debts, though he later pays off certain creditors in full as a show of unexpected power. ⚓ The Game Board Expands
James purchases a ship at auction, but finding manacles and chains on board triggers visceral, nightmarish flashbacks related to the slave trade and his past traumas.