Rachel's Revelations: More Confusing than Enlightening?

     I have to confess that up until the section of The Moonstone detailing Franklin Blake's version of events, particularly that of the confrontation in the music room between himself and Rachel, I have been under the impression that Rachel was complicit in the theft of the diamond. I found this an unsettling suspicion to entertain as I liked Rachel's spunky, unconventional manner from when she was first introduced in Betteredge's narrative; however, I couldn't piece together any other likely reason for her histrionic behavior following both the theft of the Moonstone and the revelation of public suspicion against Godfrey Ablewhite. Having cast Rachel in such a guilty light, I then proceeded to mitigate that suspicion by coming up with scenarios in which Rachel was merely an accessory after the fact rather than the actual thief. Oddly enough, each time I tried to think up a scenario, the only character that it made sense for her to be assisting was Franklin (due to her romantic attachment to him). Therefore, it was with a simultaneous sense of comprehension and puzzlement that I read the section in which Rachel reveals her odd behavior as having been aimed at protecting Franklin, the man she loves, from the consequences should the rest of the world find out what she saw with her own two eyes: him stealing the Moonstone.
     This revelatory scene made sense to me because it fully explained Rachel's desperate and distraught manner, as well as falling in line with the theory of Franklin as the thief, yet it failed to explain why Franklin did not remember either stealing the diamond or his motives for doing so. In essence, Rachel's revelation, while following the factual framework of my scenario, does not fall in line with either her character or Franklin's. In Rachel's case, the point can be made that she acted contrary to the reader's initial opinion of her as a strong and independent woman, namely when she allowed the burden of the secret of Franklin's guilt to weaken her judgment and disposition, because of the love she has for him. That is definitely a mitigating factor in her favor. Franklin's actions in stealing the Moonstone out of Rachel's bureau in full view of Rachel herself, however, are not in line with anything we as readers know of his character, particularly as he himself does not remember doing so. It would make much more sense were we to find out that he stooped to stealing the diamond out of financial desperation following threats from creditors on the Continent.
     Overall, it is frustrating to have the mystery of Rachel's conduct explained, and her character satisfyingly vindicated, and then immediately have a confusing and unflattering light thrown upon Franklin. Though I have to admit that I am glad that my first impression of Rachel as a straightforward and honorable character was correct, it is difficult to quickly reconcile myself with the concept of Franklin as an unwitting perpetrator. Paradoxically, it would have been easier to handle had he been revealed as lying in his narrative about his innocence. If Franklin's actions were motivated by financial need and desperation it would be possible to eventually gain some sort of sympathy for him depending upon the exigency of his situation; however, as things stand with him in a state of ignorance as to his actions, it brings in all manner of speculation on his mental state and calls into question all of the positive descriptions of his character.  Therefore, Rachel's revelations are double-edged in their function of simultaneously clearing her name and implicating Franklin's in a way which is far from clear.