The Lost Bookshop

Back in the 1920s storyline, Opaline makes herself at home in Mr. Fitzpatrick’s shop, which is now hers. She feels like the building resists her presence at first, but she resolves to show that she deserves its respect. While cleaning, she finds an old pair of trousers that must have been Mr. Fitzpatrick’s and wears them for practicality. In addition, she changes the antiques and oddities shop into a bookshop. To avoid her brother’s notice, she adopts a pseudonym, calling herself Miss Gray, a name she borrows from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Matthew visits to help her settle in. She’s attracted to him, though she knows he’s married with children. One evening, they kiss briefly, proving that the attraction is mutual, but then both pull away, determined not to give in to temptation.

During this time, Opaline contacts book collectors, looking for any information about the Brontë sisters, having been inspired to find Emily Brontë’s hypothetical second novel following her talk with Sylvia months before. She finally has a lead in the form of two brothers who had acquired some of the Brontë sisters’ papers following their deaths. However, following this lead requires going to England, where she’d face far more danger that her brother would find her. She recalls an Emily Brontë poem that gives her courage and decides to go.

In the contemporary storyline, Martha reads A Place Called Lost. It’s a children’s story about an old library in Italy that people believe is haunted. The building is about to be demolished when a man buys it to take apart and use to build his shop in Ireland. The story makes her think of Henry, and she realizes she’s falling in love with him. The story also includes a young woman who fears making the wrong decision and therefore decides to do nothing. Martha reflects that deciding against doing a thing is itself “a choice.”

The next morning, she decides to stop delaying and apply to the local college. However, just as she’s leaving, Shane arrives. He’s verbally abusive and claims that her mother is in the hospital. Madame Bowden appears and prevents Shane from dragging her away, giving Martha an excuse to stay for one more night by promising to return home in the morning. Shane leaves angrily, and Madame Bowden demands an explanation.

Henry speaks with Isabelle on the phone. She tells him that his father has entered alcoholism rehab, but he refuses to be impressed with this news. He promises to come home soon. Later, he goes out and sees Martha at the front entrance of the university. However, she looks stunned and confused. She tells him that she thought her mother was ill, but she called and apparently everything is fine. Henry doesn’t understand why this doesn’t make her look happier.

They go to a tea shop to talk, and Henry admits that he likes Martha and doesn’t know what to do about it. Martha says she feels the same way, and they kiss briefly. Remotivated, Martha rushes to register for her course before it’s too late.

Back in the 1920s storyline, Opaline goes to a library to study some papers and letters from the Brontë estate. She finds one from the Brontë sisters’ publisher to one of the sisters in which the publisher indicated that he was excited for the second manuscript. Some research proves to Opaline’s satisfaction that the letter must have been written to Emily Brontë rather than Charlotte or Anne. She also learns that the brothers she’d hoped to meet in England are dead and some of their collection has been sold to Mr. Brown’s bookshop in London.

She again encounters Armand, who is in England procuring rare books for a client. He invites her to London with him for an auction at Sotheby’s. She goes, though she knows it will be dangerously close to her brother. At Sotheby’s, she meets famous book dealer Mr. Rosenbach.

In the contemporary storyline, Martha is happy thinking about her kiss with Henry and her bravery in registering for a college course. Then Shane arrives again. He’s drunk and angry because he saw Martha with Henry the previous night. He hits and threatens her and once again claims that Martha’s mother is ill, though she now knows that’s a lie. As she tries to get away from Shane, Madame Bowden enters the room.

Martha tries to shield Madame Bowden from Shane’s violence. Suddenly, something seems to push Shane so hard that he falls backwards down the stairs that lead to her basement apartment. Martha realizes he’s dead and goes into shock. She can’t determine whether Madame Bowden pushed Shane. Calmly, Madame Bowden tells her to go do her normal weekly shopping trip and everything will be fine when she returns.

When Martha returns hours later, the body is gone, and everything is in its proper place. Later, the police arrive to inform her that her husband’s body was found in the river. No one suspects that she might know anything about his death. After the police leave, Martha implies that Madame Bowden pushed Shane. Madame Bowden insists that he merely fell accidentally.

Henry returns to London to break off his engagement with Isabelle. After kissing Martha, he realized that he didn’t love Isabelle and wanted to be with Martha instead. He left without telling Martha but did leave her a note explaining.

Then Henry goes home to visit his mother, his sister Lucinda, and Lucinda’s husband. Lucinda is pregnant and is due soon. They talk about their father and his rehab. Lucinda has seen him and insists that Henry should talk to him as well. His mother says, “He’ll always be your father, Henry, but it’s up to you” (197). However, Henry believes that it was up to his father to be better.

Back in the 1920s storyline, Opaline awakes in London with Armand. She realizes that Armand, like Mr. Rosenbach, is foremost a cutthroat book dealer, so she doesn’t tell him about her efforts to find Emily Brontë’s hypothetical second manuscript. She leaves to visit Mr. Brown’s Bookshop. Mr. Brown himself is dead, and most of his collection has sold, but his wife still has a few items. Opaline buys a sewing box that belonged to Charlotte Brontë and returns to Dublin.

Three months after her trip to England, Opaline still hasn’t heard from Armand. At night, she can sometimes hear a “soft creaking, like the boughs of a tree bending slightly in the breeze” (205). Cradled in the comfort of this sensation, she realizes she’s pregnant and pictures the life inside her like a rosebud waiting to bloom.

In the contemporary storyline, Martha returns home for Shane’s funeral. Before leaving, she tries to find Henry to tell him, but the man at his B&B tells her that Henry has gone home to England, not realizing he planned to return. She doesn’t find his note. Believing that Henry regrets their kiss and has run away, she leaves humiliated.

After the funeral, Martha’s “mute” mother suddenly says, “I’m glad he’s dead” (215). She apologizes for not saving Martha from Shane, but Martha tells her that no one could have done so because he made her feel so ashamed that she couldn’t tell anyone. Only then does Martha realize how much Shane manipulated and controlled her.