Chapter 62: William – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
William stands outside Bea’s flat, hesitant after years apart. He rings the buzzer, then knocks using the silly code Gerald invented. Bea opens the door; they stare at each other without touching. She already knows about his father’s death because his mother called. William hands her “posies.” They settle on the sofa, and Bea serves coffee and cookies. William recalls an old argument in a graveyard where he mocked her habit of speaking to her dead father, causing a rift that lasted weeks. He now tells Bea he was in Paris with Nelson when he heard the news and came straight to her. He reveals he is engaged to Rose and expecting a baby in February; Bea is visibly surprised and disappointed. They talk about her work at a nursery school and her complicated relationship with her mother. Bea shows him a recent photo of his father holding up a postal chessboard. She explains they have been playing chess by mail for years, since the summer he and Gerald went to camp. She received a card just the other day and doesn’t know what to do with it. William hugs her, feeling both strange and familiar.
Key Events
- William arrives at Bea’s flat and they have an awkward reunion.
- Bea reveals she already knows about his father’s death from William’s mother.
- William recalls a painful argument from their youth about Bea speaking to her deceased father.
- William tells Bea about his engagement to Rose and that Rose is pregnant.
- Bea shows William a photo of his father with a postal chessboard.
- Bea reveals she and William’s father have been playing chess by mail for years.
- The chapter ends with William hugging Bea.
Character Development
William: He is vulnerable and uncertain, still deeply attached to Bea despite years apart and his new life with Rose. His impulse to say the wrong thing—seen in the graveyard memory—haunts him. The hug signals a renewed emotional connection.
Bea: She is thinner, more reserved, but her familiar smile and nose-scrunch remain. She has built an independent life in London, yet she maintained a secret chess correspondence with William’s father, showing her lasting bond with his family. Her tears reveal her grief over William’s father and perhaps over the confirmation that William has moved on.
William’s father (implied): Even in death, he is a presence—his chess game with Bea symbolizes an invisible thread linking the two families.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Secret Connections: The postal chess game is a tangible symbol of a relationship that William never knew about. It mirrors the unspoken emotional connection between William and Bea.
Grief and Ritual: Bea’s childhood habit of talking to her dead father is revisited. The chess game becomes a continuation of that ritual, a way to keep someone alive.
The Past in the Present: The chapter repeatedly shows how old wounds and old intimacies resurface uninvited. William’s memory of the graveyard argument, Bea’s preserved mannerisms, and the photo of his father all collapse time.
Displacement: William came to Bea not because he planned to, but because he had nowhere else to go after his father’s death. He is between identities: son, fiancé, future father, and still the boy who loved Bea.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point in the relationship between William and Bea. It forces them to confront the gap between their shared history and their current lives. The revelation of the chess correspondence deepens the sense that Bea was never fully separated from the Gregory family. The chapter also sets up future tension: William is engaged to Rose, yet his immediate need for Bea shows unresolved feelings. His father’s death brings them together physically for the first time in years, and the hug suggests a new—or renewed—chapter in their connection.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does William come to Bea’s flat, and what does his hesitation reveal about his feelings?
William comes because he can think of nowhere else to go after learning of his father’s death. His hesitation outside the door shows his anxiety about how much they have changed and his fear of rejection. He admits to himself that he needed her, not the other way around. -
How does the memory of the graveyard argument illuminate William’s character?
The memory shows that William has a tendency to say hurtful things, a trait his father warned him about. His impulse to lash out damaged his relationship with Bea, and he still regrets not apologizing. This moment reveals his self-awareness and guilt. -
What does the postal chess correspondence between Bea and William’s father symbolize?
The chess game symbolizes a secret, enduring bond between Bea and the Gregory family that William was unaware of. It represents continuity, intellectual connection, and a way for Bea to stay linked to her wartime home. The unfinished game after the father’s death leaves Bea in a state of suspended grief.