Good Bad Girl Chapter 70: The Beginning – Summary & 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

One year after the events of Edith’s death, the story opens on Mother’s Day. The narrator, now openly using the name Nellie, lives on a turquoise-painted narrow boat called The Black Sheep with her mother. Mum quit her job at the prison six months earlier and looks younger and happier. They prepare an afternoon tea on the riverbank for two guests: Clio and her dog Dickens. Clio has transformed her late brother’s gallery into Black Sheep Books, a thriving independent bookshop, and Mum now manages it. Clio arrives with champagne. Nellie gives Clio a homemade Mother’s Day card—Clio’s first ever—and Clio becomes emotional. Mum flinches but stays silent.

During the toast, Mum mentions she has seen the future and knows Nellie’s life will be happy. A ladybug lands on the table, reminding everyone of Edith. Mum casually remarks that the police never solved who killed the care home manager. Clio and Nellie exchange a glance but say nothing; they have never told Mum the truth. Nellie reflects on DCI Charlotte Chapman, who dismissed Edith’s confession and let them all walk away. She concludes that some mysteries are not meant to be solved, and that sometimes good people must do bad things.

Key Events

Nellie and Mum prepare for a Mother’s Day celebration on their narrow boat.
Clio arrives with Dickens, bringing champagne.
Nellie gives Clio a papercut Mother’s Day card; Clio receives her first Mother’s Day card.
Clio toasts to Nellie’s acceptance into art school.
Mum claims she has seen the future and that Nellie’s life will be happy.
A ladybug appears, evoking the memory of Edith.
Mum wonders aloud about the unsolved murder of the care home manager; Nellie and Clio stay silent.
Nellie reflects on DCI Chapman’s decision to let them go, and accepts that some truths remain hidden.

Character Development

Nellie: Has fully embraced her identity, reclaiming the name her mother gave her. She is grateful for the two women in her life and content with who she is. Her guilt over past actions has softened into a moral acceptance of necessary bad acts.
Mum: Transformed—younger, happier, wearing colorful clothes, no longer working at the prison. She remains unaware of the full truth about Lydia’s death, but her comment about seeing the future suggests a knowing or protective attitude.
Clio: Also changed—“softened around the edges.” She has accepted Nellie as family and taken on a maternal role, evident in her emotional response to the Mother’s Day card. She has rebuilt her life by converting the gallery into a bookshop and moving to the countryside.
Dickens the dog: Appears well cared for, with regular grooming, symbolizing the stability and love now present in their makeshift family.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Transformation and New Beginnings: The chapter is titled “The Beginning,” reflecting a fresh start for all main characters. The boat repainted turquoise, the new bookstore, Mum’s new job, and Nellie’s art school acceptance all underscore renewal.
Unsolved Mysteries: The care home manager’s murder remains officially unsolved. Nellie and Clio keep the truth from Mum, highlighting the theme that some questions are better left unanswered for the sake of peace.
Motherhood and Family: The chapter centers on Mother’s Day, with two maternal figures—Mum and Clio—both receiving acknowledgment. Nellie actively chooses to include both women in her life, forging a nontraditional but loving family.
The Ladybug as Memory: The ladybug landing on the table evokes Edith, who was associated with ladybugs earlier in the book. It serves as a quiet symbol of her lingering presence and approval.
Moral Ambiguity: Nellie’s closing reflection—“we are good people who did something bad”—encapsulates the novel’s central ethical tension. The idea that good people may need to commit bad acts for just reasons is affirmed.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is the final chapter of the novel and provides closure for the major storylines. It shows the aftermath of the choices made in the previous chapters: all charges against Nellie dropped, Jude Kennedy imprisoned, Clio gaining control of the gallery and turning it into a bookshop, Edith’s will distributed. The chapter confirms that the characters have moved on and found happiness, yet it leaves the reader with an unresolved moral question about the murder of the care home manager. By ending on Nellie’s acceptance of ambiguity, the novel refuses a tidy, legally just conclusion, instead emphasizing emotional and relational resolution. The scene with the ladybug and Mum’s matter-of-fact mention of the unsolved case reinforces the theme that love and family matter more than official justice.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Nellie choose to keep the truth about Lydia’s death from her mother?
Nellie believes that Mum knowing the truth would only cause needless pain. As she thinks, “Mother knows best but sometimes it’s best Mother doesn’t know.” She wants to protect her mother’s newfound happiness and peace.
What does Clio’s emotional reaction to the Mother’s Day card reveal about her character?
Clio’s tears show that despite having two grown daughters, she has never before received a Mother’s Day card. This underscores her complicated history as a mother and her longing for recognition. The card signifies Nellie’s acceptance of Clio as a maternal figure, fulfilling a need Clio didn’t know she had.
What is the significance of Mum’s claim that she has “already seen the future” and that Nellie’s life will be happy?
Mum’s statement can be read as a metaphor: she has faith in Nellie’s future because she now understands the resilience and love that define their family. It also echoes Edith’s earlier predictions and suggests that Mum, in her own way, has become a seer of hope, not tragedy.