Ethel Montague: The Scheming Matriarch of Leather & Lark

Overview

Ethel Montague is the formidable great aunt of Lark Montague in Brynne Weaver’s Leather & Lark (2024), the second book of the Ruinous Love Trilogy. A dying woman with a steel-trap mind, she uses her remaining months to stage a family crisis that forces Lark into a marriage of convenience with Lachlan Kane. Her machinations protect Lark and Rowan while setting a chain of events that leads to her own murder by the Phantom. Ethel is both a loving schemer and a tragic sacrifice, embodying the trilogy’s themes of family loyalty, marriage as a vow, and the cost of vigilante justice.

Plot Role

Ethel’s primary function is the catalyst for the central marriage plot. In Chapter Five (Threads), Lark visits her great aunt’s home and overhears a family meeting discussing Lachlan Kane as a suspect in the murders of Montague associates. Ethel admits she orchestrated the overhearing, hinting at a scheme using family loyalty and promises. She asks Lark to tell her more about Lachlan, foreshadowing the marriage-of-convenience proposal that Lark makes at Sloane and Rowan’s wedding in Chapter Six.

Later, at the family brunch in Chapter Twelve, Ethel actively pushes the plan: she appoints Lark as chief security officer and forces the contract with Leviathan, linking Lachlan’s retirement to the marriage. She also produces an “ironclad” legal document to override objections. Her dying wish is to see Lark safe and the Kanes protected.

Ethel’s death in Chapter Twenty-Two (Wanderer) is a turning point. The Phantom murders her in her care home, drugging her with lorazepam and saline, then sings “Abide with Me” as she dies. Her final whispered words — “Touch my Lark and he’ll kill you” — show her defiance and faith in Lachlan. Her death galvanizes Lark and Lachlan to pursue the Phantom, raising the stakes and deepening their bond.

Motivations and Traits Revealed Through Actions

Ethel is defined by sharp intelligence, manipulative care, and unwavering family loyalty. Her motivations are twofold: protect Lark from the Montague family’s violent tendencies, and ensure the survival of the Kanes (Rowan and Lachlan) whom Lark loves.

• Manipulative but loving: Ethel sets Lark up to overhear her parents’ meeting rather than telling her directly, saying “Better for you to hear it from the horse’s mouth.” She uses her reputation for senility (“Your sister thinks I’m senile. Who knows what I’m making up?”) to deflect suspicion while executing precise schemes.

• Pragmatic about death: She chooses to move to a care home on her own terms, stating she won’t “fall apart in full view in the symbolic heart of the empire I built.” She tells Lark that power lies in unexpected decisions, and she saves one final scheme: the marriage plot.

• Defiant and fearless: When the Phantom murders her, she shows no fear. She insults his religious justification (“That sounds pretty ass-backwards, boy”) and threatens him in her last breath. Her defiance infuriates the Phantom, who wants her to be afraid.

• Deeply perceptive: She reads Lark’s guilt over Ashborne Collegiate Institute and assures her she isn’t to blame for the past. She also correctly suspects Bob Foster, not Lachlan, of the murders, though her assumption is not confirmed in the excerpted chapters.

• Symbolic legacy: Her death serves as a literal “magic trick” (the epilogue chapter title), as she vanishes from the story while leaving behind the marriage that saves two families. The Phantom takes her handkerchief as a trophy, but her spirit remains in Lark and Lachlan’s commitment.

Chronological Arc

1. Pre-story: Ethel raised Lark and Ava in the Montague family home, baking empire in hand. She is dying of a lung disease (implied by her bloody cough).

2. Chapter Five — 1 year after wedding crash: Lark visits Ethel. Ethel stages the overhearing of the family meeting about Lachlan. She hints at a marriage plot and extracts a promise from Lark to protect Sloane.

3. Chapter Twelve — Family brunch: Ethel forces the contract with Leviathan, appoints Lark CSO, and presents legal documents. She publicly supports the marriage, calling it settled.

4. Chapter Twenty-Two — Death: The Phantom enters Ethel’s care home room, drugs her, and watches her die. Her last words defy him. The murder is discovered off-page, but Lark and Lachlan learn of it and it drives their final confrontation with the Phantom.

5. Aftermath: Ethel’s death is a catalyst for the climax. In the Epilogue, Rose Silveria’s magic trick theme echoes Ethel’s final act: creating belief in love and sacrifice.

Relationships

• With Lark: Ethel is a surrogate mother figure. She calls Lark “Meadowlark” and their bond is warm, built on childhood memories of playing with her makeup. Ethel trusts Lark’s judgment about Lachlan, even when the rest of the family does not. Lark is devastated by her death, though the moment is not depicted in the provided excerpts.

• With Montague parents (Nina and Damian): Ethel respects their loyalty but actively subverts their authority to protect Lark. She says, “This is still my house. And this family’s business is still my concern.” She overrides Nina’s objection to the contract, calling her bluff.

• With the Phantom: Ethel is the Phantom’s victim, a “corrupt protector” in his eyes. He considers her a necessary sacrifice in his mission to avenge his brother Harvey. The Phantom’s smile and her defiance create a stark contrast: he uses religious rhetoric, she uses pragmatic sarcasm.

• With Lachlan: She never interacts with Lachlan directly in the provided chapters, but she trusts him more than her own family does. She tells Lark “I don’t think the Kanes are involved,” and she plans to keep Rowan safe by binding Lark and Lachlan. Her threat to the Phantom (“he’ll kill you”) shows she believes Lachlan will avenge her.

Key Decisions and Consequences

1. Decision: Orchestrating the overhearing.
   Consequence: Lark learns of the threat to Lachlan and begins her marriage-of-convenience plan. This saves Lachlan from family execution and sets the main plot in motion.

2. Decision: Forcing the Leviathan contract and appointing Lark.
   Consequence: Lachlan is able to retire from Leviathan, removing a major source of danger. The Montague family grudgingly accepts Lark’s marriage. However, Ethel’s death occurs shortly after, suggesting the Phantom targeted her as part of his larger revenge.

3. Decision: Choosing a care home.
   Consequence: She symbolically leaves her empire intact and stays close to Lark. But it also makes her vulnerable to the Phantom, who uses his fake badge to access her room.

4. Decision: Defying the Phantom.
   Consequence: She dies with dignity, but also gives the Phantom the emotional satisfaction of a challenge. Her death becomes a rallying point for Lark and Lachlan.

Theme and Symbol Connections

• Marriage of Convenience: Ethel is the architect of the marriage plot, understanding that a vow is sacred to her family. She tells Lark that a marriage promise will protect Lachlan because “they won’t fuck with it if they believe it’s what I really want.” This connects to the Marriage of Convenience theme.

• Family Loyalty: Ethel embodies the Montague value of family first. Her schemes are all about protecting Lark and Sloane, even at the cost of her own safety. This mirrors the Family Loyalty theme.

• Vigilante Justice: Ethel operates outside legal systems, using manipulation and contracts to achieve justice for her family. Her death, however, is a reminder that vigilante action has consequences. See Vigilante Justice.

• Revenge vs. Justice: The Phantom sees Ethel as corrupt; she sees herself as protecting her family. Her death blurs the line between righteous vengeance and murder. This is explored in Revenge vs. Justice.

• Trust and Vulnerability: Ethel trusts Lark to carry out the plan, and she shows vulnerability in her illness and defiance. Her final words to the Phantom trust in Lachlan’s protection. See Trust and Vulnerability.

• Symbols:

  • Embroidery: Ethel embroiders red thread through canvas while plotting, symbolizing the weaving of fate and blood ties.
  • The “Magic Trick”: Her death is framed as a magic trick — the handkerchief vanishes, she disappears, but belief in love remains. The Epilogue features Rose reflecting on magic and belief, directly linking to Ethel’s legacy.
  • The IV and Syringes: The Phantom’s murder method (lorazepam overdose) is clinical and invasive, contrasting with Ethel’s organic, homey life.

Five Book-specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Ethel set up Lark to overhear the family meeting about Lachlan?
She explains, “Better for you to hear it from the horse’s mouth.” Ethel knows Lark wouldn’t believe her if she simply accused her parents of planning to kill Lachlan. By letting Lark eavesdrop, she makes the threat feel real and urgent. This is interpretation supported by her explicit statement in the text.

2. What does Ethel mean when she says her parents “won’t break promises to the ones they love”?
She refers to Nina and Damian’s deep respect for marital vows. If Lark is married to Lachlan, her parents will not harm him because they would be breaking a promise to their daughter. Ethel uses this to inspire Lark’s marriage-of-convenience plan.

3. How does Ethel’s death serve the plot?
Her murder by the Phantom raises the stakes for Lark and Lachlan. They now have a personal reason to stop him. It also completes the Phantom’s arc as a religious zealot punishing the Montague family. The epilogue’s magic trick theme echoes her final act.

4. Does Ethel know she is going to die?
The text shows she knows she is dying from illness (“I’m dying and perfectly sane”). But she does not anticipate the Phantom’s attack. However, her final defiant words suggest she suspected danger, as she warns “Touch my Lark and he’ll kill you.” This is interpretation since the text does not state foreknowledge.

5. What is Ethel’s most important legacy?
Her legacy is the marriage of Lark and Lachlan, which saves both families from destruction. She also passes on the theme of choosing belief in love — Rose’s epilogue directly mirrors this. Ethel’s dying act reminds readers that sacrifice can be an act of power and magic.

For a deeper look at the book’s ending and Ethel’s role in it, see the Ending Explained. For more answers to reader questions, visit the Questions and Answers page.