Chapter 10: Lucy — 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

The chapter opens on the morning of June 16, 1812. Lucy wakes to find Audrey asleep in her room, curled under a blanket with her dark hair spread across the pillow. Seeing Audrey there gives Lucy a jolt of exhilaration, not only because it confirms Audrey is real, but because hiding her in her father's house is, in Lucy's own assessment, an even bigger act of defiance than her earlier dress rebellion.

Lucy reflects on the small freedoms she has carved out for herself: secret visits to Grace's house, stretching errands a few minutes longer, reading books her father would disapprove of, and dirtying her petticoats. But sheltering a stranger from another time feels different, like a final adventure before her life changes.

Despite the strangeness of having a perfect stranger from another era in her home, Lucy feels completely at ease. Their conversation the previous night about Pittsburgh, women pursuing their dreams, and what the future holds made Lucy feel less alone, as if wanting more than to be a dutiful daughter and a rich man's wife is not so crazy after all. She thinks of Audrey as a kindred spirit, though she worries Audrey might vanish as suddenly as she appeared.

When Audrey stirs, Lucy greets her and tells her they will visit her friend Grace that day. Audrey asks whether she should instead be trying to find a way back home. Lucy suggests that perhaps the point of being sent to this time is to simply be present in it, and that the answer might come to her that way. Audrey considers this and agrees.

Lucy then leads Audrey to a storage room at the end of the hall, just before the corridor to the library. The room is full of old furniture, paintings, out-of-season items, and objects her father replaced with more expensive versions. Most importantly, a wardrobe by the window holds Lucy's late mother's clothes: bright dresses, gowns, shoes, hats, capes, and riding coats.

Lucy explains that her mother was taller than she is, so the clothes should fit Audrey better than any of Lucy's own dresses would. She mentions they may need alterations in town if Audrey does not suddenly return to the future. As she looks at the dresses, Lucy remembers her mother wearing them: a lilac gown at a ball, day-to-day florals while roaming the grounds, and a thick pelisse tucked around Lucy on chilly carriage rides. Her mother was warm, vibrant, and sure of herself, qualities Lucy says she could not maintain while living alone with her father.

Audrey hesitates, asking if Lucy is truly comfortable with her wearing her mother's clothes. Lucy deflects, saying the clothes are not being worn by anyone else, and adds that the past is in the past, and the more distance she keeps from her mother's impossible hopes for an impossible life, the better.

Lucy pulls a corset from the wardrobe and hands it to Audrey, insisting she will need help dressing. She tells Audrey she will have Martha send someone to assist, then leaves the room, trailing dust and unwanted memories behind her. She chooses to focus on the present moment, on this adventure where, for once, she feels in control.

Key Events

Lucy wakes to find Audrey asleep in her room and feels a surge of exhilaration at her presence.
Lucy reflects that hiding Audrey is her biggest act of defiance yet, larger than her dress rebellion.
Lucy tells Audrey they will visit Grace that day; Audrey asks about finding a way home.
Lucy suggests that being present in this time might reveal the answer to getting back.
Lucy takes Audrey to a storage room containing her late mother's clothes.
Lucy recalls vivid memories of her mother wearing these garments, describing her as warm, vibrant, and sure of herself.
Audrey hesitates about wearing the clothes, but Lucy dismisses her concern.
Lucy gives Audrey a corset, explains she will need help dressing, and leaves the room.

Character Development

Lucy

This chapter deepens Lucy's internal conflict between duty and desire. Her decision to hide Audrey is framed not as a reckless impulse but as a deliberate act of rebellion, one she ranks above her previous small transgressions. Her reflection on her mother's clothes reveals a complicated relationship with memory: she cherishes the warmth and vibrancy her mother embodied, yet she actively distances herself from her mother's hopes, calling them impossible. This tension suggests Lucy is trying to protect herself from disappointment by refusing to hope for a life beyond the one her father has planned for her.

Lucy's ease with Audrey marks a significant emotional shift. She describes feeling less alone after their conversation about the future, and she calls Audrey a kindred spirit. Her choice to focus on the present, rather than the past or the future, shows her trying to seize agency in a life where she has little. The chapter ends with her feeling, for once, in control.

Audrey

Audrey's role in this chapter is quieter but still revealing. She is hesitant about wearing a dead woman's clothes, showing sensitivity to Lucy's feelings. She also demonstrates a practical concern about finding her way home, though she is open to Lucy's suggestion that being present might be the key. Her willingness to accept help with the corset, despite initial resistance, shows her adapting to the constraints of this unfamiliar time.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Defiance and Freedom

Lucy's internal monologue catalogues her small acts of rebellion, from secret visits to Grace's house to reading forbidden books. Hiding Audrey represents a larger, riskier defiance, one that could have serious consequences if discovered. The chapter frames this defiance as a form of freedom, however temporary.

Maternal Memory and Legacy

The storage room and its contents serve as a physical archive of Lucy's mother. Each dress carries a memory, and Lucy's descriptions of her mother's warmth and confidence contrast sharply with her father's coldness. The clothes symbolize both inheritance and loss: they are the only tangible remnants of a woman whose hopes Lucy has learned to call impossible.

Living in the Present

Lucy explicitly chooses the present over the past and the future. She tells Audrey that being here might reveal the answer to returning home, and she ends the chapter by affirming her desire to live in the here and now. This theme connects to her sense of control: the present is the only time she can act.

Transformation Through Dress

The act of dressing Audrey in her mother's clothes carries symbolic weight. Clothing in this chapter is not merely practical; it is a means of transformation, of stepping into a different identity. For Audrey, the corset and gown represent the constraints of Regency womanhood. For Lucy, offering the clothes is both a gift and a way of confronting her own relationship to her mother's legacy.

Kindred Spirits

Lucy explicitly names Audrey a kindred spirit, a term that echoes the language of Jane Austen's original novel. Their connection, formed over a single night of conversation, gives Lucy a sense of validation and belonging she has not felt before.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 10 is pivotal for several reasons. It establishes the emotional foundation of Lucy and Audrey's relationship, moving them from strangers to kindred spirits. It also deepens Lucy's characterization by introducing her mother's memory as a central emotional force, one that shapes how Lucy views her own possibilities. The chapter's focus on defiance and control sets up the stakes for the rest of the novel: Lucy is willing to risk everything for a taste of freedom, and Audrey's presence has given her a reason to hope.

The chapter also advances the novel's engagement with its source material. Lucy's desire for more than a dutiful daughter's life echoes Elizabeth Bennet's independence, while the theme of kindred spirits recalls the bond between Elizabeth and Jane. By placing these concerns in a time-travel narrative, the novel asks what it means to want a different life when the world around you offers so few options.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Lucy consider hiding Audrey a bigger act of defiance than her dress rebellion?

Lucy's dress rebellion was a personal, visible act of disobedience, but hiding Audrey involves sheltering a person her father would certainly reject. It is a secret, sustained act of risk that could have serious consequences if discovered. Lucy frames it as her last adventure before her life changes, suggesting she sees it as a final assertion of autonomy.

2. What does the storage room reveal about Lucy's relationship with her mother's memory?

The storage room shows that Lucy preserves her mother's clothes but keeps them out of daily sight. She remembers her mother warmly, describing her as vibrant and sure of herself, yet she also says she wants to distance herself from her mother's impossible hopes. This contradiction suggests Lucy admires her mother but has learned to suppress her own hopes to avoid disappointment.

3. How does Lucy's advice to Audrey about being present reflect her own emotional state?

Lucy tells Audrey that being in this time might reveal the answer to returning home, which mirrors Lucy's own strategy of focusing on the present rather than dwelling on the past or fearing the future. Her choice to live in the here and now gives her a sense of control in a life where she has little agency.