Chapter 35: The Sisters Befriend Esme Rossington

Spoiler Warning: This summary and analysis contains details from Chapter 35 of Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews. If you haven't read the chapter, proceed with caution.

Summary

Still raining, Maeve and Therese head out from the inn in their rental car. Therese spots a lone figure trudging along the road—Esme Rossington. They pull over and offer her a ride. Esme warily accepts and directs them to the Willow Tree pub, where she left her truck and her helper Reggie. In the car, Esme scrutinizes the sisters’ physical resemblance and asks why they care about the stolen painting. Therese explains their great-grandmother Kathleen was accused of stealing a portrait of Lady Geraldine and of murder, and they want to clear her name. She also mentions that a similar painting was stolen from Tarrymore fifty years later and later auctioned in New York for over a million dollars. Esme dismisses their painting as a fake. At the pub parking lot, they find Reggie still drunk; he urinates in plain view. Esme swats him with her hat, and he falls to the ground. Maeve offers to drive Esme home, and Therese takes the truck with Reggie. During the ride to the cottage, Esme tells Maeve that Reggie has lived in her shed for years but she’s thinking of kicking him out due to his drinking. Esme reveals she was married once and calls husbands a bother; she also refers to the sisters as spinsters. Maeve shares that their mother Mary Helen recently died of dementia and that this trip was her plan to bring the sisters closer. Esme gives Maeve two butterscotch rum candies. At the cottage, Reggie stumbles away. Esme thanks them curtly and goes inside. Therese believes Esme is warming up to them, but Maeve is skeptical.

Key Events

Therese spots Esme Rossington walking in the rain and insists they offer her a ride.
Esme verbally assesses the sisters’ facial features and questions their motives for investigating the stolen painting.
Therese explains the family history: great-grandmother Kathleen accused of theft and murder, and the later theft of a similar painting that sold for over a million dollars.
Esme declares their painting must be a fake.
At the Willow Tree pub, they find Esme’s drunk helper Reggie urinating in the parking lot.
Esme violently swats Reggie with her hat, causing him to fall.
Therese drives the truck with Reggie as passenger while Maeve drives Esme.
During the ride, Esme opens up about Reggie’s dependence on her and her own marriage, calling it a bother.
Esme labels Maeve and Therese “spinsters” and approves of their unmarried state.
Maeve shares the story of their mother’s dementia and death and her plan for the trip.
Esme gives Maeve two butterscotch rum candies.
At the cottage, Reggie stumbles away; Esme offers a curt thanks and goes inside.
Therese thinks Esme is warming up; Maeve is doubtful.

Character Development

Therese: She persists in pursuing the family mystery even when Esme dismisses their painting as a fake. She shows compassion by helping the drunk Reggie into the truck despite the smell. Her playful optimism (“I think she’s warming up to us”) contrasts with Maeve’s pragmatism.
Maeve: She listens carefully to Esme’s personal stories and reciprocates by sharing the painful details of her mother’s death. This vulnerability deepens her connection to Esme. She remains cautious and realistic about Esme’s goodwill.
Esme Rossington: The chapter peels back layers of Esme’s gruff exterior. She is lonely (living with only Sinead for company), pragmatic (“charity only goes so far”), and blunt (“spinsters … life is simpler that way”). Her past marriage was unhappy, and she values independence. The butterscotch candies are a small but meaningful gesture of kindness, suggesting she is slowly lowering her guard.
Reggie: Though unconscious for most of the chapter, his drunken state illustrates his dependency on Esme and foreshadows potential conflict or further revelations about his role in the estate.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Family Legacy and Redemption: The sisters’ quest to clear their great-grandmother’s name drives the plot. The painting is both a physical object and a symbol of inherited shame they hope to overturn.
Spinsterhood and Independence: Esme’s approval of the sisters’ unmarried status and her own history with a “bothersome” husband present spinsterhood as a conscious choice for freedom, not a failure.
Gifts as Gestures of Trust: The two butterscotch rum candies from Esme to Maeve mirror earlier small offerings (like the candy Esme gave earlier) and represent a crack in her armor. They are shared, inexpensive, yet personally significant because they are her favorite.
Alcohol and Dependency: Reggie’s drunkenness and Esme’s frustration with it highlight how alcohol undermines reliability and strains relationships in the rural Irish setting.
Driving as Control: Maeve drives the rental car while Therese drives the truck, each navigating different situations. The literal control of the vehicle mirrors the sisters’ attempts to steer their own lives and the investigation.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the sisters’ personal connection to a key local figure—Esme Rossington—who has direct knowledge of the Tarrymore art thefts. By offering her kindness and hearing her story, Maeve and Therese begin to earn her trust, which may unlock crucial information about the painting and the theft. The chapter also humanizes Esme, transforming her from a hostile stranger into a guarded but potentially sympathetic ally. The parallel conversations about family loss and independence strengthen the sisters’ bond with each other and with Esme, setting the stage for more revelations about the painting’s past.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does Esme’s immediate reaction to the sisters’ story about the painting reveal about her personality?
Esme dismisses their painting as “a fake” and tells them they’ve “come a long way for no good reason.” This reveals her defensive, skeptical nature—likely a protective mechanism after decades of family scandal and personal disappointment. She does not easily trust outsiders.

2. Why does the author include the scene with Reggie urinating in the parking lot?
The scene establishes Reggie as a deeply flawed, unreliable character and highlights the strain his alcoholism places on Esme. It also shows Esme’s no‑nonsense, even violent, response to misbehavior (swatting him with her hat), reinforcing her tough exterior.

3. How does Maeve’s sharing of her mother’s story affect her relationship with Esme?
By revealing that their mother Mary Helen died of dementia and that the trip was her dying wish to bring the sisters together, Maeve shows vulnerability. Esme responds with a simple “Sorry for your loss” and offers a piece of candy—a small but significant sign of empathy. This moment builds a fragile trust between them.