The Harris Tweed Jacket Button: A Symbol of Hidden Guilt and Unraveling Secrets
What Is the Harris Tweed Jacket Button?
The Harris Tweed jacket button is a small, braided-leather-covered fastening that Maeve Dunagin discovers on the floor of Esme Rossington's toolshed. The object is physically unremarkable — a button torn from a custom-tailored jacket — but it becomes the key piece of physical evidence that exposes Geoffrey Rossington's role in his sister's murder.
The button belongs to a Harris Tweed jacket, a garment historically associated with Irish and British aristocracy, handcrafted from wool woven on the islands of Scotland. Geoffrey, as a member of the Rossington family, wears such a jacket as a marker of his social standing. When the button is torn off during a violent struggle in the toolshed, it transforms from an ordinary piece of clothing into an object that carries the weight of a family secret.
Where the Button Appears in the Story
The button appears in a single pivotal scene in Chapter 64. After Geoffrey Rossington visits Maeve Dunagin at the Tarrymore Inn and threatens to contest Esme's will, Maeve walks over to the gardener's cottage to inspect the toolshed where Esme's body was found. The crime-scene tape hangs loose, and the padlock lies on the ground nearby.
Inside the shed, Maeve notices a pile of dog feces in a corner — evidence that Sinead, Esme's housebroken cocker spaniel, had been locked inside for hours. Then she spots something beside a broken cot leg: a braided-leather-covered button, the kind that might have come off a custom-tailored Harris Tweed jacket. She photographs the button and reports her finding to Officer Muldoon.
The button itself never appears again in the story, but its implications drive the investigation forward. Maeve uses it to argue that Geoffrey must have killed Esme — that the button was torn off during the struggle, that Geoffrey's scratched right hand (which he kept hidden in his pocket during their meeting) matches the evidence of a violent confrontation, and that Sinead's aggressive reaction to Geoffrey confirms the dog knew who her mistress's attacker was.
How the Button's Meaning Shifts
The button undergoes a clear transformation in meaning over the course of Chapter 64.
As an overlooked object: Maeve nearly misses it. She is focused on the dog feces and the general disarray of the shed — the overturned cot, the broken chair, the smell. The button is easy to overlook among the debris, yet its presence is deliberate.
As evidence of a struggle: The broken cot and knocked-over chair already suggest a physical fight, but the button adds specificity. A button does not fall off during a quiet conversation; it is torn away in a frantic, violent encounter. The button confirms that a struggle took place in the toolshed, and that one of the participants was wearing a jacket of a particular quality.
As a link to the killer: When Maeve recalls that Geoffrey wore a Harris Tweed jacket to their meeting and kept his right hand hidden, the button becomes the thread that ties together his scratched hand, his presence at the cottage, and the violence of Esme's death. The button is the tangible proof that Geoffrey was physically in that shed during the murder.
As an emblem of family rot: The button is not only evidence — it is a symbol of how the Rossington family's inherited wealth and status have decayed into violence and betrayal. A jacket meant to signal respectability instead leaves behind a clue that condemns its wearer. The button represents the hidden guilt that aristocratic families work so hard to conceal.
Character Connections
The button connects several characters in the story in different ways.
Geoffrey Rossington: The button literally came from his jacket. His scratched right hand — which he keeps concealed from Maeve during their meeting — matches the scenario of a struggle in which a victim fights back. His social standing means nothing in the face of this physical evidence.
Esme Rossington: The button marks the site of her final struggle. She fought back against her brother, and in that fight, she tore the button from his jacket. The button is the last trace of her resistance.
Maeve Dunagin: Maeve finds the button because she is willing to look closely at an unpleasant space. She is not deterred by the mess or the smell. Her attention to detail — and her willingness to go back to the toolshed after Geoffrey's visit — allows her to connect the evidence and push Officer Muldoon to investigate Geoffrey more seriously. The button reinforces Maeve's role as a careful observer who acts on her instincts.
Sinead: The dog's aggressive reaction to Geoffrey at the inn is Maeve's first clue that something is wrong. Sinead bites Geoffrey's shin badly enough to draw blood. Later, the dog feces in the toolshed show that Sinead was locked in the shed with Esme for many hours, probably overnight. The button, together with Sinead's behavior, builds a case that Geoffrey is responsible for both the assault and the murder.
Officer Muldoon: The button is what finally convinces Muldoon to take Maeve's theory seriously. He had been focused on Reggie, who confessed to poisoning Esme but denied strangling her. The button shifts the investigation toward Geoffrey.
Therese Dunagin: Though Therese is not present when the button is found, the resolution of Esme's murder — made possible by the button — is part of the larger reconciliation journey that Maeve and Therese undertake together. Maeve's willingness to investigate, even without her sister by her side, reflects the growing independence that Therese's presence in Ireland has inspired.
Theme Connections
The button is deeply tied to several of the novel's central themes.
Family Secrets and Legacy: The Rossington family has a long history of hidden shame, from the treatment of Kathleen Connor as an illegitimate daughter to the unresolved violence of Delia's death in 1926. The button is the physical manifestation of a secret that the family has tried to bury — the truth that Geoffrey killed his own sister. It cannot be hidden or explained away.
Financial Exploitation: Geoffrey's motive for killing Esme is financial: he plans to contest the will and claim the estate for himself. The button reveals that his greed led him to violence. The theme of family members exploiting one another for money runs throughout the novel, from Mary Helen's crafted funeral plan to Therese's theft from Maeve's purse. The button is the endpoint of that exploitation — where desire for inheritance turns into murder.
Sibling Reconciliation: Maeve's work in solving Esme's murder mirrors her growing ability to trust her own judgment and take risks. This growth is tied to her improved relationship with Therese. The button represents a moment when Maeve acts decisively, building the confidence that allows her to forgive Therese and repair their bond.
Risk and Transformation: Maeve could have left the toolshed without looking closely. She could have assumed, like Muldoon initially did, that Reggie was the sole perpetrator. Instead, she takes the risk of investigating further, and that risk leads to the truth. The button is the reward for her willingness to engage with the uncomfortable.
Emigration and Heritage: The Harris Tweed jacket represents the old-world aristocratic culture that Kathleen Connor fled when she emigrated to America in 1926. That same culture, embodied by Geoffrey, is shown to be corrupt and violent. The button connects the Rossington family's present-day crime to the historical injustices that drove Kathleen away.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does the button reveal about Geoffrey Rossington’s character that his words and actions at the inn do not?
At the inn, Geoffrey presents himself as a wronged party — the aggrieved brother who plans to sue Maeve over Esme's will. He hides his scratched right hand in his pocket and refuses to shake Maeve's hand. The button, however, reveals the truth behind this performance. It shows that Geoffrey was physically present in the toolshed during a violent struggle, that he is capable of using force against an elderly woman, and that he tries to conceal evidence of his violence. The button strips away his polite, aristocratic facade and exposes him as a killer.
2. Why is the button’s specific material — braided leather from a Harris Tweed jacket — significant to the story?
The button's material matters because it ties the crime to Geoffrey's social identity. Harris Tweed is a fabric associated with wealth, tradition, and landed gentry. By using a button from such a jacket, the story suggests that the same family that claims status and heritage is hiding violence behind its respectable front. The custom-tailored nature of the jacket also means the button is distinctive — not an ordinary button that could be excused as belonging to anyone. It is specific to Geoffrey.
3. How does the button function as a counterpoint to the portrait of Lady Geraldine as an object of value in the story?
The portrait of Lady Geraldine is a valuable, beautiful object that carries the weight of family history and artistic worth. The button is the opposite: a cheap, broken, overlooked piece of debris. Yet the button ends up being more important to the resolution of the mystery than the portrait ever is. The portrait represents the public, curated version of family history; the button represents the hidden, violent truth. Together, they show that the real story of a family is not found in its treasures but in the small, ugly things it tries to discard.
4. What does Maeve’s decision to photograph the button and show it to Muldoon reveal about her character development across the novel?
Early in the story, Maeve is cautious, rule-bound, and reluctant to take risks. She has spent years as a caregiver and a professor, following the path laid out for her. Photographing the button and arguing with Muldoon about its significance shows a different Maeve — one who trusts her own observations, who pushes back against authority, and who is willing to be seen as difficult or interfering in order to pursue justice. This confidence grows directly from her experiences in Ireland, including her reconciliation with Therese, her relationship with Liam Grogan, and her decision to write Kathleen's story. The button is a small object, but Maeve's response to it demonstrates that she is no longer the woman who waits for permission to act.