March 1907 — Chapter 15 Summary, Themes, 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.
⚠️ This page contains major plot details from The Dictionary of Lost Words, including the resolution of Esme's pregnancy and the fate of her child. If you have not finished the novel, consider reading this chapter first before continuing.
Summary
In March 1907, Esme leaves Oxford by train for Bath, with Da accompanying her to the platform. Their farewell is wordless and heavy with unspoken grief; Da touches her face and holds her hands, and Esme realises she will return home permanently changed. Beth meets her at Bath station and takes her to the terraced house she shares with her sister Ditte, a property left to them so they would never have to marry.
After a week of settling in, Beth begins hosting afternoon teas with visiting scholars. Esme is introduced as Ditte's research assistant, a cover story that allows her to remain in company while her pregnancy stays hidden. At the first tea, three gentlemen call: Professor Leyton Chisholm, Mr. Philip Brooks, and Mr. Shaw-Smith. Beth announces she is writing a novel called A Dragoon's Wife, a seventeenth-century romance she plans to make steamier, delighting in the young Mr. Shaw-Smith's discomfort. Philip's wife, Sarah Brooks, arrives later and immediately insists Esme call her Sarah. She is short, blunt, and drives the motorcar herself.
Over the following month, Esme meets many more people through the sisters' teas. When her belly becomes too difficult to conceal, Ditte gives her a gold ring and a false identity as her niece, then sends her on research trips to archives in London and Cambridge. The ring, Esme discovers, makes her pregnant body socially acceptable; attendants let her pass without question. She takes the research seriously and, despite herself, begins to enjoy the independence.
In June, the sisters reveal their plan: Sarah and Philip Brooks, unable to have a child of their own, would make good parents for Esme's baby. Esme is winded by the news and cannot find words for what she feels. Sarah visits and tells Esme she may change her mind at any time, that this will be harder for her than for anyone. Esme weeps in Sarah's arms.
Sarah takes Esme to a cricket match, where Philip is playing for Somerset. Sarah explains it was Philip's idea to bring her, that he wanted to demonstrate his credentials for fatherhood. Esme observes his firm, careful handshake and begins to trust him.
One Tuesday, Esme's waters break in the kitchen. Sarah takes charge, helping Esme change and advising her to swear loudly during labour, calling it cathartic. Esme gives birth to a daughter. The midwife warns against Esme seeing the baby, calling it a