The Last Garden in England

Diana is overcome with grief and with guilt. She believes that Robin’s death is her fault, that her desire to keep him close and her negligence in ridding the winter garden of poisonous plants is to blame. Cynthia confronts her, claiming that she is neglecting her duties and her own care in the selfishness of her grieving.

Cynthia’s words reach Diana, at least momentarily. When Stella brings Diana’s supper (she has not been eating, but the housekeeper cajoles her to try), Diana asks about Bobby. Stella says that Bobby has been mostly silent, retreating into himself. After Stella leaves, Diana begins to cry.

Venetia has lost track of time: She is confined to Highbury House after losing her pregnancy in the gardens. Though the doctor attempts to soothe her by saying she might yet be able to bear children, Venetia mourns the loss of her daughter—as well as the forfeiture of her professional and personal reputation. It has been impossible to keep the knowledge of Venetia’s condition from the Melcourts. Matthew bursts into her sick room, demanding to know what happened. Mrs. Melcourt has kept the truth from him, and Venetia asks him to leave. She cannot bring herself to ruin his reputation, as well.

Mrs. Melcourt believes that Venetia seduced Matthew. She assures Venetia that Matthew “will not marry you” (284). Venetia has already resigned herself to this fact. Still, she displays some of her typical spirit when Mrs. Melcourt claims she is not good enough for Matthew. Venetia reminds Mrs. Melcourt that she, too, is a gentleman’s daughter—and one with talent, as well. Nevertheless, she knows that, as soon as she is able, she must leave Highbury House behind.

Emma waits for her interview with the Royal Botanical Heritage Society. She thinks of all of the reasons she should take the job. Charlie texts her about work at the gardens, saying he has everything handled for the day.

That evening, she heads over to Charlie’s narrow boat, where he lives. She tells him about the interview—and that she turned down the job offer. Instead, she wants Charlie to be her business partner, not just her employee. Charlie surmises that Emma also wants to stay in Highbury. He encourages her, teasingly, to ask Henry out on a proper date.

Father Devlin comes to see Diana, who is resting in Robin’s room. Her grief is slowly lifting, but she is still angry about her losses and about the war. Father Devlin suggests that perhaps Diana is mourning her loss of purpose. He gently takes her hand and leads her out into the garden. She protests as he directs her toward the winter garden, but he assures her that he would not wish to hurt her further.

She sees Bobby, playing with one of Robin’s toy cars, inside the winter garden. Father Devlin notes that a boy like Bobby, who has lost both of his parents and his best friend, might struggle to find a purpose in life, as well. Diana begins talking to Bobby and asks him for a hug. All of a sudden, her purpose seems clear.

Venetia has been confined to her room for two weeks now; she feels imprisoned. Matthew does not come to see her.

The following Monday, Venetia decides to go out into the gardens, even though Mrs. Melcourt has forbidden it. She heads straight for the winter garden, sad that she will never see it finished. Mr. Hillock approaches her, however, and urges her to complete the sketches and choose the plantings; he will see it finished to her specifications. He understands that she needs closure and suggests that the garden should be a place of memory. Venetia knows that the Melcourts would refuse; Mr. Hillock says they never need to know.

Stella is terrified that she will not be able to nurture Bobby through all of his grief. Losing both of his parents, then his best friend, is too much for either of them to handle. She realizes, though, that she must try, which means that she must give up her plans for leaving Highbury House. She takes all of her posters of foreign places, as well as her correspondence course materials, to the kitchen and begins feeding paper into the stove fires. She is interrupted by Mrs. Symonds, who stops her.

Mrs. Symonds is surprised to see that Stella has been taking courses; she is impressed by her initiative. Stella finally admits that she has always wanted to leave Highbury, though she emphasizes her gratitude for having the employment at the house. After listening to Stella’s thwarted plans—she wants to live in London, work as a secretary, and travel—Mrs. Symonds gives her an alternative: Bobby can stay at Highbury House, so Stella can pursue her dreams. Stella is uncertain, so Mrs. Symonds gives her until the end of the week to decide.

Venetia works all hours of the day and night in order to complete her vision for the winter garden. Mr. Hillock brings her sustenance so she may keep sketching. Matthew still has not come to see her. So, she focuses on her winter garden.

Stella is cooking and talking with Beth, who has dropped by with some deliveries. Beth still does not know where she and Graeme will settle. Mrs. Symonds arrives, with Bobby in tow, informing Stella that the headmaster believes that Bobby is faring a bit better. Stella does not know what to say and turns back to dinner preparations after they leave. The hospital cook, Mrs. George, suggests that Stella does not realize that taking care of Bobby helps Mrs. Symonds as much as it does Bobby—or Stella herself.

In a series of letter exchanges, it becomes clear that Beth has made the acquaintance of Lord Walford. A friend of Captain Hastings, Lord Walford lives at a nearby manor and grows prize-winning orchids—a bouquet of which the captain brought to Beth on the night of their proposal. In the final letter, Lord Walford talks of looking forward to seeing Graeme and hoping Beth will consider his offer.

Captain Hastings finally gets leave to visit Beth in Highbury. She insists on taking him to Braembridge Manor, where they exchange pleasantries with Lord Walford. He then returns to his orchids, handing Beth a key. She leads Graeme to a cottage on the property and opens the door: this is what Lord Walford has offered, their potential home. Graeme informs her that he has taken a posting in London, where he will have a steady job rather than the life of an itinerant soldier. They will accept the cottage, but before they tell Lord Walford, they must attend to each other.

Venetia takes a stroll around her gardens, enjoying the unseasonably bright and relatively warm weather. She is enthusiastic about the potential, especially of the winter garden: It will look beautiful, even in the depths of the bitterest months. She is interrupted by the arrival of Matthew.

Venetia says that she has nothing more to say to him. He claims that Mrs. Melcourt said Venetia did not want to see him; she is incredulous that he believed his sister, who has been trying to keep them apart from the beginning. Venetia informs him that she is leaving that day; she must distance herself from the place where her daughter did not survive. Matthew is startled; he was never told that the child was a girl. Venetia had planned to name her Celeste, after the pet name her father used to call her mother. Venetia is planting the seeds of the rose she and Matthew had crossed, back in the spring. She wants to call the new rose “Beautiful Celeste.”

Venetia begins to cry, and Matthew holds her, apologizing for everything. He declares his love for her and pulls her close to him. When she lists all of the reasons they should not marry, he refuses all of them: As long as they are together, they will be happy. Venetia suggests that they go to America. Matthew proposes again.

Diana has come back from London, where she has taken care of some business. She has secured Cynthia a new position at another hospital in Wales. Diana is to take over the convalescent hospital at Highbury House.

Then she approaches Stella with some papers: She wishes to adopt Bobby. Bobby would, in turn, eventually inherit Highbury House. Stella feels guilty, and she hesitates, but Diana insists. Bobby would have a good, loving home where he would be well provided for, while Stella would be able to realize her hopes and dreams. Stella finally agrees, though she decides that she will sever all ties with Bobby. She also suggests that Bobby now be called Robert, a more formal name for someone of higher social status.

Henry visits Emma in the gardens at Highbury House. He has learned that Emma will indeed take on the kitchen garden—as Charlie, her new business partner, insisted—and they discuss her plans as she is digging in the winter garden. She hits something that sounds like metal, and they unearth a tin box: inside are photographs, toys, and papers. Sydney comes out of the house to join them.

The papers are adoption papers, signed by Stella Adderton and Diana Symonds, witnessed by Beth Pedley. While nobody knows who Stella is, Sydney knows that Diana is her great-grandmother—and, surprisingly, that her grandfather was adopted. One of Beth’s sketches that Henry gave to Emma is of two boys playing in the winter garden. Sydney and the others infer that Diana’s biological son, Robin, whose name is also in the family Bible, must have died.

Also in the tin box is a key to the winter garden, which nobody has been able to locate heretofore. The restoration can continue.

In addition, Sydney discovers Emma’s secret: She has found a cottage to buy in Highbury. Emma, in turn, discovers Venetia’s secret: The man she married, Spencer Smith, is actually Matthew Goddard. Matthew’s middle name is Spencer, and he took Venetia’s family name, Smith, as his own. Venetia exiled herself to America because of love. Emma is thrilled to know more about Venetia’s story, the mentor she has long admired. Henry asks when he can take Emma out for drinks; her reply is to walk over to him and kiss him. Emma suggests they skip casual drinks and “go straight to dinner” (342).

Diana has no regrets about adopting Bobby. Stella has written, but the letters are addressed to her, not Bobby, so she knows that Stella is moving on with her life. She and Bobby are finishing putting items into their tin box, a treasure chest that they will bury in the winter garden. Bobby, or Robert as Diana now calls him, puts Bobby’s favorite toy truck in the box, while Diana puts in some pictures, some papers, and one of the two keys to the winter garden. The other key she flings into the river.

As the two walk back to the house, Robert asks if he can call Diana “Mummy.” Diana, of course, says yes.

A man and a woman disembark from a ship after an Atlantic crossing. She thinks back to all that she has left behind in England, especially her beloved winter garden which will always remind her of Celeste. Still, her future beckons, and now that the Royal Botanical Heritage Society has agreed to admit women into their ranks, she will be writing for their journal.

She glances over at her beloved, reminding herself to call him Spencer now, not Matthew. Here in America, he will be Spencer Smith, her husband.