Road Trip

Maeve gives Officer Muldoon her official statement. Muldoon informs her that Reggie is conscious and has accused Maeve of the murder, claiming she and Therese were trying to inherit Esme’s money. A call from the morgue interrupts them; the coroner’s preliminary finding is that Esme died from strangulation. Muldoon questions the motive, finding it hard to see Reggie killing his employer, though he acknowledges Reggie is well known at the substation for petty thievery, public drunkenness, and indecent exposure. Muldoon releases her but instructs her not to leave the country.

Liam is waiting for Maeve outside the police station and takes her to the Willow Tree. The mood in the pub is somber as locals mourn Esme. While they are there, Esme’s lawyer, Billy McCracken says he has important business to discuss with Maeve and her sister. He reveals that they are both beneficiaries of Esme’s estate and have been named the official guardians of her cocker spaniel.

Billy McCracken explains the full terms of the inheritance: Esme has left her entire estate, including the gardener’s cottage, its land, and all other assets, in a trust for her dog. Maeve and Therese are named as Sinead’s guardians. However, the will stipulates that at least one of the sisters must reside in Tarrymore to look after Sinead. McCracken explains that after Therese introduced herself at the Willow Tree, Esme called him to investigate the family connection; his granddaughter Jenny confirmed it online. This prompted Esme to change her will, cutting out the Humane Society, her original intended beneficiary, and naming the sisters instead. Geoffrey had already been excluded. Maeve is shocked and expresses hesitation about upending her life to move to Ireland. He then adds that Esme also owned the Tarrymore Inn, which is now part of the trust. Overwhelmed by the news, Maeve agrees to let McCracken arrange for her to stay in the inn’s owner’s suite.

Needing time to think, Maeve walks through the countryside and stumbles upon the old St. Bonaventure Catholic Church. In the graveyard, she finds the headstone for her great-grandmother Kathleen’s family, John, Bridget, Eileen, and Patsy Connor. Reflecting on her family’s resilience, Maeve feels a sense of clarity and decides to accept the inheritance. She immediately calls Therese, who supports the idea of Maeve staying in Ireland. During the call, Therese confesses that she stole Maeve’s passport and had the inn’s night manager lock it in the hotel safe to keep her in Ireland.

At the Tarrymore Inn, Maeve settles into the owner’s suite and is welcomed by the manager, Shawn Davis. Liam arrives with Maeve’s forgotten carry-on bag and supplies for Sinead. Maeve tells him she has decided to stay in Ireland and now has her passport back. They have sex. Afterward, Maeve explains that her decision was cemented by finding her ancestors’ graves and by a Mary Oliver poem about fully living her “one wild and precious life” (402). She tells Liam that he and Sinead are a “sercy,” a Southern term for an unexpected gift.

Geoffrey confronts Maeve in the inn lobby, declaring his intention to contest Esme’s will. During the confrontation, Sinead viciously attacks Geoffrey, biting his shin and drawing blood. Maeve notices that the back of his right hand has deep scratches. Her suspicions aroused, Maeve goes to the toolshed at the gardener’s cottage, finds the crime-scene tape broken, and discovers a braided-leather button from a tweed jacket.

She takes her evidence and suspicions to Officer Muldoon, who reveals a new development: The coroner found rat poison in Esme’s system. Muldoon explains that Reggie has confessed to poisoning Esme. He intended to make her sick and dependent on him, and he tried to scare off the sisters by slashing their tires. However, he continues to deny the murder. Muldoon also notes that Reggie had no scratches and nothing relevant under his fingernails. Maeve insists they investigate Geoffrey, pointing to Sinead’s attack, the scratches, and the button as evidence.

A week later, Geoffrey has been arrested and charged with Esme’s murder after he was caught trying to sell some of his sister’s jewelry at a pawn shop in Dublin, two days after confronting Maeve at the inn. McCracken gives Maeve a tour of the gardener’s cottage, which is in a state of severe disrepair with mildew and water damage. McCracken presents her with a kitten to serve as a “rodent control officer” (412). As Maeve surveys the house and plans extensive renovations, she worries about the cost. McCracken reassures her that Esme’s estate contains significant assets, far more than Esme had led anyone to believe. Maeve also learns of a vintage Jaguar on the property, and she begins texting photos of the cottage to Therese.

Maeve returns to Savannah to finalize her affairs. She finds that Therese and Scotty are now a serious couple and that the bank has forgiven their mother’s mortgage, leaving Therese with full ownership of the house. Maeve explains she needs to sell her own carriage house, pack her belongings for Ireland, and have Therese sign estate documents. She also brings news about the portrait of Lady Geraldine: An anonymous donor has offered $750,000 to buy it and return it to Tarrymore manor. After discussing the benefits of a direct sale over an auction, the sisters agree to ask for at least $800,000.

Six months later, Maeve prepares for her wedding to Liam in the gardener’s cottage at Tarrymore. She wears her maternal grandmother Julia Mary’s wedding gown, while her mother’s veil completes the look. Her maid of honor, Therese, wears a vintage flapper-style gown that once belonged to Delia. As her “something blue,” Therese gives Maeve a sapphire and pearl brooch from their mother’s jewelry box, which they realize is the valuable, 14-karat gold pin Delia gave to Kathleen.

Before the ceremony at the newly restored St. Bonaventure church, Maeve reveals that Liam’s brother Luke was the anonymous donor who bought the Lady Geraldine portrait and returned it to the manor house. She also reveals that she bought Geoffrey’s Rolls-Royce after he was arrested for Esme’s murder. The sisters visit their ancestors’ graves, reflecting on how Therese pushing Maeve to take the trip to Ireland led to this moment. Their Uncle Keith walks a joyous Maeve down the aisle, and she and Liam are married.