The Book Club for Troublesome Women

As Margaret is preparing to leave for the book club, Walt surprises her by arriving home early. Margaret is worried that something bad has happened, but Walt pulls her into bed, saying that he missed her.

Later, Margaret and Viv go to Bitsy’s. King leaves in a huff just as they walk in, and Bitsy tells them that she is getting a divorce. She also reveals that she isn’t pregnant, as she originally suspected; her period arrived that morning. Viv and Margaret are worried, but Bitsy proclaims that she feels free. The Bettys mix drinks and settle in to discuss Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. Afterward, Margaret and Viv walk home together. Margaret proclaims her sadness that Charlotte couldn’t make it and that Bitsy will eventually move away; Viv encourages her to make peace with change.

Margaret returns home to a phone call from a frantic Denise. She tells Margaret about the pictures and how she has not been able to get through to Charlotte all day.

Margaret immediately rushes to Charlotte’s house. She feels a sense of dread when she finds the door unlocked, “the normally cluttered home in a state of perfect order” (280), and the phone left off the hook.