Isabel is much wealthier than Lilian but lacks the latter’s freedom to choose a career path and explore romantic possibilities. How do gender and class intersect in the novel? Does the need to earn an income create greater autonomy for middle- and working-class women?

Isabel and William meet for the first time while watching a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. How does theatricality and performance animate their covert relationship? How does this play foreshadow subsequent plot events?

Lilian’s quest to uncover the truth is facilitated by other female characters (Evelyn, Dotty, Deidre and Agnes). What does this collaboration say about female networks and community? Why are these characters willing to help Lilian?

Compare Lilian with another literary detective (for example, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, or Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache). What aptitudes does she bring to investigation? Do her gender and class support or inhibit her ability to solve the mystery?

Lilian finds herself torn between two romantic prospects, Charlie and Harry. What does each male character represent? How does resolving the love triangle enable Lilian to better understand herself?

Analyze the episode where Lilian visits the mysterious and outlandish home of Ambrose Fane. What does this setting contribute to the novel? Why is it important that Lilian encounter a character living an unconventional life?

Discuss how Julia Chatton Chand’s identity as a daughter and mother might shape her obsessive quest. Why is it significant that her name mirrors that of her deceased brother, Julian? How does her desire to secure the fortune for her son motivate her?

When Lilian finally meets Isabel, she confirms that William was responsible for Julian’s death. What does Isabel’s comment “That’s what real love is, seeing the heart behind the mistake and loving it still” (384) reveal about her vision of true love?