The House at Riverton

When Deborah’s maid finds signs of the affair, Deborah confronts Hannah, threatening to expose family secrets and have Robbie killed if the relationship continues. Shaken, Hannah sends Grace with a letter to arrange a final meeting with Robbie at the British Museum, where she breaks off the affair.

The household prepares to leave for Riverton. Emmeline tells Hannah she has loved Robbie since childhood and claims him for herself. Knowing that Robbie doesn’t love Emmeline, Hannah tries to dissuade her, warning that he is dangerous due to his trauma. Emmeline refuses to listen. Grace learns that Alfred has married Lucy Starling and commits herself to protecting Hannah during the move.

In 1999, Grace visits Riverton with Ursula Ryan and sees the manor refashioned as a tourist site. The visit stirs memories of 1924 when Grace returned to a neglected Riverton.

In 1924, Hannah arrives at the estate, writing to Robbie in secret. She persuades Teddy to barricade the path to the lake and plans a grand Midsummer’s Night party. Grace remembers how, after the shooting at the party, Robbie’s death is ruled as suicide and Hannah withdraws in grief. She later reveals she is pregnant. Emmeline dies in a car crash soon after, and when Grace tells Hannah the news, she responds coldly. Hannah dies giving birth to a daughter, Florence, who is taken to America by Jemima. She is widely believed to be Robbie’s child. Heartbroken, Grace leaves service and takes whatever work she can find in London.

In 1999, Ruth visits Grace, bringing her a letter from Marcus.

In her final days, Grace receives daily visits from Marcus. She reflects on her late-life reunion with Alfred, with whom she lived as a partner for nearly 20 years. Ursula visits and reveals that her grandmother is Florence, Hannah’s daughter, making Grace her half great-aunt.

Grace gives Marcus a final cassette tape to listen to after she dies. The family gathers to watch Ursula’s completed film. As the climactic gunshot sounds, Grace recognizes that the film’s conclusion—Robbie’s suicide—tells the accepted story. She knows the truth is preserved on her tapes for Marcus.

Grace senses her life ending. A figure who is part her mother, part Hannah, appears and offers their hand. Grace takes it and experiences an out-of-body awareness, watching her physical form take a last breath. Ruth and Marcus are present. Grace knows that her “end has come” and “does not mind at all” (449).

After Grace’s death, her final tape recounts the events of June 21, 1924. During the Midsummer’s Night party, a nervous Hannah gives Grace her locket. In Hannah’s room, Grace finds two letters in Hannah’s handwriting, one for herself and one for Emmeline. She opens the one for herself. It contains Hannah’s locket, but she is unable to read the letter written in shorthand. Feeling that the message is urgent, she opens the one for Emmeline. Mistaking this for a suicide note, Grace alerts Emmeline and they run to the lake, where they find Hannah alive near a summer house. Hannah claims the note is part of a game, but Robbie appears with a suitcase, exposing their plan to run away.

Emmeline, betrayed, produces a gun and threatens her own life. Fireworks erupt, triggering Robbie’s combat trauma. He shouts at Hannah to shoot Emmeline to protect their escape. Hannah refuses, and Robbie lunges for the gun. To protect her sister, Hannah shoots Robbie. Teddy and a guest, Lord Gifford, arrive. Emmeline immediately declares that Robbie killed himself, establishing the official story.

Some time after Hannah’s death. Grace deciphers Hannah’s shorthand letter. In it, Hannah explains her plan to fake her suicide to flee with Robbie, leaving a decoy note for Emmeline. It asks Grace to keep Emmeline away from the lake until they are gone.

Hannah’s letter also reveals that the locket contains a key to a bank safe deposit box in Grace’s name. Inside is money meant to give Grace a “new life.” Hannah closes by affirming her trust in Grace, confirming that her last acts were intended to protect both Emmeline’s and Grace’s futures.