After returning to London, Mary is consumed with unresolved feelings for Mr. Hayward. Bound by social custom, she feels powerless to contact him. Her distraction makes her clumsy; she performs household chores poorly, even breaking a fine china plate. During her daily walks, she longs to see Mr. Hayward but is always disappointed.

One afternoon, Mary returns to Gracechurch Street and sees a gentleman’s coat in the hall. Her heart pounds as she races to the drawing room, hoping it is him. Instead, she finds his friend, Mr. Ryder, who has just returned from handling family business in Kent. He reminisces about their time in the Lakes and expresses a desire to travel to Italy. When Mary asks about Mr. Hayward, Mr. Ryder says he has not seen him and presumes he is still with his family. As an excuse to visit again, he promises to bring Mary copies of the Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews.

Mr. Ryder becomes a regular visitor at the Gardiners’ house, but his presence only makes Mary miss Mr. Hayward more intensely. For nearly three weeks, she checks the post daily for a letter that never arrives. Her melancholy is interrupted when