68 pages • 2-hour read
The Rose Bargain
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Chapters 8-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide depicts physical and emotional abuse, illness, graphic violence, and sexually explicit scenes.
Chapter 8 Summary
In the throne room, alone with Mor, Ivy asks to undo Lydia’s bargain, but Mor refuses; she also declines to reveal the details of Lydia’s bargain. Mor also claims that Lydia wasn’t in the Otherworld, as the door has been locked for 400 years. Ivy reflects on the fact that faeries supposedly cannot lie, then asks about Bram’s arrival from the Otherworld. The queen says that Bram’s passage through the door was an exception. At Mor’s urging Ivy admits that her biggest fear is failing her family. Mor offers various things to improve the family’s finances, but Ivy refuses to make a Rose Bargain.
Later, as Ivy and her mother take a carriage home, Ivy notices that her cut is completely healed. She admits that she didn’t bargain, which disappoints her mother.
Ivy visits Lydia’s room late that night and confesses her doubts that she can win the contest . Privately, she recalls a blood pact that she and Lydia made when they were young girls. Lydia promised to marry Lord Chapwick’s son, Percival, saying that Ivy could live with them. However, after Lydia’s debut, she turned down Percival’s offer because “it didn’t feel right” (65), and he married someone else.
Now, Lydia says she cannot recall anything about her disappearance; she apologizes for not protecting Ivy. Ivy reflects that their male second cousin will inherit their father’s title if she and Lydia remain unmarried. Lydia disapproves of Ivy’s decision to avoid making a bargain. The sisters discuss the incident in which Emmett hit Ivy with his carriage. They also speculate about his scandalous reputation.
Chapter 9 Summary
On the palace grounds the next morning, Ivy meets Viscountess Bolingbroke, the debutantes’ chaperone. The other debutantes have already arrived. The young women are housed in Caledonia Cottage at the edge of the grounds. Ivy and Faith are roommates.
Over lunch, the young women talk about their bargains. Greer received a more beautiful face in exchange for never being able to turn left. Olive gained perfect teeth in exchange for losing all her fingernails. Marion lies and claims to have been cured of her migraines in exchange for not being able to smell flowers. Emmy has received the talent of painting in exchange for not being able to taste sweets. Faith refuses to discuss her bargain and storms out of the room, and Ivy admits that she didn’t make a bargain.
Bolingbroke orders the girls to prepare for the ball. Ivy recalls her mother saying that Faith is a ballerina and an illegitimate daughter of Lord Carrington. Ivy tries to make conversation with Faith, but Faith declares that they are not friends and orders Ivy to stay out of her way.
The ball takes place at the Twombley residence. The debutantes are only allowed to dance with Bram. Ivy sees her mother wearing a tiara with fake jewels; the real ones have been sold. When Bram and Emmett arrive, Bram chooses to dance with Marion first. Olive cries because she was overlooked, and Greer comforts her.
Ivy talks with other debutantes about their bargains. Althea became more beautiful in exchange for having perpetually cold hands and feet. Fiona received a more beautiful singing voice, but she will vomit anytime she sees a frog. Ivy repeats that she didn’t make a bargain. She excuses herself and tries to go to the garden, but Bolingbroke stops her, so Ivy heads towards the bathroom instead. On the way, Emmett grabs her and pulls her into an empty room.
Chapter 10 Summary
Emmett apologizes for grabbing her. Ivy reflects that her reputation would be ruined if she were found alone in a room with Emmett; she asks him to leave her alone. He asks if she cheated at the May Queen competition, and she says she didn’t. They talk about the first time they met, and Ivy promises to replace the coat stained with her blood. As Ivy starts to open the door, Emmett tries to stop her, but suddenly, they both fall into the hallway when Bram opens the door from the other side. Behind him is Faith, who looks upset.
Chapter 11 Summary
Faith storms off, and Emmett follows her. Bram asks if Ivy is all right. She apologizes, explaining that she ran into Emmett in the hallway. Bram asks Ivy to dance, and they waltz together, although Ivy struggles with the steps. As the dance ends, Ivy thanks Bram for healing her cut. He expresses his gratitude that she would bleed for him. When Faith and Bram dance together, Ivy can see that Faith has been crying. Emmett is nowhere to be found.
Back at their cottage, the debutantes retire for the night. Shortly afterward, a woman named Lottie wakes Ivy and takes her through a secret passage to an underground tunnel that ends in Emmett’s bedroom. Emmett introduces Ivy to his ugly dog, Pig. Lottie leaves. Emmett asks Ivy why she dislikes him, and she explains that he upset Lydia at the Vaughn’s ball two years ago by telling her that she didn’t belong at the party. Emmett explains that he meant this as a compliment because he hates most people he meets at balls.
Emmett relays Bram’s observation of Ivy’s terrible dancing, then offers to teach her. As they waltz, they ask each other questions in a quid pro quo fashion. Ivy asks why Emmett is bothering her, and he says he needs her to win the contest and will help her do so. He asks why she wore boots to the Pact Parade, and she admits that her family has lost their fortune. Next, he admits that his father has a plan, and only someone like Ivy can make it come true.
Ivy admits that she never made a Rose Bargain because the queen wouldn’t take back Lydia’s bargain. She shares that Lydia’s disappearance and cover story ruined her family’s reputation. Emmett says he’ll never make a bargain. When Ivy admits that she hates Queen Mor, Emmett shares his father’s bargain: to legitimize Emmett as a prince in exchange for never being able to speak to Emmett again. Emmett and his father, Edgar, haven’t spoken since Emmett was eight. However, Edgar left notes for Emmett in books, explaining his plan to unseat the queen.
Emmett shows Ivy the notes. They indicate that if another woman is crowned twice (just as Mor is Queen of the Otherworld and Queen of England), Mor’s bargains will be voided. If Ivy wins May Queen and Bram’s hand in marriage, she will technically be crowned twice. Emmett needs to make sure that the May Queen winner is also the one to marry Bram. Ivy doesn’t think she can win and admits to being scared. Emmett holds her shoulders and reassures her that she can become queen.
Chapter 12 Summary
The next day, the girls attend etiquette lessons and a dinner with the queen. Mor presents a newspaper story about them. When Bram arrives, he tells Mor about his unsuccessful hunt that day. Mor tells the debutantes that she is determined to ensure that Bram is happy with his wife. Bram then lists the qualities he desires: dedication, cleverness, determination, and honesty.
After Bram leaves, Mor orders each girl to let one tear fall into a wine glass as a way of magically promising to remain silent about the queen’s upcoming lessons. Emmy pulls out an eyelash to make herself cry. After depositing the required tears, the debutantes leave. The queen knocks the tear-filled glass off the table, and it shatters.
Chapter 13 Summary
The following day, Bolingbroke leads etiquette lessons in word games, riddles, and math. Ivy, distracted by her family’s financial woes, struggles to pay attention. Marion allows Ivy to copy from her notes. The debutantes then meet the queen on the south lawn, where Bolingbroke announces that they will be completing a hedge maze. Ivy recalls that the faeries love games and have invented many human games.
Once inside the maze, Emmy tries to climb the walls, and Greer struggles because she can’t turn left. When Ivy goes off alone, she sees Faith and Emmett arguing. Faith walks away, pushing Ivy into the wall of the maze. Emmett tells Ivy to flirt with Bram, then calls Bram over and asks Ivy to repeat a funny thing she was supposedly telling him. Ivy can only think to say that shrimps’ hearts are in their heads; she then runs off. When Ivy arrives at the center of the maze, Bram has already claimed the trophy. Emmett arrives next, tackles Bram, and jokes that Bram always has to win.
Interlude 1 Summary: “Olive Lisonbee”
Olive is homesick, so she gets up late at night to bake. She is afraid of the dark and always has a lantern lit in her bedroom, which she shares with Marion. Feeling inferior to the other debutantes, Olive regrets choosing a perfect smile for her bargain. However, she doesn’t mind her lack of fingernails, as it is now easier to work dough. She longs to be a princess, is infatuated with Bram, and has been sending him her baked goods. Suddenly, a footman approaches and pours the contents of a vial down her throat. Olive passes out and wakes up to find herself outside, still in her nightgown, with the other five debutantes. Olive realizes that this is Mor’s first lesson.
Chapter 14 Summary
A footman brings the debutantes a note from the queen, which states that the prize is in the middle of the hedge maze. The queen sits at a distance watching with opera glasses. Ivy feels along the walls of the maze in the dark while Greer runs off and Olive cries. More walls magically spring from the ground, separating Ivy from Olive. The other girls cry out, and Ivy realizes they have all been separated. When Olive screams, Ivy starts running. She sees Greer struggling because she can’t turn left.
Another maze wall springs up, cutting Ivy’s hands and knocking her to the ground. She feels a sudden shooting pain through her body. After she gets up, a swan appears and attacks her. Ivy takes a sword that the maze spits out, then beheads the swan, which collapses into dust. She hears screams and laughter from the other girls and finds herself trapped on all sides by hedges. Magically, a series of riddles appears on the walls, and Ivy answers them all correctly, until she is stumped by a math question. Suddenly, the walls begin to close in. When she climbs a wall, a vine pulls her to the ground. The words on the wall change and ask for a secret. Ivy admits to being afraid, and one of the walls opens. She runs down the new path, and after hurdling a series of magical obstacles, Ivy sees a table with a golden goblet. She runs toward it and sees Emmy doing the same. Meanwhile, Greer must go the long way around because she can’t turn left. Faith runs into Ivy, and they fall. When Emmy claims the goblet, the maze disappears. Mor approaches and congratulates Emmy, whose prize is to have a private dinner with Bram two days later. Everyone else will see Bram at the Grosvernor Cup Regatta the next day. As Mor walks away, she tells them to keep the maze a secret.
Chapters 8-14 Analysis
This section includes the first unnumbered interlude that is narrated by someone other than Ivy. In this minor section, the author features Olive’s point of view, portraying her as being far more innocent and trusting than Ivy. Because Olive believes that she has fallen in love with Bram at first sight, she will now do anything to be with him, and this belief fuels her fierce determination to win the contest. However, even her more naïve reflections illustrate her understanding of the Societal Limitations on Victorian Women, for she muses, “Being a princess seemed a more palatable prospect than being a wife” (112). The emphasis of the word “wife” in this passage conveys Olive’s sheer distaste for the role, and it is clear that she much prefers her romanticized idea of becoming royalty and wielding true social power in a world where she would otherwise remain largely powerless.
The circumstances of Mor’s contest also render the debutantes—Olive included—more desperate to win. Because the contest’s losers are forbidden from ever marrying someone else, they all risk remaining unmarried and therefore losing the right to inherit their families’ assets and titles. In Ivy’s family, for example, if she and Lydia remain spinsters, their father’s title will automatically go to a male second cousin. By forcing the debutantes to risk losing their futures, Queen Mor creates a cruel, unbalanced contest that will doom many women to harder lives; this set of circumstances, while fantastical in nature, vividly illustrates the historical complications of Victorian inheritance laws.
As the debutantes who have already made Rose Bargains begin to deal with the consequences of their agreements, the novel’s focus on The Hidden Costs of Bargains becomes abundantly clear. Although a few of the women, such as Olive and Emmy, can easily bear the prices that Queen Mor demands of them, others are not so lucky. For example, Greer gains a more beautiful face in exchange for losing the ability to turn left—a critical detail that prevents her from conquering the hedge mazes. Likewise, Prince Consort Edgar’s inability to speak to his son demonstrates the true extent of Queen Mor’s cruelty, for in her callous bargain inflicts harm upon her own human family members. Bereft of his father’s presence, Emmett has grown desperate for love—and as the narrative will soon reveal, he is also susceptible to Bram’s machinations. Overall, the price of each bargain is “random” and “completely reliant on the queen’s whims” (71). She also uses deliberately deceptive wording so that the true consequences of the bargains are not immediately apparent.
These dynamics make it clear that Queen Moryen enjoys toying with humans for her own entertainment, and her callous approach to ruling the human realm of England therefore demonstrates The Ruinous Impact of Upper-Class Corruption. Because Moryen is immortal, she has reigned over in England for hundreds of years before Ivy was born, and the fae monarch’s resulting ennui and boredom with her circumstances has fueled her perverse desire to stir up senseless conflicts amongst her human subjects. As Faith cynically asserts, “After four hundred years, I think [the queen] must be running out of ideas” (80). Moryen’s form of entertainment is primarily based upon her habit of using bargains to trick and torture humans, and because her own immortality allows her to remain immune from the consequences of her actions, she often acts cruelly and unfairly.
As the novel unfolds, even the visual details and trappings of each scene reflect the class-based disparities amongst the characters, and the use of jewelry comes to symbolize different aspects of socioeconomic status and power. For example, Ivy’s mother wears a tiara with fake jewels to the ball because she has been forced to sell off the family’s real jewels to make ends meet. Having real jewels indicates a higher socioeconomic class and greater wealth. However, in a darker twist on this theme, Queen Mor wears a crown made of teeth rather than jewels, and this grisly ornament represents her cruel power over human lives. In a world in which everyone is posturing in the public forum of the queen’s court, individual ornaments and forms of dress take on greater significance, delivering unspoken messages with serious political and social implications.
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