The Story She Left Behind

Clara confronts Charlie about the painting and accuses him of playing a game with her. A confused Charlie assures her that he doesn’t know more than he’s let on but suggests that they ask his cousin Isolde. Outside her cottage, Clara is shocked when she sees that Isolde is Bronwyn. They race into each other’s arms.

Bronwyn explains that she isn’t Charlie’s second cousin and invites them in so that she can tell them the full story. Inside, Clara studies the space and wonders about her mother’s past. Bronwyn assures her that she’s always loved her and that every choice she made has been for Clara. Clara becomes suddenly upset and accuses Bronwyn of choosing a life without her and Timothy. Bronwyn insists that in light of the fire, she had to leave. She also assures Charlie that although they’re unrelated, she’s always loved him, too.

Everyone starts asking Bronwyn questions. Wynnie wants to know about Emjie and Bronwyn’s pages. Clara admits that they were stolen, but Bronwyn isn’t upset. Then, Pippa joins them, and Bronwyn says she’s going to explain everything.

Bronwyn tells her story. In 1915, she met Callum while camping at Lake Sunapee. She was with her boyfriend Brian Davis at the time. They were fighting because Brian was moving to New York and Bronwyn didn’t want to go. (She was living in Boston at the time.) Then, Callum and his friend emerged from the woods, having gotten lost on a hike. Callum and Bronwyn got to talking and formed a connection. When Callum realized how abusive Bronwyn’s relationship was, he encouraged her to leave. Brian’s biography was his revenge against Bronwyn for leaving, but she admits that much of it was true.

When Bronwyn was 17, Martha admitted her to a psychiatric hospital. The experience almost killed her. After the fire in 1927, Bronwyn was convinced that she’d be hospitalized again—for both the fireman’s death and Clara’s injuries. She cut her hair, dressed in men’s clothes, and faked her death to avoid that fate. She admits that she feared dying by suicide if she didn’t leave; she knew that she wouldn’t survive another ward. Needing help, she sailed to England and reconnected with Callum. They had stayed in touch on and off over the years, and Callum always said that she could come to him for help. He invited her into his home when she appeared on his doorstep. (Pippa was away at the time.) He then offered to hide her identity so that she’d be safe; she told him that she couldn’t return home. Bronwyn assures Pippa that Callum was always in love with her and that he and Bronwyn were only good friends.

Bronwyn knows that she’s causing her family and friends pain but continues her story. She assures Clara, Pippa, Charlie, and Wynnie that she loves all of them. Clara gets upset and bursts out in anger. She accuses Bronwyn of abandoning her and failing to return even years after the fire. Bronwyn tries to explain that she had to choose to settle down. Wynnie interrupts, asking Bronwyn about her sequel. Bronwyn says that they can translate it, but she hasn’t written since the fire.

Clara walks back to the Jamesons’ house and calls Timothy with the news about Bronwyn. He’s shocked and overwhelmed, agreeing to come overseas as soon as possible. Then, she calls Nat’s work. She hasn’t heard from him at all. His boss tells Clara that he doesn’t work there anymore but that he saw him at the pub.

That night, Clara lies awake thinking about everything she’s discovered. Restless, she joins Charlie in the drawing room downstairs. He plays music, and they talk. They eventually retreat to Charlie’s room and have sex.

In the morning, Pippa tells Clara that she thinks Charlie is falling in love with her. Then, she shares her heartbreak over Bronwyn’s story. She can’t believe how much Bronwyn suffered and urges Clara to forgive her. Clara realizes that she’s right.

Bronwyn and Wynnie take a walk and talk about Emjie, Beatrix Potter, stories, and magic. Bronwyn encourages Wynnie not to hide her imagination because it makes her special. She suggests that Wynnie try inventing words, too.

While Clara waits for Timothy’s arrival, she spends time with Bronwyn. They take walks, discuss the past, and make amends. Bronwyn also admits that she’s followed Clara’s work over the years. This is how Callum knew about Clara’s illustrations. She also reveals that she doesn’t care about the missing pages because she doesn’t want the original sequel out in the world.

Meanwhile, Clara and Charlie keep seeing each other. Charlie promises never to abandon her.

Clara and Bronwyn talk about Bronwyn’s sequel again. She explains that that story isn’t the version she’d want to tell now. She and Clara agree that she should rewrite a different ending for Emjie.

Clara and Charlie drive to the port to pick up Timothy. On the way, they talk about their relationship. Charlie wants Clara to stay in Cumbria and make a life together. Clara isn’t sure if she can take Wynnie away from Nat or leave her life in Bluffton. She asks if he’d be willing to join her in the US, and he promises to consider.

Clara and Charlie pick up Timothy and bring him to Bronwyn’s cottage. They leave Timothy and Bronwyn to reconnect in privacy. Later that day, everyone reconvenes at Bronwyn’s. They talk about painting, stories, and the past.

Clara lies on the bed in her room and reflects on her situation. She wants to be with Charlie but feels like she must return home. Then, she gets up and finds a letter from Nat on her desk. In the letter, he admits that he fled Bluffton and joined a fishing crew but doesn’t fully explain why. He apologizes for leaving her and Wynnie but promises to return when he can.

Upset and alone, Clara goes to find Charlie. He’s standing outside with her and Wynnie’s new passports. After he leaves, Clara sits in her room and tries to make sense of her life. She remembers the T. S. Eliot poem that Charlie quoted and starts to paint.

Clara stays up all night painting. She joins Charlie downstairs in the morning. He suggests that they can’t let their parents’ lives hold them back from what they want. Clara still isn’t sure. Then, Wynnie bursts in with her new painting, exclaiming at its beauty.

Clara and Charlie take a walk and run errands together. They don’t talk about Clara’s departure or Nat’s letter. Instead, Clara tells him about Bluffton. They both agree that places make “us into who we are” (318). Then, Charlie professes his love to Clara. She hesitates, explaining that she isn’t like other women, and wonders if he would want to make a life with her. Charlie insists that he loves every part of her.

That night, Timothy tells Clara and Charlie that he’s staying in Cumbria. Bronwyn invites Clara and Wynnie to stay, too. An overwhelmed Clara dismisses herself for a walk. Outside, she studies the dusky landscape and feels suddenly at peace. She still wants so much, but this wanting makes her feel alive. She turns to see Charlie. They embrace, quote the T. S. Eliot poem, and agree to be together.

Bronwyn rewrites her sequel with Clara and Wynnie’s help. They publish it as the original sequel to The Middle Place because Bronwyn doesn’t want any publicity. When Wynnie and Clara give interviews, they don’t reveal Bronwyn’s fate. Clara and Charlie have been together for years now, and the whole family has stayed in Cumbria. One night, they burn the pages of Bronwyn’s original sequel and scatter the ashes altogether.