The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 4

In an exchange of written notes, Emma informs Pierce that he has been designated the “token American” of Whereabouts Lane. An annoyed Pierce reminds her he is not American, but Emma explains the committee’s reasoning. Upon learning a street committee exists, Pierce expresses his exasperation. Emma jokes about her own token status as an orphan or saint, prompting Pierce to label her the “token rabble-rouser.” She then invites him to tea, and he accepts.

Emma expresses her frustration that Parian has seen the neighborhood ghost, known as The Roman. Parian was out late, and Emma infers that he was a local bar called The Cleopatra. He was so frightened upon encountering the spirit that he immediately fled. Emma is annoyed that someone else in her household saw the ghost, and she now feels its avoidance is personal.

Mary dines at Lapis Lazuli House, to the delight of the cook, Agnes. Cousin Archibald shouts about “depravities” in the hall before retiring. During the meal, Emma asks about Jack, and Mary reports that he is “unavailable until November” (136). Emma voices her suspicion that Jack is involved in dishonest work and does not need the money Mary pays him. Mary then mentions that Jack told her Emma had assisted him with a job the previous month, a remark Emma pointedly ignores.

During a “poetry Sabbath,” Reverend Hawkes delivers a sermon composed entirely of melancholic poems. He begins with Christina Rossetti’s “Echo” and concludes with two somber works by Tennyson, “Crossing the Bar” and “Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead.” The recitations are so moving that a member of the congregation sobs. However, Hawkes stops reading “Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead” before the final, cathartic stanza, leaving his listeners with the image of a woman unable to cry. Looking pained, he ends the service abruptly.

While at Primrose Hill, Emma finds an abandoned newspaper containing the burial announcement for Maxwell Stuart, her deceased first love whose body has been returned from Afghanistan three years after his death. The service is the next day in Berkshire. Furious that Maxwell’s brother, Evelyn, failed to notify her of the burial as promised, Emma rushes home in a panic. She collides with Pierce on the street, and after she shows him the announcement, they retreat to his studio. When Emma laments that she lacks the time, money, or proper attire for the funeral, he calmly offers to buy her train ticket and accompany her. She initially refuses his help as “charity,” but he insists, framing it as a friend’s duty. He advises her to wear a green dress Maxwell would have liked rather than traditional mourning black. Later, in a note, Emma worries her aunt may be present, but Pierce reassures her he will pose as one of Maxwell’s army friends so that Lady Eugenia won’t know that an unmarried man accompanies Emma.

Emma and Pierce travel to Berkshire and check into The Frog and Crown inn before walking to the Barrows Edge churchyard. There, they find Evelyn. The tension is high as Evelyn, without apologizing for his silence, explains how Maxwell’s remains were identified. He gives Emma a gold pendant bearing her initials that she had given Maxwell and says, “You found him, Lion” (147). The funeral service is brief and impersonal. Maxwell’s mother, Lady Stuart, greets Emma warmly and invites her and Pierce to tea the following day, which Pierce accepts. Maxwell’s father, Lord Stuart, remains cold and distant. After the service, Pierce gives Emma space to grieve at the open grave, where she has an internal conversation with Maxwell, finally saying goodbye. That evening, she and Pierce sit in comfortable silence at the inn.

The next morning, Pierce remarks that the surrounding woods remind him of his home, a place he suggests he can’t return to. He and Emma spend the day walking through the countryside. Before leaving for tea at Barrows Edge, Emma finds Pierce in his room answering his extensive correspondence. They share a brief, friendly exchange about his loyalty to his friends. The chapter ends with a flash-forward to the train ride home, where a restless Pierce has sore knuckles, foreshadowing that the visit ended violently.

In a journal entry, Emma recounts the disastrous tea at Barrows Edge. The visit begins with strained conversation with Lady Stuard before Lord Stuart enters. He angrily confronts Emma, declaring he had previously forbidden her from his house and blaming her for Maxwell’s decision to enlist. Pierce intervenes, quietly threatening Lord Stuart, who orders them out. Lady Stuart defends her guests and dismisses her husband. She then shows Emma a newspaper clipping featuring a photograph Pierce had taken in Afghanistan, in which a smiling Maxwell is clearly visible. The unexpected connection brings both women comfort. 

Pierce goes for a walk in the garden. Evelyn provokes him and spits at him, prompting Pierce to punch Evelyn and knock him to the ground. To Emma’s surprise, Lady Stuart laughs, saying Evelyn deserved it. Before Emma leaves, Lady Stuart gives her an unsent letter from Maxwell.

On the train to London, Emma reads the letter and collapses into grief. Pierce comforts her for the remainder of the journey. Upon their arrival, they encounter the Duke of Islington, who, seeing Emma’s state, insists they come to his home. There, Reverend Hawkes joins them. The men create a supportive atmosphere, and Emma falls asleep. She later awakens to find only Hawkes, who serves her a meal. When the others return, the four talk of trivial things. Pierce walks Emma home after midnight, and he asks if she remembers telling him on the train that she couldn’t imagine spending her life with anyone besides Maxwell. Though she doesn’t recall saying it, she admits it feels true.

This chapter consists of Maxwell’s final, unsent letter to Emma, dated July 21, 1880. Writing from Afghanistan, he expresses a deep sense of homesickness. He tells Emma he keeps imagining her voice quoting a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest: “We are such stuff as dreams are made on” (171). He asks her to write down the line and send it to him, calling any correspondence from her a “constellation.” He closes the letter by telling her he loves her.

Still processing Maxwell’s letter, Emma copies the requested lines from The Tempest and sends them to Lady Stuart, suggesting them as a possible epitaph for his gravestone. Later, Islington visits, and he and Pierce join Emma for a relaxing afternoon. Afterward, Agnes expresses disapproval that Emma left the windows open in front of a duke. Agnes then asks for the night off for the upcoming All Hallows’ Eve fair, and Emma agrees, delegating the task of lighting the pumpkins to Parian.

Cousin Archibald announces he will be visiting a friend in Bath for several days. He states his desire to avoid the All Hallows’ Eve festivities and the “[o]bscene and unnecessary” ringing of the church bells on All Saints’ Day (175). Emma is surprised to learn he has a friend.

Emma is woken late at night by a commotion. She finds her staff hiding and throws open the front door to a group in fantastical costumes, The Reprobates Ten. They sweep into her drawing room and perform a chaotic, mock coronation, crowning her their Eleanor of Aquitaine and pledging their loyalty. The ceremony is comically undercut when one member pauses to ask for a light for his cigarette. Afterward, Emma discovers Reverend Hawkes sitting quietly in a corner, having observed the entire event. The Reprobates raid the pantry but, finding it bare, depart. Hawkes advises Emma to keep her new crown and scepter, as she will need them. The strange, heartfelt gesture leaves Emma feeling renewed hope.

Pierce gives Emma a copy of the photograph he took of her laughing while catching her cat, Tybalt. He mentions he sent one to the “accidental wife” of a friend to prove Tybalt is well. As Emma leaves his studio, Pierce casually remarks on finding a green feather on the pavement that morning, subtly acknowledging he knows about The Reprobates’ late-night visit.

On All Hallows’ Eve, the celebration takes over Whereabouts Lane. Parian complains about carving the pumpkins, so Agnes agrees to do it if he promises to watch the candles. At the festival, Emma plays games and is amused to see Parian dutifully checking the illuminated pumpkins in her windows. Seeking quiet, she wanders to the St. Crispian’s graveyard and finds Hawkes reading by lantern light. They are soon joined by Islington and Pierce, who followed her there.

Hawkes tells the story of King Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae. When the Persians threatened to fire so many arrows that they would darken the sky, Leonidas replied, “Then we will fight in the shade” (187). Emma is deeply inspired until Hawkes reveals that Leonidas and all his men were killed, which she complains is a terrible pep talk. As the four friends leave, Islington asks if they share his feelings about the strength of their unlikely bond. Hawkes answers with a single word: “Alchemy.” The term resonates with them all. 

Later, in a written exchange, Pierce admits he is unsettled by the idea of their friendship having a predetermined meaning, while Emma affirms her belief that their connection is good and fated. They end the night by repeating the Spartan vow to fight in the shade.