The Wings of the Dove

At the party, Lord Mark asks Milly if she has seen the painting hanging in the house that looks like Milly herself. He offers to show it to her and escorts her to a room where a portrait of a beautiful, sad, wealthy young woman is hanging (the Portrait of Lucrezia Panciatichi by Bronzino). Milly is overwhelmed, and she begins tearing up, stating, “I shall never be better than this” (183), explaining to Lord Mark that she will never have another day as perfect as this one.

Just then, Kate comes into the room with Lord and Lady Aldershaw to show them the painting. Lady Aldershaw walks away with Lord Mark, and Lord Aldershaw stands apart from Milly and Kate to study the painting. Milly takes advantage of the moment alone to ask Kate to secretly help her. Milly explains she wants to see a doctor, but she doesn’t want Susan to worry about her. She asks Kate to accompany her to the doctor’s office, and Kate agrees, although she is skeptical that Milly is actually sick—she thinks Milly has only an “imagined ailment […] of ignorant youth” (187). Milly states she thinks she “could die without its being noticed” (187).

The next day, Kate goes with Milly to see Sir Luke. Milly takes to the doctor’s formal, yet kind, manner. He is quite busy that day, but he agrees to see Milly again another day. When they leave the doctor’s office, Milly tells Kate she will come back to see the doctor alone. While they wait for their carriage, Milly tells Kate she won’t tell Susan about the visits.

Two days later, Milly returns to the doctor alone. Sir Luke Strett asks Milly about her life and her circumstances. He implicitly confirms that Milly likely has a terminal diagnosis. She tells him to see Susan in a few days to give her the news. The doctor then urges Milly to make the most of her remaining time by living as much as she can before she dies.

After Milly receives this tragic news, she begins to wander around London alone. She eventually arrives at Regent’s Park and sits down on a bench to process what she has learned. She resolves not to overly dwell on her sad fate. She recognizes that the other people sitting on the park benches are likewise struggling with their mortality, albeit on a different timeline than her own circumstances. She reflects that Susan treats her like a princess and that Susan is unlikely to overtly pressure Milly to talk about her diagnosis.

Milly returns to the hotel, and Kate comes to find out about the doctor’s verdict. Milly reassures Kate that everything is alright. She tells Kate, “I can do in fact as I like” (209). Kate is relieved at the news. They discuss how everyone is leaving London as the summer season draws to its close. Milly asks Kate to help her figure out the most “pleasurable” place to visit.

A few days later, Milly and Susan host Kate and Maud for dinner at their hotel. It is intended to be a goodbye dinner before Milly and Susan leave London. After dinner, Maud and Susan plan to go to a party while the girls stay at the hotel. While Susan prepares to leave and Kate is out on the balcony, Maud and Milly have a private conversation. Maud tells Milly that Susan has told her about Milly and Densher’s acquaintance. Milly tells Maud that Kate has never mentioned Densher to her. Maud tells Milly that she likes Densher, but that she does not think Kate feels as strongly about Densher as Densher does about Kate. She asks Milly to ask Kate whether Densher has returned to London and whether they have continued to write one another while he was away. Milly wonders if they have written about her and ponders the nature of Kate and Densher’s relationship generally, and Maud gleans from this that Milly has feelings for Densher.

When Kate returns to the room, Milly feels as if she can see Kate through Densher’s eyes and has the presentiment that Densher has, in fact, returned to London.

Sir Luke sends Milly a note informing her that he will visit Susan the next day to break the news to her about Milly’s illness.

After Maud leaves, Milly decides she is not going to do what Maud asked and ask Kate about her relationship with Densher. Nevertheless, she resolves to appreciate Kate’s company regardless of the circumstances because she finds Kate so fascinating.

While the older ladies are out, Kate and Milly talk about Maud’s plan to marry Kate off to Lord Mark. Kate tells Milly that Maud has plans for Milly that are just as concrete as Maud’s plans for Kate, even though it is not yet clear what they are. She tells Milly that, with her fortune, she could do whatever she wants and she is not obligated to them, or to Susan, either. Milly tells Kate that without Susan, she would not have met Kate. Kate retorts that, “you may very well loathe me yet” (226). When Milly asks why she would say something like that, Kate responds, “Because you’re a dove” (227). Milly immediately takes to this description of herself.

The next day, Milly decides to act “dove-like.” She tells Susan that Sir Luke Strett is coming to see her and that Milly will be going out while they meet.

Milly goes alone to the National [Art] Gallery. She had never before spent time taking in great art, but she actually finds herself most interested in the “lady-copyists” who make copies of paintings to sell. She admires their immersion in their work. She also finds herself amused by the American tourists.

While she sits in the gallery, she sees Densher with Kate. She is surprised to see them—and they are surprised to see her. Milly takes advantage of the stereotype of Americans as “spontaneous” to invite them to lunch with Susan at her hotel despite their shock. They agree.

After lunch, Kate and Susan talk while Milly and Densher chat in the other room. Milly notices Kate choosing to spend time with Susan, with whom she is not particularly close, instead of Densher and resolves that “Densher was in love and Kate couldn’t help it—could only be sorry and kind” (238). Then, Milly reflects on her own joy about being reunited with Densher. Milly has also noticed that Susan was so preoccupied with what she had learned from Sir Luke Strett that she hardly seemed to notice the significance of Densher’s presence at their luncheon.

The narrative flashes back to the events of the day before from Densher’s point of view. Kate meets Densher at Euston Station before going to dinner with Maud, Susan, and Milly. He is delighted to see her and that she is unembarrassed to meet with him in public. They agree to go to the National Gallery early the next morning. His affection for her has grown during their time apart. He had not realized from Kate’s letters just how close she had become with Milly during his time away. He had written to her that he had very much liked Milly, and she had not responded to that comment.

After Kate leaves Densher, he takes a walk to Regent’s Park and sits on a bench to reflect on his conversation with her. She had told him that she would tell Maud that Densher had returned to London. She reassures Densher that she has a plan for the two of them. Densher is vaguely aware that her plan somehow involves Milly.

The day after their visit to the museum with Milly, Kate and Desher meet in a small, “unused” backroom at Lancaster Gate. He is surprised that Maud would allow him to meet Kate in the house, but she reassures him that Maud likes him and that she will not intervene in their lives in a heavy-handed way. Kate admits Maud will not allow Densher to see her alone in the house again, but that he should come back to visit with Maud because, “it’s she, really […] who’s in love with you” (257). They discuss Milly’s affection for Densher. Kate insinuates that Maud will help Densher court Milly because both Maud and Milly assume that Densher is more in love with Kate than Kate is in love with Densher. Kate encourages Densher to go see Milly again. Kate grows impatient when Densher asks her to explain further. Although Densher does not entirely understand Kate’s plans, he agrees to call on Milly.

The next day, Densher receives a telegram from Maud inviting him to dinner with Susan and Milly at Lancaster Gate that evening. He arrives at 8:30 pm and finds himself alone with Maud briefly. While alone in her presence, he once again reflects how the whole house and Maud herself reflect wealth and the persistent question, “What do you offer, what do you offer?” (264), and he is painfully aware of how little he has to “offer.”

Eventually, Kate comes downstairs. Densher is struck by her beauty. He also notices how Kate performs extraordinarily well the role of princess, which Maud has cast her in, and Maud’s pride in this fact. Susan then arrives, “a little breathless and full of the compunction of having had to come alone” (266). Susan explains that Milly was feeling unwell. In her absence, Kate, Maud, Susan, Densher, and two other gentlemen guests all discuss how wonderful Milly is. Susan bristles a little when Densher implies that he has a special connection with Milly; Densher intuits that she is being protective of Milly’s feelings. He also notices that Susan seems particularly anxious. Densher reflects that Susan is also a little cool with Kate, although Susan also thinks of Kate as an ideal source of literary material for her stories, suggesting she admires Kate somewhat.

After dinner, Kate talks privately with Densher. She tells Densher that Milly’s health must be “grave” if she did not come to dinner to see Densher. She then muses aloud that another possible explanation is that Milly decided not to come to dinner because Densher was there. Kate tells Densher that Milly had planned to leave London before she had seen Densher at the museum, which suggests she is staying in London to see him. Kate hypothesizes that if Milly is indeed very ill, Densher can “console her” and perhaps win Milly’s hand in marriage. Kate reassures him that if Milly is dying, “she won’t smell, as it were, of drugs” (279-80). She tells Densher about her visit to Sir Luke Strett with Milly, and he interprets this as a sign that Milly’s illness is indeed serious.

As they speak, Lord Mark arrives. Kate tells Lord Mark she has been reassuring Densher that Milly is fine. Lord Mark then goes into another room to speak with Maud. After he leaves, Kate tells Densher that Lord Mark is the man Maud intends for her to marry. She admits that Lord Mark has a “genius” for influencing people without them being aware of it. Densher grows insecure and asks Kate to reassure him that she isn’t going to end their relationship, which she does glancingly and with tears in her eyes. She then presses him on whether he will make an effort to spend more time with Milly. He agrees.

Then, Maud returns with Lord Mark and the other men. Kate goes to speak with Lord Mark while Maud goes to speak to Densher. Maud impresses on him that he should court Milly. She insinuates that if he does so, it will allow him to continue to spend time with Kate. She reminds him that he owes her for her indulgence of his relationship with Kate, and that, in turn, she expects him to turn his attentions to Milly and leave Kate alone.

After leaving, Densher puts all the pieces together. He realizes that Maud has conveyed to Milly via Susan that Kate does not love Densher. Thus, Milly will be “sympathetic” to Densher’s apparently broken heart and make her amenable to his courting of her.

The next day, Densher goes to see Milly at her hotel under the pretense of being worried about her health. He finds it is very easy to spend time in her company. He feels their relationship is closer than the brief amount of time they have spent together would indicate. She is dismissive of his questions about the state of her health. Instead, they spend the time talking about her time in London. They discuss Milly’s imminent departure and regret that Densher has to stay in the city and work rather than join her on her travels. She tells him she would return for Kate and Maud. She states she would “do anything […] for Kate” (301). Densher tactfully agrees. They also agree that they feel they don’t “really” know Kate.

They hear Milly’s enormous, ornate carriage pull up. Milly tells him she is planning on running some errands and asks if Densher would like to accompany her. He agrees. While Milly is in her room preparing to leave, Kate arrives. Kate is a little startled to find Densher there. Densher says he is courting Milly as Kate asked, and Kate is pleased. Densher, again insecure, asks Kate if she “like[s]” him. She is, again, impatient with his asking and tells him that if he doesn’t trust her, he should give up on her plan to have him court Milly. Densher backs off and agrees to do as Kate asks. She leaves.

Milly returns to the sitting room a few minutes later in an extravagant black dress ornamented with pearls. She is nonchalant when Densher tells her that Kate had come to call and then left.