A Fall of Marigolds

Clara tells Dolly everything that happened while she was gone. Dolly offers to switch wards with Clara and agrees to be the one to return Andrew’s belongings to him; she even agrees to tell Ethan that the switch was her idea and not Clara’s. However, she tells Clara that she should say goodbye to Andrew herself, and that Clara shouldn’t be ashamed of having “fancied him” (195). Clara denies having any feelings for Andrew but realizes Dolly is right, that “if [she] leave[s] without saying a word, it will look as if” she does have feelings for him (196).

When Clara speaks with Andrew the next day, she is surprised at how disappointed he is to learn that he won’t see her again. When he presses her for an explanation, Clara is moved to tears and realizes in that moment that she “did fancy Andrew. He was starting to fill the space Edward had left,” but “nothing good could come from that swelling attraction” (199). Clara says her goodbyes quickly and leaves. Later that day, Clara is struck by a sudden longing for New York, a desire “to be back in the city, in the grip and grace of its mesmerizing hues” (200).