Emily refuses to abandon Louis after both his mind and body have broken down and returns to him with their child, and although Louis finally begins to recognize the damage he has caused and asks his wife for forgiveness, years of obsession and isolation have left him too weak to recover, and he dies not long after returning to England with his family. Nora overcomes her family's opposition and marries Hugh, Glascock and Caroline complete their marriage, and Miss Stanbury finally accepts Dorothy's love for Brooke, allowing Dorothy to become Mrs. Brooke Burgess and resolving the other major relationships through compromise rather than domination. The novel therefore places the irreversible tragedy of the Trevelyans beside the happier futures of couples who learn to trust and yield to one another, ending with a powerful demonstration of how the determination to prove oneself right can destroy love, marriage, and ultimately the person who refuses to let go of it.
