Lady Chatterton’s attempts to force a match between John and Grace initially create embarrassment and misunderstanding, but the two gradually recognize the sincerity of their affection and move toward marriage, while Emily’s love for Denbigh is increasingly tested by troubling hints concerning his conduct and mysterious past. Mrs. Wilson and Emily encounter the unhappy Mrs. Fitzgerald and learn of the disastrous consequences of an ill-judged marriage, while rumors and confusing connections involving Denbigh and Lord Pendennyss deepen Emily’s fear that the man she loves may not be what he appears. Unable to explain himself fully, Denbigh becomes separated from Emily, and as the Moseleys prepare to enter the fashionable world of Bath, the various romances remain suspended between appearances and truth, setting the stage for the revelations that follow.
