Lopez’s financial position collapses almost completely and he continues demanding money from Abel Wharton while proposing that he and Emily begin a new life in Guatemala, but Emily and her family have lost nearly all confidence in him and the ruin of Sexty Parker’s household reveals how widely Lopez’s reckless speculation has harmed others, while politically the journalist Mr. Slide exploits the Silverbridge affair and the Duchess’s interference to attack the Prime Minister, leaving the Duke tormented by the belief that his personal honor and public office have been compromised and forcing the Duchess to recognize how seriously her well-intentioned social politics have wounded her husband, and with his money, reputation, marriage, and prospects collapsing around him Lopez finally kills himself at Tenway Junction, leaving Emily a widow surrounded by family and friends while the consequences of his ambition continue to trouble both private and political life.
