Chapter 21: Kate
Contains spoilers
Summary
- Kate enjoys the warm days with windows and doors open, breathing in fresh air and the scent of the garden.
- She reads on Aunt Violet's sofa, with sunlight on her skin, feeling comfort despite still experiencing nausea.
- Kate explores Violet's book collection, which includes science and fiction, noticing many works by female authors like Daphne du Maurier.
- She connects with characters and stories, recovering her love for reading, which had been lost during her tense last days with Simon.
- Kate finds a copy of Lolly Willowes with a message from Emily, hinting at a connection to a local bookshop.
- She recalls overhearing the term "witch" associated with the Weywards, her ancestors, sparking curiosity.
- Kate visits Kirkby's Books and Gifts, greeted by the aroma of old books and meets Emily, the shopkeeper, who is an old friend of Violet.
- Emily is warm and suggests they meet for her to share more about Violet.
- Kate feels out of place and self-conscious in the bookshop, dressed casually and uncomfortable.
- She inquires about the Weywards and local history and Emily shares rumors of a Weyward tried as a witch in the 1600s.
- Violet apparently avoided discussing her family, which had a painful association with leaving Orton Hall.
- Kate leaves the bookshop before it closes and resists asking Emily for a job despite financial concerns.
- Unable to enter the locked church, she wanders into the graveyard, recalling her grandfather's funeral.
- She observes worn headstones, finds her relatives' graves, and notices the letter 'W' on Violet's headstone, possibly signifying Weyward.
- Kate feels a connection to Violet and plans to return to her grave with flowers.
- Searching for Weyward graves yields no results, and she questions where they might be buried.
- She takes a scenic route home and discovers an intricate necklace in Violet's jewelry box bearing the same 'W' as on the headstone.