Wives and Daughters Part IV

Cynthia tells Mr GIbson, who is fond of her but disapproves of her flirtiness, that she does not want Roger to come home to forgive her for her tangled relationship with Preston and her flirting. She would rather go abroad and make her own life. Molly has been restored to the good opinion of the town's ladies, and visits Lady Harriet. SHe also tries to cheer the squire up, as he misses Osborne. He is very fond of his grandson and finally accepts that Aimee, his mother has to stay with the boy. Roger comes home when Osborne dies, to discuss estate matters, and he accepts that Cynthia does not want to marry him. He is hurt, but Cynthia tells Molly that she feels sure that he's consolable, and that he has much more in common with Molly than with her. Mr Gibson is worried about Molly, who has been tired out of late, due to the stress of the Cynthia affair, and he himself feels that his marriage is likely to be far from a happy one. He accepts that his wife is flighty and silly and not very honest but he must put up with her.. and that she was never likely to be much good at caring for Molly, as he had hoped. He orders Molly to rest, and Cynthia pays a visit to her father's relatives in London. One of his relations is an up and coming lawyer, who has just won a big case and is doing well.. and while Cynthia is visiting, she meets one of his fellow lawyers, Walter Henderson who asks her to marry him. She accepts and they get married. Molly isn't well enough to go to the wedding, so she goes to stay with Lady Harriet, and is pleased to see Cynthia settled with a nice man she is fond of, who will be more her type than Roger. At the Towers, Roger meets Molly again and begins to fall in love with her, but he has to go back to Africa to finish the tour he set out on. The story breaks off there as Mrs Gaskell died suddenly, but it is clear that its going to end with Roger proposing to Molly and their having a happy marriage.