Chapter 20

Summary

• The setting is March 1960 in front of a grand Palladian Georgian house in London.
• Hazel arrives by taxi, contemplating her mother's remarriage and her new family including her stepbrother Tenny.
• Hazel feels disconnected from the life of her mother and the house, now also inhabited by her stepfather.
• Following her sister Flora's disappearance, Hazel harbors feelings of betrayal by her mother's new life and happiness.
• Hazel reflects on a painful conversation back in 1945 when her mother announced her remarriage, exposing Hazel's conflicted emotions about moving on from her missing sister.
• On the present visit to her mother's house, confronted with wealth and memories, Hazel is determined to confront long-standing emotional shadows.
• Hazel greets Tenny on his birthday and encounters luxurious decorations and displays of wealth in the house.
• Mrs. Tennyson warmly welcomes Hazel, and they discuss the idea of Hazel's potential marriage and children.
• Hazel and her mum converse about Hazel's fear of love ruining her and the inability to move on from the past.
• Hazel reveals to her mum a book called "Whisperwood," connected to a private story she created with her lost sister, suspecting someone else knows their tale.
• Unable to contain her emotions, Hazel shares the book and her suspicions with her mother, who is hopeful yet emotional.
• Alastair, Hazel's stepfather, enters with a hearty presence, and a brief interaction takes place before he departs for errands.
• The chapter ends with Hazel feeling guarded about her story even as her mother provides her with a sense of safety and understanding.