Chapter 29: Violet

Summary

• Violet is reeling in the aftermath of Frederick's departure, often choosing to stay in her room alone.
• Graham overhears the nanny call Violet lovesick and shows his frustration over her seeming infatuation with Frederick.
• Violet receives a note from Graham comparing her to their father, who is pining for his recently lost "lapdog."
• Struggling with traumatic memories of Frederick assaulting her in the woods, Violet recoils at the remembrance of his bodily fluids.
• Her thoughts on Frederick’s residue evoke the scientific term "spermatophore," but she desperately tries to avoid considering its implications and hides related materials under her mattress.
• Suffering from physical malaise and recurring nightmares, Violet feels a strong urge to cleanse herself and is noticeably upset by everyday sounds.
• Violet finds no solace in her mother's keepsakes and begins to question the stories about her mother’s madness and confinement.
• She contemplates her mother's unknown gravesite, feeling detached and without direction.
• Dwelling on her own mortality and the process of biological decomposition, Violet plans her suicide to escape the torment Frederick has caused.
• She prepares to jump from her window at dusk but is interrupted by the presence of a damselfly and then by her brother Graham bursting into her room.
• Graham misunderstands Violet’s actions and complains about his missing biology textbook, which Violet lies about having lost.
• Violet stashes her suicide note into a Brothers Grimm book and falls asleep, only to be haunted by nightmares of Frederick and decay.
• The chapter ends with Violet waking to nausea and vomiting after trying to eat breakfast, leading Nanny Metcalfe to suggest calling a doctor.