Chapter Twenty-Six

In a flashback nine years earlier, Stuart remains at Jessamine’s home after Christmas. He accompanies Jessamine and Daisy on the school run, noting Daisy’s prim, old-fashioned manner and Jessamine’s hope for a healthier fresh start.

Stuart has learned from Daisy that the “old man” is Harvey Moor. He researches Harvey online, discovering Harvey’s family, business (Moor & Co), and public life, which underscores the secrecy around Daisy’s paternity.

On the walk, Daisy questions Stuart about work and money. Stuart openly explains he inherited about a million pounds, lives off interest, and chooses a transient lifestyle. Jessamine later presses him on this, and Stuart frames himself as a free spirit who nonetheless pays for his children and tries to be decent.

Jessamine challenges Stuart’s lingering presence but also weighs its utility. Discussing rent and practicality, she ultimately proposes he stay temporarily to see what it is like to have “a man in the house” again—someone useful, protective, and steady—while she aims to shed her “bad habits,” namely alcohol and Harvey.

Stuart agrees, touched yet wary of the transactional tone. The arrangement signals a shift: Jessamine seeks stability and distance from Harvey, while Stuart steps into a quasi-domestic role with Daisy and Jessamine, his resources and availability making the experiment feasible.