# The Enchanted April — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim.

- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/i.md): On a dreary February afternoon, Mrs. Wilkins, feeling invisible and trapped in her routine, spots an advertisement in The Times for a small medieval Italian castle to let for April. She dreams of escape but dismisses it 
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/ii.md): Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins, after meeting at a club, write to inquire about a medieval castle in Italy advertised in The Times. Mrs. Arbuthnot, a pious and charitable woman, struggles with her conscience over using 
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/iii.md): Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins interview Mrs. Fisher, who is absorbed in memories of famous Victorians and asks for references. Mrs. Wilkins' excitable talk of seeing Keats alarms Mrs. Fisher, but after a tense exchange
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/iv.md): Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins travel to San Salvatore, arriving on March 31st. The chapter details their anxious March: Mrs. Wilkins tells her husband Mellersh about the trip, leading to conflict; Mrs. Arbuthnot strugg
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/v.md): Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins arrive in Italy amid cloudy, rainy weather. Their train is four hours late, but Domenico, the gardener at San Salvatore, has arranged for Beppo's fly to meet them. After a chaotic journey 
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/vi.md): The women arrive at San Salvatore and begin to settle in. Lady Caroline has already arrived and chosen her room, asserting her independence. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot are struck by the beauty of the place and by La
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/vii.md): The women have breakfast at San Salvatore, where Mrs. Fisher has already arrived and taken charge, claiming the honey-colored sitting room and rearranging the bedrooms. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot feel a mix of disap
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/viii.md): Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot explore the garden and terraces of San Salvatore, marveling at its beauty and feeling a sense of heavenly liberation. Mrs. Wilkins argues that true freedom comes from letting go of authori
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/ix.md): Mrs. Fisher secures her privacy at San Salvatore by blocking the shared glass door to the battlements, reflecting on the superiority of the past and her economical living. Meanwhile, Scrap (Lady Caroline) avoids lunch, f
- [Scrap's Disillusionment and the Search for Anonymity](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/x.md): Lady Caroline Dester (Scrap) reveals her deep disillusionment with her life of beauty and constant attention, expressing a desire to escape her identity and find peace at San Salvatore. She confides in Mrs. Fisher, who m
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xi.md): Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot confront Mrs. Fisher over the use of the sitting room, leading to a tense exchange about possession and sharing. Later, Mrs. Wilkins reveals she has written to her husband Mellersh invitin
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xii.md): The four women discuss inviting guests to San Salvatore, with Mrs. Wilkins wanting to bring her husband Mellersh, leading to tensions about propriety and bedroom arrangements. Mrs. Fisher, disapproving of the idea, decid
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xiii.md): The four women at San Salvatore spend outwardly uneventful days, but inwardly each is deeply stirred. Rose Arbuthnot struggles with suppressed yearnings for her husband Frederick and the child she lost, feeling her caref
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xiv.md): Mr. Wilkins arrives at San Salvatore, causing a stir among the women. He attempts to take a hot bath, ignores the warning instructions, and causes the stove to explode. Meanwhile, Scrap avoids him by staying in the garde
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xv.md): Mr. Wilkins's arrival at San Salvatore leads to unexpected bonds with Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline after a bathing accident, elevating him in their esteem. His pleasant demeanor transforms the group's dynamics, promptin
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvi.md): The second week at San Salvatore brings harmony among the guests. Mr. Wilkins arrives and, contrary to expectations, fits in perfectly, becoming amiable and affectionate toward his wife Lotty. His transformation inspires
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvii.md): On the first day of the third week, Rose writes to Frederick, then immediately regrets it, fearing he will not come or will only confirm her fears of boring him. Lotty is delighted, but Rose grows anxious and withdrawn. 
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xviii.md): Rose and Mr. Briggs take a walk together, during which Briggs openly admires her, lifting her spirits. Meanwhile, Mrs. Fisher begins to thaw under Briggs's appreciation, and Lotty returns to find her laughing and kisses 
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xix.md): Mr. Briggs arrives at San Salvatore and is instantly captivated by Scrap's beauty, becoming clumsy and silent. Scrap, recognizing the signs of an 'incipient grabber,' feels her rest-cure threatened and wishes for Kate Lu
- [XX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xx.md): Rose, determined to confront Frederick about their separate lives, finds him unexpectedly at San Salvatore. Overwhelmed with emotion, she embraces him, believing his arrival is a miracle. Meanwhile, Scrap spends time wit
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xxi.md): Frederick Arbuthnot arrives at San Salvatore, bewildered to find his wife Rose there and unexpectedly reconciled with her. As they embrace passionately, Frederick forgets about Lady Caroline Dester, whom he had come to s
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xxii.md): Mrs. Wilkins observes Mrs. Fisher's loneliness and feels a growing bond with her, kissing her and realizing she might be the 'other half' of Mrs. Fisher's pair. Meanwhile, Scrap reflects on love's inverted wonders and he

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