Years of Grace · Chapter
VIII explained
Three days after the civil ceremony, Cicily and Albert's church wedding takes place in Flora's Paris drawing-room.
What happens
Three days after the civil ceremony, Cicily and Albert's church wedding takes place in Flora's Paris drawing-room. Jane arrives with Stephen and is shocked to see André Duroy, who looks exactly like his father Mr. Duroy, bringing back memories of Chicago in the early nineties. During the ceremony, Jane learns from Cicily that Isabel married Billy Winter the day before. As the clergyman reads the wedding service, Jane is haunted by the ghost of Jack, standing at Cicily's side.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Sacrifice
Cicily's church wedding is portrayed as a social event and a 'friendly conspiracy of chatter,' yet Jane finds it worse than all previous weddings, haunted by the ghost of Jack.
Aging and Regret
Seeing André Duroy, Jane is instantly transported back to her childhood in Chicago, and the shock of recognition makes her acutely aware that she is fifty-one years old.
Characters to notice
- Jane Ward
Attends Cicily's church wedding in Flora's drawing-room; is shocked to see André Duroy and recalls her past in Chicago; learns of Isabel's marriage to Billy Winter; during the ceremony she sees the ghost of Jack at Cicily's side.
- Cicily
The bride, wearing a daffodil yellow chiffon gown and carrying yellow calla lilies; she is radiant and takes command of the ceremony, positioning everyone.
- Albert Lancaster
The groom, smiling happily at his bride and reassuringly at Jane.
- André Duroy
Attends the wedding; Jane is astonished by his resemblance to his father Mr. Duroy; he stares at Jane with amazement and pleasure.
- Flora Furness
Hosts the wedding in her Paris drawing-room; wears pale grey taffeta and talks to Ed Brown.
- Muriel Lester
Wears a striking black-and-white satin costume and chats with the young clergyman, using her charm to put him at ease.
Key passages
“She was back, instantly, in Chicago in the early nineties. She was back in the Duroys’ little crowded living-room in the Saint James Apartments. She had two thin pigtails and a sense of social inadequacy and she was staring at Mr. Duroy!”
Seeing André Duroy triggers a vivid memory of her childhood in Chicago, where she felt awkward and out of place in the Duroys' apartment.
Jane's past is abruptly resurrected by André's resemblance to his father, highlighting the theme of aging and regret.
“This was worse than any wedding. This was worse than all the weddings.”
Jane finds Cicily's church wedding more painful than any wedding she has ever attended.
Jane's internal reaction underscores her deep unease with the ceremony and the memories it evokes.
“Was she the only wedding guest, Jane wondered dumbly, that saw so plainly the pleasant, snub-nosed, twinkle-eyed ghost of Jack, standing at Cicily’s side?”
Jane wonders if she alone perceives the ghostly presence of Jack beside Cicily during the wedding.
The ghost of Jack symbolizes Jane's unresolved feelings and the haunting nature of past relationships.