The Last Garden in England

Beth and the other land girls have been requested to help at Highbury House: The gardens have been requisitioned by the war effort, and the girls are to assist in clearing out the gardens to make way for food-bearing plants. Beth is devastated by the news, but she climbs up into the tractor to make the drive anyway. She is joined by a new land girl, Petunia, who comes from the aristocratic classes. This does not prevent Petunia from enjoying the hardier aspects of life, such as fishing and hunting. She enjoys working the land and being outdoors. As the young women reach Highbury House, Captain Hastings is there to greet them; he is especially pleased to see Beth. When they tell them why they are there—to “tear up the gardens” (112)—he mobilizes them into action. He suggests that Mrs. Symonds has not been properly informed, and Beth runs into the house to find her. She may be overstepping her bounds, but the garden, for some reason, feels precious to her.

When Beth reaches Mrs. Symonds, the matriarch immediately responds. Beth is to take her to Mr. Jones, the farmer ostensibly in charge of the operation. Mrs. Symonds will not have her garden destroyed.

Unfortunately, Diana Symonds has received a notice that the war effort has requisitioned her land—all “unused land” will be put in the service of agricultural development. She simply missed the notice in the previous day’s mail. Still, she will not relinquish her garden without a fight. She informs Mr. Jones that the gardens are, in fact, used: They are used by the soldiers convalescing in her hospital. The gardens help to calm them and help them heal faster. Both the Matron Nurse and Captain Hastings agree, and Mr. Jones decides to accept this argument. The front lawn will be used for food plants, but the gardens are to be preserved.

Diana invites Beth to utilize the gardens whenever she likes, as gratitude for her efforts to save them. When Beth demurs, Stella mentions that she is an artist, and Diana insists that Beth not squander her talents. Beth will come to sketch the gardens when she can.

When Diana goes back into the house, Father Devlin is in the corridor. He tells her to rest for a moment. She remembers when she first came to Highbury House; she was not at all sure she would fit in there, but she grew to love it—especially the gardens. The winter garden was where she and her husband would spend time together, lost in their own world. After his death, Diana locked the winter garden and hid the keys. She tells Father Devlin that she must always be strong because she cannot allow others the satisfaction of witnessing her weakness. She wants her son, Robin, to have as typical a childhood as possible, even without a father and with war still raging. He will inherit Highbury House, so Diana will do everything to preserve it.

Matthew takes Venetia to meet another farmer, an American expatriate, Mr. Johnston. Venetia can clearly see that his sister does not approve of their spending time together, but Venetia realizes that she enjoys her time with Matthew more and more. He treats her as an equal. Mr. Johnston inquires about Venetia’s plans with the Highbury House gardens, and he approves of Venetia’s desire to make the garden look more natural than the traditional formal English garden. Mr. Johnston urges his guests to look around the farm while he attends to business. Matthew tells Venetia, when they are alone, that he simply wanted to spend the afternoon with her.

Emma is walking back to her cottage with groceries while talking to her parents on the phone. Her mom is disappointed that Emma did not get the job at the Royal Heritage Botanical Society. She invites her parents to visit Highbury House as a distraction. Her conversation is interrupted when Henry appears. He cajoles her into accompanying him to the pub; he will have the bartender, who turns out to be his aunt, keep her groceries in the back refrigerator. She joins the team for quiz night, though they lose, and she enjoys the company and some pints. Henry walks her back to the cottage and tells her what a nice accident it was, to run into her.

Stella receives a letter from her sister, Joan, asking her to keep Bobby for a while longer: London is dangerous, and she is working long hours. Joan sidesteps the question about sending money, claiming that someone at the post office must have stolen what she sent. Stella knows better. Stella is awkward with Bobby and does not want the responsibility, but she will try. She tells him that his mother wants him to make friends and have some wonderful memories of his time at Highbury House.

When Stella delivers tea to Mrs. Symonds, her sister-in-law Cynthia and Father Devlin are there, along with the Matron of the hospital. They ask Stella to stay. The nurses are asking that a dance be held at Highbury House, and they want to know who they might invite. Stella suggests that the land girls would love to come, as well as the men and women from the local air base. While Cynthia strenuously objects to the notion, and the Matron worries about impropriety, Father Devlin and Mrs. Symonds (to Stella’s surprise) support the idea. In fact, Mrs. Symonds will head the effort and charge a small entry fee to donate to charity.

After the others leave, Mrs. Symonds asks Stella to stay behind for a moment. She mentions that Robin and Bobby have become close friends, and she asks what future plans there are for Bobby, for his education in particular. She tells Stella that she might be able to help get him into a good school. Then, she crisply dismisses her.

Venetia is working in the gardens when it begins to rain; the lightning drives her back to her cottage. There, Matthew is waiting for her with a bag filled, presumably, with plants. They take off their boots before going into the cottage, and Venetia changes clothes, drying her hair as best she can. They have tea, as Matthew reviews Venetia’s plans for the garden: He notices what nobody else has, that each of Venetia’s garden rooms represents different stages and important events in a woman’s life. She is so struck by his understanding of her intentions and his gift of hydrangeas that she walks around the table to kiss him. They are startled back to themselves by the sound of the fire shifting on the stove. Before he leaves, Mr. Goddard insists that she call him Matthew from now on.

Beth finally decides to begin sketching the gardens. First, she has tea with Stella, and they talk about Mrs. Symonds; Stella remembers that Mrs. Symonds was shy when she first came to Highbury House. She was only strict about one item: moving and setting up her harp. Beth remarks that this seems like an apt instrument for her to play. The housekeeper comes in and says Mrs. Symonds will want to see Beth before she heads out to the gardens. Beth is hoping to catch a glimpse of Captain Hastings, who has taken to going on long walks while Beth is out in the fields.

Mrs. Symonds commends Beth on her decision to sketch the garden. When Beth asks Mrs. Symonds about the harp, Mrs. Symonds admits that she quit playing after she was married. She takes down one of the keys to the winter garden and shows Beth around. When Mrs. Symonds leaves, Beth sketches until she is interrupted by the arrival of the two boys, Robin and Bobby. She thinks of how important Colin was to her after her parents died, but she also realizes that his letters only fill her with guilt.

Captain Hastings comes into the garden just as Beth gives some of her precious, rationed paper to the boys so that they can draw with her. He is impressed by her generosity though he notes that the paper consists of recycled letters. Beth insists that the writer, Colin, is just a friend. Captain Hastings asks Beth to attend the charity dance with him, and she says yes. He turns to leave, escorting the boys out so that Beth can have some quiet while she sketches, but just as quickly turns back. He kisses her, then quickly strides away.

Emma and Charlie are relaxing at her cottage at the end of a long workday when Henry shows up. Charlie excuses himself, smirking at Emma. Henry has found his grandmother’s sketches, and they review them together. As they talk, Henry asks Emma about her background, and she admits that she never stays in one place for long. He implies that she has never yet had a reason to do so. He also notes that her garden does not look like much. Emma defends herself, saying she only rents.

Emma finds a sketch of the winter garden, which reveals its former glory. She thanks Henry, and they engage in some flirtation before he leaves. Emma spends the next day poring over the sketchbooks and decides to climb over the gate into the winter garden. She refuses to cut off the lock on the gate, as it does not feel appropriate. The winter garden will be quite a challenge, but Emma knows she can restore it. As they end their workday, Charlie asks what Emma will be doing over the weekend, and she says she will be sprucing up her rental cottage.

Venetia is attending a dance hosted by the Melcourts at Highbury House. She is anxious and excited to see Matthew again. Matthew has her seated next to him at dinner, much to his sister’s consternation. Mrs. Melcourt is eager to make a marriage match for her brother, which prompts Matthew to respond that Venetia must be expected to marry, as well.

Venetia decides to leave after watching Matthew dance with several women at Mrs. Melcourt’s urging. Matthew follows her out to the gardens, where they end up in the lover’s room. They kiss again, and she invites him to her cottage. He will follow 10 minutes behind, so as not to arouse suspicion. She worries he will not come, but he does.

Beth attends the charity dance along with the other land girls. She meets Captain Hastings there, fearful of drawing attention to their pairing. He brings her orchids from a nearby manor garden. His sling is gone, and he will not need another surgery. As they walk in the gardens, Graeme asks her about her plans for after the war. She has decided she will not return to Dorking; she likes Highbury and wants to stay. Graeme is surprised but pleased that she does not want to go to London. He kneels and asks her to marry him. Despite her guilt about Colin, she says yes.

Graeme says he will purchase a ring when he can, but in the meantime, she will make do with a new set of pencils for her sketches. He then tells her that he will be going back to the front and will probably remain an itinerant soldier even after the war is over. Beth begins to worry about her decision.

Father Devlin brings Diana a glass of wine. The charity dance is a success, and Diana reflects on the fact that she can bring Highbury House back to its former glory. She thinks of how much she has matured since her early years with Murray. An air force officer asks her to dance, and Father Devlin encourages her to go. The officer comments on her beauty; Diana has not been the object of flirtation for some time. Her heart, like the winter garden, has been off limits since Murray’s death.

The dance is interrupted by the arrival of a telegram. It is for Stella, a notification that her sister has been killed during an air raid in London. Diana immediately thinks of Bobby.