A Marvellous Light

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-15

Chapters 16-23

Chapter 24-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapter 24-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 24 Summary

Robin tries to smile at Edwin, to offer him comfort, as Billy confronts his shock at seeing Kitty again. When Edwin tries to move away, Billy puts a sharp knife to his neck. Kitty tries to remind Billy he is not a violent person, but he bitterly reminds her that his peaceful disposition did not prevent her from marrying someone else. The conversation reaches an impasse when Billy asserts that the conspirators will find them whatever he does. Robin sees Edwin moving his fingers.

Suddenly, Edwin puts a hand over Billy’s, and the room fills with a loud sound like a thunderstorm. Afterward, Billy is dead, looking almost as though he has been hit by lightning. Edwin nearly faints from the shock, and Robin rushes to him. They embrace, deciding to trust the sisters. Edwin explains that the wood near Billy is the oak-heart—he attempted to let the remaining magic out, hoping it would cause a distraction. Robin refuses to let Edwin feel guilt for saving his own life.

Kitty offers to explain the situation to the Coopers, but Edwin persuades her that this is too risky—some of them could also be privy to the conspiracy. Kitty agrees to come back tomorrow, when her magic will be strong enough to conceal the body. Robin suggests she start spreading a rumor that Billy came to see her, distraught, and planned to leave the country over his lingering heartbreak. The sisters leave Robin and Edwin alone.

Robin and Edwin clean up the mess in the flat, and Edwin asks how much of his discussion with Billy Robin was present for. Robin says he heard most if it and is particularly dismissive of the idea that Edwin would have joined the conspiracy, declaring, “as if you weren’t twice the man Billy Byatt is. As though you were nothing without enough magic to fell a bull” (323). Taking Robin’s hand, Edwin admits that before meeting Robin, he might have joined Billy. Robin urges Edwin not to underestimate himself.

Before they can speak more, a man knocks on the door and opens it. Walt Courcey enters. Edwin sees the two rings and knows his brother is there as part of the conspiracy.

Chapter 25 Summary

Walt, somewhat to Robin’s surprise, greets him courteously. He is soon furious again as he explains to Edwin that a piece of the object is still missing, declaring, “the old bitch kept part of it back” (325). Robin senses that Walt must be the man they met at Sutton. Walt sees Billy’s body, but soon moves on to threats, telling Edwin to reveal where the final piece is or he will torture him. When Walt hurts Robin, Edwin gives in, telling him that what he will find what he seeks at Sutton Cottage. Walt insists on going alone and taking Robin with him as insurance, but Edwin says his presence is necessary. Sensing that Walt does not believe Edwin, Robin tries once more to break the standoff, asking if there is a truth spell to verify Edwin’s claims. Edwin performs the spell. Robin explains, under its effects, that the Rose Study works and that Edwin is the estate’s owner.

In the next scene, Edwin is the point-of-view character as the unlikely party journeys to Sutton Cottage. Edwin worries he will be unable to stop his brother. Edwin asks his brother if he cursed Robin. Walt refuses to identify the group’s leader, a fact revealed only later in the trilogy.

As he thinks more, Edwin realizes why he was not recruited sooner—his brother would never have seen him as worthy. Edwin imagines being tempted, knowing himself to be no better than Reggie. Robin asks who tried to kill him at Penhallick. Walt explains he could never harm a guest at Penhallick without damaging himself and indicates that he will leave Robin alive to preserve access to his visions. Walt resists entering the estate as their carriage approaches, forcing Edwin to formally announce him as a guest.

Chapter 26 Summary

Edwin, still the point-of-view character, follows Walt’s order to enter the study. Edwin prepares a spell called fossicking, which will allow him to find the piece of coin based on knowing its constitutive element, silver. Edwin feels the spell working but is torn between the urge to defy his brother and his desire to preserve his life. He hands it over, and Walt reassembles the coin. Robin expresses wonder the legend is real, but Walt, now confident, says, “[S]tories are why anyone does anything” (140). He says the most important story is the one that predicts the Last Contract’s ability to avert future disaster for Britain.

Edwin feels furious anger, and the house reacts, knocking Walt off balance. Robin tries to wrestle Walt, who hits back with a spell. Walt threatens to burn the house if Edwin tries again. Then, calmly, he offers Robin an official position with the Assembly, as they need his visions, alluding to Maud’s vulnerability if Robin is tempted to refuse. Robin, in response, picks up Billy’s knife where it fell and holds it to his own throat. When Walt doubts that he would really follow through on his threat to die by suicide to save his family, Robin declares, “To protect someone I love? You don’t know me at all” (344). Robin states his terms: If he and Maud are allowed to leave safely, the Magical Assembly can have access to the contents of his visions. Walt, in mocking triumph, agrees.

Before leaving, Walt decides he should break Edwin’s hand to compromise his ability to do spells. The house responds to Edwin’s terror and memories of his brother’s threats, as the ivy in the paneled walls comes to life and binds Walt. Edwin, again, thinks of his childhood, but now their roles are reversed, as he can compel his brother with this newfound power. Robin moves for the coin, but Edwin stops him. He realizes that if they take it, Walt can come after them. Erasing his memory will not end the wider conspiracy.

Edwin decides he cannot kill his brother, but he can hold him to a contract. He has Robin and Walter make a pledge with blood, using their full names to ensure its durability. Walt will leave with the coin, in exchange for a promise not to harm Edwin, Robin, or any member of his family. Robin will cooperate and reveal the contents of his visions on a regular schedule. Edwin thanks the house and has it free his brother. Walt tries to attack him and cannot, proving that the spell has worked. Edwin savors the moment he sees his brother face this new limitation.

Edwin evokes his brother’s status as guest and watches him flee. He feels the strength of his bond with his new, ancient magic. As he tells Robin he is well, Edwin assesses his emotional state and realizes, “somewhat to his surprise, he decided it was joy” (352).

Chapter 27 Summary

Robin, now the point-of-view character, watches with fondness as the newly confident Edwin tells the housekeeper that Walt is gone and that they will stay the night. The house itself lights their way to their bedrooms. Edwin and Robin take in his large suite. Robin, curious, asks Edwin why the house did not save Flora the way it did him. Edwin says the house’s magic is responsive to desire—it knew Edwin wanted to be safe, and that Flora valued her secrets more than her life. Robin praises Edwin’s own foresight in constructing the oath so they remain free to thwart Walt, and he makes a joke about the importance of contracts and consent, bringing them both to laughter.

They embrace and passionately kiss before discussing further plans. Edwin promises to read Flora’s diaries in the hope of finding information they can use. Robin pretends to be annoyed that there are more books in Edwin’s future. Robin expresses confidence in Edwin’s intellect and assures him once more that he never would have given in to Billy’s offer, telling him how impressed and proud he is. When Robin offers to be similarly useful with his visions, Edwin emphatically assures him that he means far more to him than any vision. Robin tells him, “I want you in whatever way I can have you” (359), and Edwin tells Robin that he gives him faith in their future despite his fears.

As they watch each other, Robin says he badly wants to see Edwin naked. Robin promises him that sex between them will always rely on clear consent and enthusiasm. Edwin, in turn, asks Robin not to hold back. They have intense and passionate sex, matching Robin’s earlier vision.

Epilogue Summary

Edwin enters the office after briefly greeting Adelaide Morrissey by name, Edwin greets Robin, pleased once more to see him out of mourning clothes and dressed in an optimistic palette. Edwin remans thrilled and energized by reading Flora’s diaries, especially the approach to magic rooted in land and ley-lines. Robin displays his new pass to the barrel, where he now goes regularly to discuss his visions. Robin is still seeing the woman on the boat with Hawthorn. Edwin rejects the idea of sea travel, and Robin jokingly offers to convey any images of Hawthorn suffering adversity.

Edwin thinks of Flora Sutton, silently promising to live up to her legacy. He resolves that he “had been chosen, and he would fight to live up to it” (371). He shows Robin and Adelaide his latest spell with Flora’s magic system—a steady, if quiet, ball of light. Edwin leans against Robin, taking in the new assurance he feels, despite the obstacles ahead.

Chapter 24-Epilogue Analysis

The novel’s final act illustrates how much Robin and Edwin’s trust and understanding has grown. Their relationship is its own kind of power that enables them to face down their adversaries. Through Edwin’s perspective, Marske repeatedly demonstrates that so much of Edwin’s struggles with intimacy and trust stem from his family’s unchecked cruelty toward him. Facing Walt with Robin at his side allows Edwin to understand himself with less judgement, and to use his intellect to preserve his future, not merely to create distance from others. Throughout the text, Edwin discovers his discomfort and distaste for Class, Ambition, and the Nature of Power as his family understands it—an unearned, non-consensual power to control others. He feels unworthy of Sutton Cottage and discovers that he is unwilling to join Billy’s conspiracy even though it promises to grant him the magical power he has always longed for. Walt, in contrast, is certain of his right to shape the world lo his will. It is a kind of poetic justice for Flora Sutton that the magic in her house thwarts his darker ambitions, allowing Edwin real freedom and a kind of power rooted in community and care rather than ego. Walt embodies the sexism and anti-gay bias prevalent in both magical and non-magical English society. Edwin strives to conceal his and Robin’s relationship not out of shame at his sexuality, but out of certainty that Walt sees emotion only as a weakness to exploit. Edwin’s choice to reject his brother’s kind of power is proof he no longer rejects himself.

Robin repeatedly emphasizes his faith in Edwin: Even as Edwin doubts himself, Robin remains certain that Edwin would never join the conspiracy and that he has the skills to thwart it. Love, for Robin, is seeing the best in others when they cannot see it in themselves. For Robin and Edwin, Love, Sexuality, and Self-Acceptance form their own kind of magic—one that allows them to triumph over the patriarchal, authoritarian magic epitomized by Walt: It is love for Robin that allows Edwin to construct an oath with Walt that will protect them both and allow them to act against the conspirators. Walt is baffled by Robin’s selfless choice to die by suicide rather than serve him, as he has no conception of relationships beyond the transactional. In besting him, Robin and Edwin offer him a story of their own: one where love creates true courage and the capacity to resist cruelty. It is this rewriting that allows Edwin to embrace his future, shaped by trauma but no longer controlled by it. The oath Edwin draws up is, in its way, a creation of his chosen family, as he protects Robin and accepts Maud as a person he also has ties to, setting aside his family of origin. The concept of chosen family is important in the history and present of LGBTQ+ communities, and Edwin’s embrace of it is another sign of his healthier self-concept.

The novel’s closing romantic scenes demonstrate that Robin, too, has fully accepted his past, as he no longer doubts Edwin’s love for him or his inherent worth in Edwin’s life. Edwin’s apology acknowledges his fears but also the depth of his feelings, assuaging Robin’s earlier doubts. This emotional freedom is clear in the novel’s final sex scene, as Robin takes on a more leading role within framework of enthusiastic consent. Edwin responds with abandon, no longer worried about appearing invested or maintaining his reserve. In a text where transformation is a recurring topic, Robin sees Edwin with new eyes in this moment, affirming that authenticity is its own magic.

The epilogue returns to the scene of Robin and Edwin’s first meeting, underlining the ways their relationship has changed. Edwin is secure in his growing expertise, using knowledge as an act of service rather than to distance himself from others. Adelaide Morrissey appears as a confidant and friend, no longer at a distance. The allusion to Robin’s visions of a boat, and Edwin’s seasickness, clues the reader in to the likely setting of the next book and its protagonists. At the same time, the final spell assures the reader that Robin and Edwin are secure in their partnership, having discovered new purpose in their love for one another.