The Portrait of a Lady

Edward visits the Osmonds’ home. He receives a cold reception from Gilbert, and a kind one from Isabel. Edward and Pansy talk alone, and he tells her he has really come to see her, and she tells him she likes him, too.

Madame Merle arrives. She and Gilbert discuss Edward. He notes that the potential suitor is not what he “dreamed of for Pansy” (372). Madame Merle notes that Pansy seems to like Edward, but Gilbert doesn’t think that matters and feels certain his daughter will do what he prefers rather than what she wants. Edward speaks to Isabel, and she tells him he isn’t rich enough for Pansy, at least according to Gilbert. He asks her to help him, and she tells him that it isn’t that she doesn’t want to, but that she can’t.

On Madame Merle’s advice, Edward waits to go back to the Osmonds’ house until the following Thursday, the night when they typically have company. He again receives a rude welcome from Gilbert, who tells Ned that Pansy didn’t mean what she said about liking him. Isabel is evidently conflicted during her conversation with Ned but advises him not to speak with Pansy.

Lord Warburton arrives unexpectedly. He tells Isabel he brought Ralph, who is very ill, to Rome. She plans to visit her cousin in the morning. Lord Warburton and Isabel converse, and while she is nervous at first, she soon enjoys the conversation. She observes that his role in British politics has been good for Lord Warburton. He speaks of their previous acquaintance casually and takes an interest in Pansy.

Ned confronts Pansy about what her father said. She reaffirms her affection for Ned, but she tells him her father has forbidden their marriage. She tells Ned she’ll speak to Isabel, and that he should wait and not give up hope.

The narrator describes the fact that Ralph and Isabel saw each other infrequently after her marriage. Ralph has regretted the fact that he spoke to her about Gilbert without success in dissuading her, which damaged their relationship. Henrietta similarly disapproved of Isabel’s marriage, and neither she nor Madame Merle attended their wedding.

Ralph reflects on the change in Isabel since her marriage: She seems more erratic and prone to exaggerations. He reflects disparagingly on Gilbert’s tendency to curate their life fastidiously, treating Isabel as one of the objects of his collection. Isabel is nervous to meet Ralph. The cousins spend an hour together. After she leaves, Ralph tells Lord Warburton that he intends to stay in Rome to observe Isabel and her life.

The narrator describes the situation of Isabel having seen less of Madame Merle since her marriage. Isabel reflects on Mrs. Touchett’s claim that Madame Merle orchestrated her marriage, but ultimately blames herself for it.

Isabel and Pansy return from an outing to find Madame Merle and Gilbert in conversation. Their body language, with him seated and her standing, strikes Isabel as strange. Madame Merle tells Isabel they were discussing Ned. Isabel describes him as a nuisance, and Madame Merle says she washes her hands of his affairs. She then discusses the prospect of Pansy marrying Lord Warburton, and intimates that Isabel should help facilitate it as reparation to him for rejecting him herself.

Isabel gradually decides she likes the idea of Lord Warburton marrying Pansy. She thinks it will make her husband happy, amuse her to have a hand in it, and be a service to Lord Warburton. She resolves to please Gilbert by attempting not to be opinionated on the matter, but rather asking him what he thinks of Lord Warburton as a husband for Pansy. They have a tense conversation, and he tells her he does think Lord Warburton is a good match and that he counts on her influence to make sure he proposes.

Isabel reflects on Lord Warburton, and whether he is in love with Pansy, or still with her. She thinks about her declining relationship with Gilbert, her suspicion that he hates her, and her unhappiness. She reflects on knowing only half of Gilbert’s nature during their courtship. She questions whether she married him in part to do something “finely appreciable” with her unexpected inheritance. She thinks about things she should have seen in him before their marriage: his telling her she had too many ideas and taking himself so seriously. She knows that he has been even colder to her than usual since Ralph decided to stay in Rome. Isabel notes that she has been concealing her misery from her cousin during their visits.

Isabel accompanies Pansy to a ball. Pansy refuses to dance with Edward on her father’s instruction. Edward talks with Isabel, and she discourages him but doesn’t doubt that he is in love with Pansy.

Lord Warburton arrives while Pansy is dancing with someone else. He invites Isabel to dance, but they talk instead. She wonders again how Lord Warburton feels about her, and leaves Pansy and him alone in an attempt to direct his attention. Later, Lord Warburton and Isabel sit down to talk. She questions him about whether he is really in love with Pansy. Afterward, she goes to Edward to tell him she does have some comfort for him, and that she’ll do what she can for him.

The narrative shifts to Countess Gemini, who regrets how little time she spends in Rome due to her husband’s gambling and restrictions on his wife. However, Gilbert had invited her to stay with them in Rome for several weeks.

Before she leaves Florence, Henrietta visits her. Henrietta says that the Countess was the only person she knew in Florence, and that when they met years earlier, the Countess said something Henrietta later published in a letter about the position of women. Henrietta says she is going to Rome, too, though she isn’t sure Isabel wants to see her, as she didn’t invite her to stay with them.

The Countess mentions Lord Warburton’s potential interest in Isabel. Henrietta is worried about her friend’s unhappiness, and she decides to leave Florence the next day. After she leaves the Countess, Henrietta meets Caspar Goodwood, who is also in Florence. Henrietta advises him not to go to Rome to see Isabel as he was planning to. If he does go, Henrietta hopes he’ll be a friend to Isabel.

Despite Gilbert’s displeasure with the situation, Isabel visits Ralph often. She asks him about Lord Warburton’s love for Pansy, but he says it is rather for her. She tells Ralph that she thinks Pansy should marry Edward, and that she won’t try to help Warburton’s cause, even though she told Gilbert she would. Ralph warns that Gilbert may think Isabel is jealous of Pansy.

Isabel talks to Pansy, who insists on her love for Edward and doesn’t think Lord Warburton intends to propose to her.

Gilbert accuses Isabel of keeping Lord Warburton away from Pansy. Lord Warburton arrives and tells them he must travel back to England. He invites them to come stay with him in England. Lord Warburton waits for Gilbert to leave the room to speak with Isabel and tell her he hopes she’ll come to England. Pansy comes in and says goodbye to Warburton as well.

Gilbert again confronts Isabel and blames her for preventing Pansy’s marriage to Warburton.