To Paradise

David rushes to Edward’s boarding house, where Edward greets him, “kissing him wherever he could, as eager as a pup” (101). Edward explains everything that has happened to him. He arrived safely in Vermont, where he reunited happily with his sisters. Once the baby arrived, he was busy and preoccupied, although he thought fondly of David. He also misremembered that he gave David the address where he was staying, so he didn’t realize that David had no way to contact him.

As Edward prepared to journey back to New York, his other sister, Belle, was unexpectedly abandoned by her husband. Edward focused on helping her and accompanied her to Boston, where she was to stay with friends. The friends, Susannah and Aubrey Cooke, know both Edward and his sister well and plan to open a silk farm in California. They invited Edward and Belle to join them and start a new life in California. Edward was surprised that Belle was considering the idea; at first, he was hesitant, but then he became curious.

Once back in New York, Edward realized that he was not happy with the life he had there. He wants the fresh start that California offers, and he proposes that David come with him, suggesting they could have “a new life together, a new life together in the sunshine, in the warmth” (111). David is stunned and protests that he could never leave New York. He argues that they could build a life together without leaving, but Edward points out that David’s family would never accept them. Although California is not as accepting of relationships between members of the same sex as the Free States, Edward believes that anonymity and a new start would give them more freedom.

Edward makes David promise to consider the idea and explains that he is going to leave for California in June regardless of whether David comes with him.

After Edward’s proposition, David takes to his bed for a week, and his grandfather assumes he is unwell. Charles reaches out to him, but David ignores him, preoccupied with his dilemma. Internally, he concedes that “for as long as he remained in New York, he would always be his grandfather’s, his family’s, his city’s, his country’s” (116). David recollects how once, while traveling in Europe, he adopted a pseudonym and reveled in the freedom he found when his identity was unknown. He wonders if he might enjoy breaking out on his own, but he is also afraid because California will not afford him the same security.

In mid-March, David goes to a ceremony celebrating the opening of a new museum that the Bingham family has endowed. The exhibits inspire him to ponder the history of the Free States and the pride he has always taken in his family being part of that history. Charles attends the ceremony and confronts David, asking why he hasn’t been in touch. Charles’s agitation draws some attention, and David slips away.

David dreads a confrontation with his grandfather about the incident with Charles, so he stays at his sister’s house. Eliza asks David about Charles, but David is increasingly convinced that he would be miserable married to Charles, giving “his last years of youth to a man who had made him old before he needed to be” (127). Impulsively, David goes to see Edward and tells him he will go to California with him. Edward is surprised and delighted; he had sent a letter asking David for his answer, but David didn’t receive it. David knows it will be difficult to break the news to his grandfather, but he reassures Edward that he has money and that within a few years, he will be able to access his trust fund.

After spending a few days with Edward, David receives a letter from the Bingham family lawyer. The letter informs him that Charles Griffith has fallen ill and is hoping to see David. Edward encourages David to tell Charles once and for all since it is cruel to let him continue to hope.

David arrives at Charles’s home, where Charles reassures him that he is beginning to recover. David finally states that he can never marry Charles, explaining regretfully that “I was and am completely in the wrong, and my sorrow for any pain I might have caused you will haunt me for the rest of my life” (135). Charles asks if David cares for anyone else, and David admits that he does. Charles also explains that he knows about David’s illness and that it does not deter him. David is stunned that someone betrayed his secret to Charles. He lashes out, telling Charles no one will believe him if he tries to spread this information around. Charles responds coldly, and the two men part ways.

David goes on a spending spree and returns to Edward with expensive gifts. He formally proposes marriage, and the two spend the night celebrating; “all around them, all within them, was pleasure” (141). However, David knows that he will eventually need to take responsibility for his choices. The next day, a note comes summoning him to speak with his grandfather.

At the Washington Square house, David’s grandfather presents him with all the letters Edward tried to send to him; he has been withholding them. He also hired a private investigator to look into Edward Bishop. Edward was born into an impoverished family in Georgia; his father stole and attempted to flee to the Free States with his family to avoid arrest. Edward and his sister were separated from their parents and eventually adopted by a wealthy family in Vermont. However, Edward stole, lied, and bullied others from a young age. Edward eventually defrauded a relative, leading his adopted father to disown him.

Edward became involved with a wealthy New York man who was eager to marry him, but his parents disapproved. They offered to get Edward a job if he left their son alone, and Edward readily accepted, which is how he came to be a music teacher at the orphanage. About a year ago, Edward reunited with his sister, Belle, who hoped to reconcile him with his adopted father, Mr. Bishop. However, Mr. Bishop still did not accept Edward. Belle was given the choice between her parents and Edward and chose her brother.

Belle and Edward went to Boston to stay with the Cookes; they are brother and sister but sometimes pose as a married couple. They are also grifters and petty criminals. Edward and Aubrey Cooke have been lovers for a long time. Edward, Aubrey, Belle, and Susannah planned to go to California together to start a silk farm, but they needed more capital. Around this time, Edward happened to meet David. The report implies that he has been using David for money all along.

David is so stunned by the report that he faints; the information feels like “an anchor falling rapidly through the water many thousands of leagues, falling and falling until it was swallowed by the sand at the bottom of the sea” (155). David objects that the report must be false, but his grandfather urges him to see that Edward is a liar and a schemer. David announces that he has turned down Charles once and for all and that he only loves Edward. David’s grandfather alludes to a previous relationship and points out that he thinks Charles would be a sensible choice.

David thinks back to his previous relationship. When he was 21 and studying at art school, he met a charming and handsome man named Andrew. David had always been shy, mousy, and quiet, so he was delighted that Andrew was interested in him, but his grandfather disapproved immediately. David ignored the warnings and was devastated when, after a few months, Andrew left him abruptly for a more outgoing classmate. After a mental health crisis, David was sent to Europe; by the time he came back, he was isolated as his siblings and friends had largely moved forward with their lives. Although David was expected to work at the family bank, he found it too taxing to do so. David’s grandfather became convinced that David was sickly and needed to be treated delicately.

David was able to build a quiet life for himself but remained sensitive and subject to melancholy and depression. He became obsessed with Andrew and sent so many letters that he was threatened with legal action. David has always been ashamed of the measures his grandfather has to take to protect him; he agreed to his efforts to find a good husband because he knew this was socially appropriate. As he thinks about his past, David becomes more convinced than ever that he needs to go to California and start a new life.

David’s grandfather urges him to be more cautious and wait. He also tells David that if he goes with Edward, he will lose his inheritance. David pleads, hoping he can show why he loves Edward, but finally accepts that he is going to have to sever the relationship in order to be with the man he loves.

It is now late April, and David has been living with Edward in the boarding house for more than a month. When David left his grandfather’s house, he confronted Edward about what he learned in the report. Edward claims that he did live with a wealthy aunt for a time, but he never stole money from her and that another relative started that malicious rumor. Edward also insists that Aubrey and Susannah are a married couple, not siblings, and he has never been involved with Aubrey. Edward is insistent that “he had never stolen anything from anyone, least of all his parents” (168). He also says that he wasn’t adopted, and his parents died after bringing their children to a better life in the Free States.

David spends some time pondering whether he can truly give up his family and everything he has ever known. He passively goes along with Edward’s plans for their move to California. The day before they are to leave, David withdraws all of the money that he can access and goes to say goodbye to his grandfather. His grandfather pleads with him one more time to stay in New York, but David is insistent. He imagines the possibility of a wondrous new future, feeling hopeful about life with Edward in California.