Wow! That's it, that's all folks. This brings us to the end of our year long journey in Middlemarch together. Thank you so, so much to each an everyone of you for your comments, insights, feelings, opinions or just quiet upvotes if you were following along silently. I have really enjoyed this challenge and I think we made a pretty good team, readers and mods together. That being said it is of course time to shout out for next years mod team. Anyone fancy re-reading and leading the discussions for the next r/ayearofmiddlemarch?

Don't forget, as per poll results, we will have a normal post on December 31st for watch party/book comparisons and final book chat. See you there :)

Ok no more procrastinating, let's head to Middlemarch for the last time...

SUMMARY

The Chettams, and Cadwalladers are talking politics at Freshitt when an agitated Mr. Brooke arrives with news that Dorothea will marry Will in 3 weeks time. Sir James is furious and declares he doesn't ever want to see her again. Everyone else is more forgiving. Celia heads straight to Lowick to see her sister in the hopes of persuading Dorothea to change her mind. When she realises she can't she asks for details instead, but Dorothea says she wouldn't understand.

Mr. Bulstrode worries about his wife and what she thinks of the whole ordeal. He asks her what she would like him to do with all his land. Mrs. Bulstrode wants him to help out Fred and Rosamund. He can do nothing for the Lydgates, but Mrs. Bulstrode could ensure Fred gets Stone Court as Caleb had previously suggested.

Caleb interrogates Mary about her love for Fred. Even though it will be a good while till they can marry she is happy to wait for Fred. Then Caleb reveals the good news about Stone Court. Mary tells Fred and at 1st he doesn't believe it. Once it sinks in he says they no longer have to wait to marry. Their intimate moment is interrupted by Ben Garth.

In the Finale Eliot gives us closure on the main chatacters. - Fred and Mary Vincy live happily at Stone Court. Fred makes a good enough living to own his own stock and furniture. He becomes a distinguished farmer in practice and theory (though people suspect Mary wrote his book, but that is ok because everyone suspects Fred wrote Mary's children's book). They have 3 sons. - Mr. Lydgate dies at 50 of diptheria, and though he does well he never truly considers himself successful as he never achieved his goals. He leaves Rosamund and his 4 daughters well provided for. Rosamund remarried a wealthy, elderly physician - Dorothea never regrets giving up her fortune for Will. They love each other dearly. Will became a public man and ends up in Parliament. They correspond with both Mr. Brooke and Celia. Eventually Sir James (even though he always holds that Dorothea's second marriage was a mistake) gives in. Will and Sir James learn to tolerate each other. Freshitt and the Grange are filled with cousins. Mr. Brooke leaves the Grange to Dorothea's son.

THE END

REFERENCES

• The Reform Bill has been rejected by the House of Lords meaning this places the story at chapter 84 in May of 1832. The Reform Bill ends up passing by June of the same year.

• Mr. Brooke to Sir James "you’re not a Draco". A Draco was 7th century BC, Athenian statesman and lawmaker, whose code of laws (621) prescribed death for almost every offence.

• Mrs. Cadwallader to the Chettams about how noone did anything to prevent Dorothea's engagement to Will "If you would have had Lord Triton down here to woo her with his philanthropy, he might have carried her off before the year was over." Lord Triton is a Greek god of the sea, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, god and goddess of the sea.