Part 2 Judea, pages 66-83 Summary

Nathan recounts the events surrounding Maria's divorce. In exchange for not mentioning her infidelity, Maria's estranged husband insists that she sign a legal document agreeing not to remove their daughter, Phoebe, from England. Maria sees this as an attempt to sabotage her new marriage, and Nathan agrees, but he tells her to sign and they can try to renegotiate again in a few years. Maria worries that being forced to live in England will hurt Nathan's writing. At forty-four, Nathan believes this might be his last chance at a family. His previous three marriages had been childless. Maria worries that she is too ordinary a woman for Nathan. She judges herself against the characters in Nathan's fiction, but he convinces her that he loves her. Nathan again remembers how out of character it was for Maria to...