Chapters 16-17 Summary

Elderly Jacob comes back to reality as Rosemary corrects him over his mistake with her name. Jacob has been talking to Rosemary about Rosie but does not recall doing it. Jacob is fearful that this is a sign that he is finally losing his mind. Jacob is afraid.

In the past, Marlena clings to Jacob and tells him how she came to marry August. Marlena was only seventeen and her parents had decided it was time for her to marry. However, Marlena did not want to marry any of the boring men her parents introduced her to. When the circus came to town and August was so charming, Marlena was swept away. Marlena begins to cry as she relates the story about marrying August, so she sends Jacob away before she does anything she might regret.

Everyone on the circus knows...