Beyond That, the Sea

As Beatrix eats lobster in a seaside restaurant in Edinburgh, she reminisces about doing so at a restaurant in Maine with the Gregorys. Twenty years have passed since then, and she’s now 34, but a recent trip to the US reunited her with the Gregorys and brought back the memories and grief of losing them all over again. Every August, the Gregorys celebrated all three kids’ August birthdays together: William, Bea, and Gerald. They blew out the candles together on their shared cake and made wishes. During her last summer in Maine, Bea wished to stay and be with the Gregorys forever. Now, she blows out the votive candle on her table in the restaurant and makes a wish.

Reginald tells everyone in the pub how brave his 11-year-old daughter, Beatrix, was when they sent her to live in the US during the war in England. In reality, Bea cried and clung to him, and she refused to say goodbye to Millie, her mother, whom she held responsible for sending her away, although sending Bea to the US was actually Reginald’s idea; he forced Millie to agree but never told Bea this.