The Bronte Quartet Part Four: The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

I didn't plan it this way, but Anne Bronte's birthday is January 17th. So Happy Birthday, dearly beloved, I'm so sorry I hadn't discovered you sooner.

Oh, it has come to this, finally. 
There's so much to be said I scarcely know where I might start without accidentally leaving out a delicate detail that you so much very need to see the whole picture quite thoroughly. 
Anne Bronte is a master at her craft. Where Emily and Charlotte both poke at societal norms and customs of their time, Anne says, "ya know what's got a nice ring to it? Conflagration."
And then she sets the whole thing ablaze.
The youngest of our dear, sweet, Brontes, Anne published 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' at the tender age of 28 and died just a year later. 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' was her second novel and was met with much popularity on its initial publication. But, due to her own reasons, Charlotte first highly edited Anne's initial novel 'Anges Gray' and completely stopped 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' from being published a second time. This insured that Anne would never reach the same literary popularity as her two elder sisters. Was this Charlotte's reason for doing it? She called 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' "a mistake" and said it "wasn't worth preserving", she pleaded to the publisher that not publishing it a second time was the right move for the family, calling Anne an "inexperienced writer.
In the second publication of the novel, for there was eventually a second publication, Anne writes a wonderful preface where she meets those she labels as "her censures" head-on, stating that she merely wants to write "the truth."

"When we have to do with vice and vicious characters, I maintain it is better to depict them as they really are than as they would wish to appear. To represent a bad thing in its least offensive light is doubtless the most agreeable course for a writer of fiction to pursue; but is it the most honest, or the safest? Is it better to reveal the snares and pitfalls of life to the young and thoughtless traveler, or to cover them with branches and flowers? O Reader! if there were less of this delicate concealment of facts – this whispering 'Peace, peace', when there is no peace, there would be less of sin and misery to the young of both sexes who are left to wring their bitter knowledge from experience."

So what is The Truth to Anne Bronte?
It was no secret that their brother, Branwell Bronte, was once a genius poet who reached publication before his sisters, he even penned a novella for the temperance movement but he was lost to higher society when he fell to alcoholism and drug usage and any sort of literary fame he could possess was lost with it.
Was the truth that Charlotte was trying to cover up was that her brother had left the impression alcoholics are drunk brutes sent to ruin families? Was she trying to hide that shame as the rest of the family had tried to hide it? Did The Tenant of Wildfell Hall hit too close to home? Did it ring too true?

In a biography about Charlotte, because why not? Charlotte Charlotte Charlotte, all we hear about is Charlotte. Anne is recorded as being "precocious" and when at the age of four she's asked what she wants most in life she answers, "age and experience."
Indeed, Anne. When I was four, I wanted a team of horses. But ya know, age and experience would be nice too.
Anne is too young to be sent to the same school that traumatized her sisters and thus receives a far better experience at home, being taught by her aunt Elizabeth. 
Anne is first sent to school, at the age of fifteen, the same school that Charlotte then taught at. And where Emily and Anne are described as best friends and almost twins, she's never mentioned in Charlotte's letters and it's assumed that they weren't close.
When she became sick with gastritis, a minister is sent to her often, saying that her illness was due largely in part to a conflict with a clergyman and she needed to atone for her sins in that area.
At the age of 19, she became a governess for the Ingham family from April 1839- December 1839. Her time there was so traumatizing, she wrote it out as her first novel 'Agnes Gray.'
She found more success in her second family to employ her as a governess and spent most of her time with them, becoming lifelong friends with two of the daughters. When the son of the family became too old for Anne to look after, she sought employment for Branwell and brought him on as the boy's tutor. However, Branwell and the lady of the house had an affair, and shortly after that, he was dismissed when the affair was found out and Anne resigned. 

Anne became terminally ill with consumption and met the diagnosis with quiet resolve, writing to her friend,

"I have no horror of death: if I thought it inevitable I think I could quietly resign myself to the prospect ... But I wish it would please God to spare me not only for Papa's and Charlotte's sakes but because I long to do some good in the world before I leave it. I have many schemes in my head for future practise – humble and limited indeed – but still I should not like them all to come to nothing, and myself to have lived to so little purpose. But God's will be done."

She died after months of suffering on a trip to Scarborough and that's where Charlotte decided to let her be buried.

Because of Charlotte's meddling, most critics have initially labeled Anne as "the Bronte without genius" but as time passes and more people look at her work she's become better known as the most radical of the Brontes for her daring subject matters. 

So what about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall upset Charlotte so much? Why was it initially a wonderful success, selling out completely in the first six weeks and then being lost to the literary community?
First. Charlotte revised a lot, then another publisher also revised a lot. Lots of content was originally taken out and the impact of the story was changed completely. 
I did get my hands on a copy written solely by Anne and read it as the writer intended it to be read. If Charlotte Bronte were still alive, I'd spit in her eye for what she did. Her reasons might not have been malicious at the time, but I hate her. God help me, I really hate her.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was said to be "shockingly disturbing" to the 19th century Victorian Era with its depiction of alcoholism and debauchery and in a lot of ways, it's still shocking. 
So let's get into it.

It begins as a series of letter from a one Gilbert Markham to his brother-in-law, Halford. In the first letter, Markham says that Halford had bestowed upon him a great story of his early life before meeting Markham and had grown upset and distant when Markham replied that he did not have his own grandiose tale from his early life. So, as to appease Halford, Markham has decided to tell him the most interesting story he had to tell. He informs Halford that if Halford is interested in said story, he'll complete it all in a series of letters. And he does. 
The entire novel is either written in letters, or excerpts of a diary also transposed into letters. This gives us great moments where Markham breaks away from his narrative to make little comments to Halford about his "crusty nature" and small jabs about their friendship. Like little winks and nods here and there. It makes the narrative all the more personable and keeps up the feeling that this story is told through letters.
Markham then goes back to the autumn of 1827. 
He introduces our small play of characters, his mother who dotes on him, spoils him, even. His brother, Fergus, younger and more brash than Markham, and his younger sister, Rose, who will one day marry the receiver of these letters. 
He's the eldest son of a country farmer who's recently passed away with the dying wish that Markham follows in his footsteps and be an honest, hardworking, good man, for there is no better pursuit than that. And Markham meets this request with pleasure and ease, he enjoys his work as a farmer and he enjoys his small community who we also meet in this first letter. 
He's happy. 
However, in small glimpses, we get to see how his mother favors him and his brother over his sister and while Rose gripes about this, his mother admonishes her and says it's a woman's place to make a man's life as comfortable as possible. 
Markham definitely has a spoiled countenance, he expects to get what he wants when he wants it and he rarely thinks of how this might affect his mother who doesn't complain. 
We learn that the community is quite gossipy, from the young women to the vicar, all like to meddle in the affairs of others and discuss them in leisure. Markham at first thinks nothing of this and partakes enough, himself. 
Here we learn of more of the characters, there's the vicar, Millward, and his two daughters, Mary and Eliza. Mary is described at first as being boring and plain, thus Markham doesn't pay too much attention to her, and his sister Eliza who is described as being beautiful and a little sinister, holding Markham's steadfast affection because he finds her so enticing. 
There's also a young heiress named Jane Wilson who is pursuing the affections of a gentleman named Fredrick Lawernce who'd come into a decent amount of money after his father passed away. Markham likes Lawerence enough but describes his character as being tight, like a jacket too small in the elbows. 
Jane Wilson is described as a bitch. An educated bitch but a bitch nonetheless. 

Here is this first letter, we're told, by way of gossip from Eliza to Rose to Markham that Wildfell Hall is newly rented. Everyone is surprised and shocked at this as the hall has stood empty for fifteen years and was in great disrepair, only a few rooms left are inhabitable at all and it would take a fortune to establish the hall to its former glory.
Lawerence is the owner of the hall and everyone is surprised that he's even renting it out at all, what's more, it's being rented by a young widow, her young son, and one servant. 
Jane Wilson went there herself to meet the widow, named Mrs. Graham and reported that she's very reserved and wouldn't speak a word of her former life. Apparently, Mrs. Graham is exceedingly beautiful though and Rose makes the remark that Markham would even find her more beautiful than Eliza. 
Markham concedes that there are many faces more beautiful than Eliza's but none more charming. His mother makes a comment that she doesn't want him to marry Eliza, as she's penniless and kinda terrible and Markham waves this away, saying he has no interest in marrying Eliza but he likes to enjoy himself with the flirtation. 
Mrs. Graham is at church that next Sunday and Markham does marvel at her beauty but when she catches him looking she gives him such a cold expression he decides that it would be terrible to share a home with her. 
This coldness continues with everyone who tries to befriend Mrs. Graham. 

The story continues the Tuesday after this while Markham is out hunting with his dog, Sancho. He gets close to Wildfell Hall and sees a young boy climbing the garden wall. The boy spies Sancho and calls to the dog but the dog doesn't listen and so the boy attempts to get closer by way of climbing over the wall but his foot slips and he falls. Just in time, Markham saves the boy and consoles him. 
His mother rushes around the corner and accuses Markham of trying to steal the child to which Markham is like, "bro, he just almost died and I saved his life."
Mrs. Graham apologizes and thanks him but remains cold and distant so Markham retreats without another word to her, thinking she's rude.
He's so put off by her cold disposition that he goes to Mary and Eliza's home to cheer himself up with some mindless flattery. Eliza obliges but Mary can't be encouraged to it. Soon, Markham is feeling better about himself so he goes home.
Two days later, Mrs. Graham goes to Markham's home to have tea with Rose and his mother. Here we have fantastic dialogue between Mrs. Graham and Markham. Dialogue, I think that would make Charlotte jealous as she could not deliver sufficient dialogue between Jane and Rochester. 
Mrs. Graham refuses wine. She also refuses wine for her small child, Arthur, who is five. She says that she's gone to great pains to make him hate all forms of alcohol and she would prefer it if others didn't offer any to him as he thoroughly now detests it.
Markham says she's coddling him and he'll find his way into the world eventually and she shouldn't hide Arthur from it but prepare him for it. 
Mrs. Gramham says she'd rather remove early pitfalls from his path than allow him to continue on blindly so as to keep him from corruption. 
Markham calls this silly and nonsense and says she's going to cause Arthur to hate her.
This is when Mrs. Graham decides to leave and Markham says she can't just decide that he's not allowed another word on the matter, he's got much more to say.
To this, Mrs. Graham delivers the powerful line, "you can say as many words as you like, I don't have to be around to hear them."
And then she leaves. 
Markham again decides that he doesn't like her. His pride is wounded, his spoiled arrogance has again been tested and his character found wanting. He's not used to his charms being rebuffed so constantly and he doesn't understand why. 
In November there's a party that everyone attends except Mrs. Graham, so naturally, she's the topic of conversation. Even the vicar agrees that five-year-olds should be permitted alcohol and temperance is to be taught, not abstinence. 
Lawerence quietly objects to this, as his father drank himself to death, and says that some find themselves unable to practice temperance and need to withhold completely. 
This brings the subject to a close for the moment and the party continues on quite merrily, ending with Markham stealing a kiss from Eliza.
At the end of November, Rose and Markham decide to go visit Mrs. Graham at Wildfell Hall. They're lead to a studio with many paintings and a painter's easel. 
Markham loves the paintings and is happy to find out that Mrs. Graham is the artist. She makes her living off selling them but changes the location names as she doesn't want her aquaintances to know where she's currently residing. 
Markham is like, "sus."
During this interview, Mrs. Graham is called away by a figure Markham can't see and whom Arthur refers to as "mama's friend."
Again, Markham is like, "sus."
Being left to his own devices in the studio, he finds a painting turned around and studies it. It's a young man with chestnut curls and piercing blue eyes. When Mrs. Graham reenters, he asks about it and she calls him rude. He hates being rebuffed by Mrs. Graham and wants her to find him pleasing because EVERYONE does.
He sulks by the window and then announces to Rose that it's time to go. It here that Mrs. Graham's icy exterior melts a little and she apologizes to Markham for her behavior. 
At this, Markham is intrigued. If he can get on her good side, he feels like he'll see a much more wonderful part of her than he's seen yet. 
This is a bit of growth on Markham's part. It's small but it's enough to get him started. 
Over the next four months, he didn't go to her home again but the gossip surrounding her continued. She called on Mary, Eliza's sister and apparently, they found lots of things to talk about and spent hours together. Markham, originally calling Mary boring, decided this was because Mary had a fondness for children and none herself. 
He would spot Mrs. Graham and Arthur out on lonely walks together and he'd find excuses to interrupt their trek. He found Mrs. Graham more amiable than before and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Arthur. 
It's on one of these walks in February that Mrs. Graham finally relents to Markham's desire for acquaintance and they have a conversation he describes as being "so in-depth with emotion and feelings close to his own" that he leaves the pair feeling enchanted, having never felt such connection before with anyone else.
When he returns home, he finds Eliza and Rose chatting and is disappointed that the conversation doesn't move his mind the way it had with Mrs. Graham. He refers to Eliza as a little "insipid" and "shallow" and thinks that his feelings for her have changed. There's no depth of soul there for him to find.
He then takes great pains to seek Mrs. Graham's company out as much as possible but finds her disposition to change with the weather. First, she's open and friendly, then cold and unfeeling. He figures out that it's due to any sort of advance she perceives as romantic and goes to great lengths (for himself) to not cross her personal boundaries. 
In March, Markham gets it in his head (by way of small-town gossip) that Lawerence, being Mrs. Graham's landlord, is in love with Mrs. Graham and sees him as a rival to her affection. He questions the young gentleman about it and Lawerence denies it but tells Markham that pursuing Mrs. Graham is a lost cause. 
Markham feels this solidifies his suspicion and makes him terribly jealous. We're talking violently jealous. It's not good. It doesn't go well. But we'll get there.
At this point in time, I'd like to say that I much preferred Lawerence over Markham as well, so I was like, "yeah Lawerence, you bag that young widow, fuck Markham." 
Oops.
Moving on.
In the middle of May, all the young people, minus, Lawerence go to the beach. 
It's a wonderful time. 
Mrs. Graham paints, Markham tries to get closer, she doesn't let him, he sulks. 
Now though, instead of getting angry with her when he offends her, he's dissatisfied in himself and his own failing by again accidentally stepping on a boundary. He loves to listen to Mrs. Graham talk and he loves her thoughts and ideas.
It is in June that Markham decides he's going to give Mrs. Graham a gift. He wants to see how she receives it. Would it bring them closer or would it cause her to step further back? They'd been sharing books back and forth sometime now and discussing the literature at length but she made the comment she wanted a specific poetry book and he went home and immediately ordered it for her.
When he presents the book to her, she demands being allowed to pay for it as she can not accept it as a gift and the obligations that come with it.
Markham swears there are no obligations on his part and he only wants to be her friend. It's Mrs. Graham's turn now to be like, "sus."
But she says she'll be his friend, nothing more, and they can share sibling-like affection for another. This is when she calls him by his first name and asks that he call her Helen. 
Markham is over the moon that they're now on a first-name basis, sure just as friends, but how long will that last? He's learned to tiptoe around her prickly personality and he loves how her mind works when she allows him to see it. To Markham, Helen is the best person in the entire world.
At this point in time Eliza and that Wilson girl decide they're going to start the rumor that Arthur is Lawerence's child and Helen ran away from her husband when he found out about the affair.
Markham won't believe it but that violent jealousy is too much for him to handle and he can't control his feelings any longer. 
He goes to Helen and declares undying love and passion and she's like, "bro, no. I told you this couldn't happen, I only wanted your friendship, why are you doing this?"
And he's like, "HELEN, I LOVE YOU."
She breaks down and says if he comes back the next day, she'll tell him everything.
But he doesn't go back the next day, for, on the way out, he sees Lawerence approaching and decides to spy on them instead.
He sees an intimate walk in the garden where Lawerence has his arm around Helen's waist and her head is on his shoulder and she's expressing that she must leave Wildfell Hall and seek asylum elsewhere.
Markham is shook.
He can't believe Helen would be this way. This is terrible. His world is rocked to its foundation. He broods for days and when he's not brooding, his company is so intolerable he drives everyone away.
This springs forth the gossip that Helen has played both Lawerence and Markham and made them look like fools. He denies his part in it but he loathes the thought of Lawerence.
The two men meet on the way to town. 
Lawerence tries to strike up a dialogue with Markham and Markham decides to crack him over the head with his whip, his whip that has a steel tip.
It cracks open Lawernce's skull but it doesn't kill him. Markham leaves him there to be helped by someone else and continues his business of the day.
Dude. Markham has troubles. Deep troubles. Like up until this point, I thought he was immature and just needed some education but at this point in time I was like, "omg!"
Ya don't just attack someone with a whip. No reasonable person is like, "this is normal."
When it's later reported to him that Lawerence is laid up with a serious head injury and probably dying, he doesn't go to Lawerence, no no, he goes to see Helen.
Now, it's been weeks since she said she'd tell him everything and he's vowed never to hear her tale but now, he has to. 
So, after some spiteful back and forth, she gives him her journal and says it will reveal everything. 
He takes it home and immediately begins to read it.
This is where the narrative changes from just Markham's account of events to Helen's journal.
It begins when Helen is 18 and just starting out in society. She lives with her very prudent aunt and her less than prudent uncle. 
She's arrogant in her intelligence and is often bored by regular conversations. She detests her suitors she sees as boring and elderly and says she'll probably never marry.
Until she meets a one Arthur Huntingdon. 
He's charming and cool and "laughing blue eyes" and rescues her from being hit on by an old man she can't stand. They dance together all night at a party and she thinks he's just the best. 
Her aunt is like, "is he though? Really think about it. Can he make you happy?"
Helen is like, "heck yeah he can make me happy."
Her aunt is like, "I heard he likes to drink and all of his friends like to drink."
And Helen's like, "if that's the case, settling down with someone like me, so religious and steadfast, will save him."
And her aunt is like, "that's not how that works."
Soon Helen meets two women, Annabell something something and Milicent Hargrave. She finds Annabell boring and too flirtatious for her friendship but she really enjoys Milicent, Milicent who has a brother who's close friends with Huntingdon and speaks very highly of her brother. In turn, Helen takes this to mean that Huntingdon must also be good because he's friends with Hargrave. 
Parties go on, things are fun. Huntingdon flirts with Helen mercilessly. When he thinks her affection isn't to be won or when he wants to see her more emotional, he flirts with Annabell in front of her and then asks how it made her feel.
I fucking hate Huntingdon.
During this time, Annabell is courted by a Lord who's lost his fortune to gambling and drinking and she marries him for his title as she has her own fortune to keep them comfortable.
Huntingdon is extremely manipulative and emotionally abusive from the get go but Helen is young and arrogant of her powers of persuasion so when Huntingdon expresses his love for her, she accepts his proposal despite her aunt's wishes that she forget him. 
They're married in December. Their honeymoon is lack luster, she finds his head to empty and there's no deep conversation between them. She grows increasingly frustrated and in the spring, he leaves her to go to London for a number of months for "business." When he returns, he's sick and she has to nurse him back to health. She's so worried about him, she forgives him for being away for so long and attends to his every need. 
The fall comes and he invites his friends to stay with them. Of those friends, we meet the next important cast of characters.
There's Hattersly, a rough brute of a man.
Grimsby, a mean drunk
Lowborough, a reformed gambler and drunk and his wife, Annabell
and Hargrave, Milicent's brother, also a drunk. The best of the drunks, but still a drunk.

Helen endures their visit and the flirtation between her husband and Annabell in silence but when they leave, she confronts Huntingdon on his behavior and he's like, "you're right, I'll be good." And he is good. For the winter.
Then spring comes and he goes to London again for a number of months. But Helen is pregnant and gives birth to their son, so when he comes home this time all sickly and gross, she doesn't have as much time to attend to him and says he hates his child and Helen is too religious and she needs to spend more time with her earthly lord (him). 
Helen is like, "bro."
That fall, no one comes for a visit, the winter occurs without issue but again, Huntingdon leaves in the spring. Again, he returns sick.
This next fall, their guests return, with another in their company. Milicent has married Hattersly at the behest of her mother who really just wanted her out of the house. 
The drunken debauchery that takes place is awful. The men are always drunk (minus Lowborough who abstains completely) and the women are always secluded in another room, waiting for them to calm down. One night, the men come into the room to pester the women and Hattersly ends up shaking Milicent because she's crying, she begs, "Please, we're not at home." which lets us know that they do not share domestic bliss. 
Annabell resents Lowborough for not drinking and makes the comment she wishes Huntingdon had Lorborough's title because she would have married him instead.
Helen is like, "yeah but Huntingdon is my husband, so leave him alone." 
And Annabell is like, "watch me."
Now, during this, Milicent's brother has been interestingly attentive to Helen. He's polite when Huntingdon is rude and goes to lengths to get her alone at times... to spend time with her. They end up playing a game of chess that Hargraves wins and it's all very weird and tense. 
He seeks her out later and says, "where's your husband?" She thinks he's with Grimsby and he asks, "Where's Annabell?"
Everything clicks into place for Helen then and she does catch Huntingdon and Annabell having a secret meeting in the garden confessing their love for one another.
Helen confronts Huntingdon on this in private and asks to be allowed to leave him, he says no, so she says they're only married by law now and she'll be civil and keep his house but she'll no longer be his wife.
Huntingdon is fine with this he's like, "great. fuck you."
Helen also confronts Annabell and tells her that she has to leave immediately but Annabell won't and Helen has to endure another 12 days with her in their home before the party is broken up and everyone leaves.
Helen won't tell a soul what's going on though, her pride won't let her.
Winter comes and goes.
Spring comes and Huntingdon goes to London again and Helen is like, "great."
But then Hargraves starts coming around again. Trying to be her friend, hinting at the continued affair between Huntingdon and Annabell, saying Helen is permitted to do what she wants.
Helen spurns his advances at every turn because she's still married and she won't let him ruin her one chance at happiness in heaven, since she can't have it on earth.
Huntingdon comes home in the fall and again, there's another party. 
Same people as before. This time Helen corners Annabell straight away and tells her that if she sees anything, she'll tell Lowborough right away. 
But it's not left up to her this time, this time, Lowborough discovers it and although no one speaks of it publically, everyone knows what's going on. 
Lowborough and Helen share a moment as the spurned spouses and they each entreat one another to God's care. 
Annabell gets Helen alone and asks her not to "undo all of my good work" as Annabell has also been trying to get Huntingdon to stop drinking and blames Helen for Huntingdon's vices. Helen is like, "bitch, just wait."
That night, Helen listens to Lowborough pace in his room and pray, knowing he's wrestling with the desire to kill himself. The next morning Lowborough and Annabell leave and as they're departing, Arthur shouts to Lowborough, "give my love to Annabell!" laughing as he does.

Huntingdon has taken to encouraging his son to drink and be the worst he can be and tells him not to listen to his mother about anything.

It is because of this that Helen resolves to leave him because she has to protect her son from Huntingdon's corruption. 

She begins to plan and put money into savings, writing to her long removed brother, Fredrick to prepare their old childhood home for her because she's going to escape.
Winter happens. Annabell writes to Huntingdon almost daily and he shows Helen the letters, telling her that Annabell is a much better woman than she is.
Huntingdon leaves again in the spring, Helen saves all summer. And Hargraves continues to try to win her affection and have an affair of their own to which Helen is like, "NO."
In this time, she becomes good friends with Milicent's younger sister who she fears will also end up marrying a brute like Milicent was forced to.
Then another fall party happens.
Lowborough and Annabell are not in attendance. Huntingdon has broken off the affair because he's bored of her.
So it's Hattersly and Milicent, Grimsby, Hargraves, and Huntingdon. 
Huntingdon, while drunk one night, tells the boys that he doesn't care if any of them take Helen for their own because he hates her.
So Hargraves is like, "well, if Huntingdon says its okay, its definitely okay."
He gets Helen alone and tells her this and she's like, "yeah but I'm still saying no."
Hargraves goes after her, now it's not entirely clear but highly implied that he's going to rape her and she holds a letter opener to his neck until he retreats.
But that's not enough.
The next night, he comes to her again and implores, on his knees that she take his offer. 
Grimsby sees this through the window and all the men burst in, accusing Helen of an affair. She forces Hargraves to admit that she wanted nothing to do with him and the party breaks up early.

Huntingdon still continues to corrupt his son through the winter, he leaves in the spring and when he returns he first burns all of Helen's painting materials, reads her journal where she's written out her plans, and takes her money. He then says he's bringing on a governess. 
The governess is clearly a mistress and Helen is like, "fuck this all. I'm not doing it anymore."
She writes to her brother, Fredrick Lawerence, to ready the hall and leaves in the middle of the night with her one maid.

So now we go back to Markham. He can't believe what Helen has endured in five years and he feels exceedingly guilty for persuing her as Hargraves had, even labeling himself another Hargraves and feels even more guilty for attacking Helen's brother.
He goes to Lawerence and apologizes and Lawerence, being the absolute best, is like, "it's chill bro, just be my friend."
Then Markham goes to Helen and apologizes for everything he's put her through. She's like, "now you see why we can't be together." And he's like, "yeah, I guess."
They decide to remain friends and only write to one another but never physically see each other again, she says he has to wait though, six months to write his first letter and he again agrees. Because he must respect her boundaries at all cost.
Now. Months go by. 
Lawerence and Markham are fast friends now, but Lawerence doesn't talk about his sister and Markham barely asks.
Then the gossip comes.
Helen has gone back to her husband. They've reconciled.
Markham goes to Lawerence to demand answers. Lawerence gives Markham a letter from Helen explaining everything. Huntingdon has finally ruined himself. Everyone has left him, even the mistress is gone, he's dying, his drinking has been too much. She's gone back to do her duty to her husband.
Markham is heartbroken but glad to hear that Huntingdon is dying. I'm glad that Huntingdon is dying. The only person that isn't glad is Huntingdon himself, who is definitely not taking it very well.
He's afraid of death, he's afraid to meet his maker, he's sorry for how he's treated Helen and Helen is like, "yeah, you were the worst and I can never love you again but would you like me to fluff your pillow or something?"
He dies holding her hand and begging her not to leave him. 
After this, Lawerence stops showing Markham Helen's letters and Markham decides it's for the best if she forgets him because she's been through enough.
Time passes. Lawerence spends a lot of time with Helen. Markham tries to move on but finds it very hard. He loves Helen very much but he knows she's been through a lot and if she wants to stay away, she should. At the six month mark, he does not write to her.

Then more gossip comes his way. Helen is to be married to a Hargraves in two days time. Markham, knowing all about Hargraves is like, "I have to stop this wedding!" 
He travels by carriage, then on foot through the snow to the chapel only see the bride and groom exiting, the wedding already having taken place. But oh oh! What's this? That's not Helen! And the groom! Why, that's Lawerence!
The gossip mill has turned all things around and Lawerence has ended marrying Hargrave's youngest sister!
Markham is overjoyed! He must see Helen now! 
He's told that Helen is with her aunt at another hall and her uncle has recently passed away, leaving Helen his whole fortune. 
So not only does she have Huntingdon's fortune, but also a far more expansive fortune from her uncle. 
Markham is dropped off at the hall and thinks this over, he is but a small farmer with not a lot and she is a lady with a good deal. It wouldn't make sense for them to get together and that's probably why she never wrote. She has no want of him and his station.
Markham is getting ready to leg it home when a carriage rolls up and young Arthur calls from within, overjoyed that his friend Gilbert is there.
Markham doesn't know what to do. 
True to character, Helen exits the carriage and asks what he's doing there.
He mumbles about the wedding and says he just wanted "to see the place."
"But not us?" Helen pushes.
Markham kinda shrugs.
Helen invites him in, pleasantries are exchanged and she finally asks him why he never wrote and he was like, "I thought you'd forgotten me."
She's like, "how could I?"
They profess undying love for one another and decide to marry in the summer. 
There's a nice little ending where you learn of Milicent's fate, Hattersly completely disowned Huntingdon, gave up drinking and she does now reside in actual domestic bliss. 
Everyone is grown and happy.
Annabell is hated in society and mostly destitute, Lowborough married a woman who adores him, Grimsby I think met the same fate as Huntingdon and Fergus inherited the farm.

So what are we to make of this story? It had just as many religious themes are Jane Eyre and Helen and Jane are incredibly similar characters. But while Charlotte has to show that endurance will give you reward, Anne took the alternate route and shows that it's not always the case, a woman can endure many things but she shouldn't have to. Your reward should alone be peace with your own soul and with God.
If you're a terrible person and you do not turn from your vile ways, your vile ways will kill you and no amount of a good woman will save you, more so, no matter how good a woman is, she does not have the power to change someone. Only a person can decide for themselves whether they want to change or not. 
Markham had to make the decision not to be a spoiled brat anymore to get to know Helen and had to respect her as a person to discover she was the love of his life. Now, do I think he's the best? Not really. I'd prefer a better love interest, maybe more character development for him but it is what it is. I was very satisfied with the ending and the overall message. 
How does it rank in the three Bronte novels I've read? Definitely number 1. It's storytelling at its best. It's an honest, raw look at what alcoholism does when it goes unchecked and when a person won't turn from it. At the end of the story, Huntingdon is fat, swollen, and completely red in the face, he started off pretty stupid and he ended even worse, his brain having been pickled from his excessive drinking.
Putting him next to Rochester, another emotionally manipulative character, I would say they're probably close to the same person, although Huntingdon is a more honest look at what being emotionally manipulative means.
Putting him next to Heathcliffe, I would say, I choose Heathcliffe.

I think if you put Helen and Jane in a room together, Jane would hate Helen and Helen would pity Jane for being arrogant and pray for her to see the truth.
If you put Helen with Cathy, Helen would probably have some very choice words for her.

And there you have it. 
Five Glorious Stars