The Mill on the Floss Book 6, Chapter 1 Summary

A Duet in Paradise

• It’s a brand new character! We meet Stephen Guest – rich, young, attractive, and currently flirting with Lucy Deane.
• The two banter for a while and discuss Lucy’s dog, Minny.
• Stephen steals Lucy’s scissors.
• Turns out they are both friends with Philip Wakem. It’s a small world after all.
• Lucy tells Stephen some big news: her cousin (Maggie) is coming to stay with her.
• We learn that two years have elapsed since Mr. Tulliver died, and Maggie has been working elsewhere as a governess.
• Lucy gives Stephen the Reader’s Digest version of the Tulliver’s dispute with the Wakems.
• We also learn that Mrs. Deane has died and that Mrs. Tulliver now lives with Lucy and manages the house for her.
• Having seen Mrs. Tulliver, Stephen assumes that Maggie will look and act just like her.
• Lucy finds this hilarious and lets Stephen think the completely wrong thing about Maggie. She plans to introduce him to Maggie and shock him.
• The two then play and sing a duet together on the piano. Good times.
• They flirt some more and Stephen agrees to come by in a few days to meet Maggie.
• After Stephen leaves, Lucy paces around excitedly – she’s falling for Stephen and she’s excited that the Tullivers will soon be reunited.
• We learn that Stephen likes Lucy for rather superficial reasons and the idea that the two of them will get married isn’t really surprising.