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Michael regrets persuading Marnie to stay when he sees their accommodations in Shap. The Black Dog is a shabby pub with a widescreen TV showing sports. Noting that the rooms aren’t themed, Michael and Marnie joke that they could be named after infectious diseases or the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Their rooms are next to the railway line, and the walls vibrate when trains pass. Michael calls his father, who asks if he’ll see Natasha when he reaches Richmond.

Part 3, Chapter 42 Summary: “The Cannibal in the Wardrobe”

Marnie feels that she made a mistake by extending her stay, wistfully watching the London train pass her window. She works on the manuscript of Twisted Night and again notes its improbable descriptions of perfect bodies. She reflects that she liked Michael’s imperfect physique when he stripped down to his underwear to swim. However, the Black Dog is devoid of romance.

Marnie and Michael dine at a fish-and-chip shop, and the Scottish couple joins them. Brian and Barbara reveal that they’ve been married 42 years, and their sons and daughter-in-law are joining them on the walk the next day. Barbara doesn’t believe Michael when he insists that he and Marnie are just friends. As he chats politely with the couple, Marnie receives a text from