The Nightingale: Chapter 28 Summary & Analysis

Isabelle finally wakes up from her strange dreams to find Gaëtan by her side. All her memories come flooding back to her, and she immediately wants to know if Vianne is okay. Gaëtan assure Isabelle that Vianne is fine. Isabelle wishes there was some immediate way to patch things up with her sister. She assumes that Vianne is still angry with her for bringing danger into her home. She also talks to Gaëtan about how hard it must have been for Vianne to kill Beck.

Turning her attention to Gaëtan, Isabelle says that love is the only thing that helps her continue fighting. She tells Gaëtan that she wants to be with him, no matter what the cost. She doesn’t want to die knowing that they could have been together but weren’t because of fear. In response, Gaëtan tells Isabelle that they cannot be together. Isabelle asks him if he would say the same thing if they were not at war. To this question, Gaëtan has no response. Gaëtan’s lack of an answer confirms his love for Isabelle, even if he doesn’t say anything out loud.

Meanwhile, Beck and Isabelle haunt Vianne’s dreams. She feels guilty over her relationships with both parties and, for the time being, she cannot do anything to resolve these feelings. At this point, Vianne sleeps in Beck’s old room because Von Richter took over her room upstairs. When Vianne gets up in the morning, she sees Von Richter drinking coffee, a luxury only the Germans have access to. Unlike Beck, Von Richter never shares his privileges with Vianne and Sophie. When Von Richter sees Vianne, he tells her that he will be having guests for dinner and that she must cook for them. Additionally, he warns her to keep Ari away from him and his dinner guests so that they don’t get sick. Vianne promises to do as Von Richter wishes, and then she goes back into her room until he leaves.

Meanwhile, Isabelle sits alone and realizes that she is fearful of losing Gaëtan. She knows that either of them could die at any moment, and the realization overwhelms her despite—or perhaps because of—everything that Isabelle has been through. Not wanting to repress her feelings any longer, Isabelle approaches Gaëtan wearing only a towel. Isabelle tells Gaëtan her intentions and then drops her towel. They have sex for the first time.