Unrequited love
At the beginning of the story, Michael admires Francesca from a distance and feels a resentment towards his cousin, John, for marrying her. It is clear that they are both deeply in love, which makes Michael more hateful, as he believes he could have had a chance at love with Francesca otherwise. The inability to have her is a source of constant pain for Michael and is partially why he runs away from her.
Guilt
Both Francesca and Michael experience tremendous guilt throughout the course of their relationship. Whilst Michael feels guilt for continuing to covet his cousin’s wife, Francesca feels guilt at betraying her husband by moving on. The two of them struggle with these feelings throughout the book, which stops them from being together. Eventually, they both realise that his cousin would have wanted the both of them to be happy above everything.
Death
After John’s death, and Michael’s departure to India, Francesca is left a widow and the Countess of Kilmartin. Despite her fortune, she is lonely and depressed. She feels as though she cannot move on with her life now that John is no longer with her indeed, her struggle to let go of him prevents her from establishing a relationship with anyone for many years.
