Mr. Edward Weston replaces the elderly curate Mr. Bligh at the church which the Murray's attend while Agnes is working for the family as governess. Although Rosalie believes the man is ugly and dumb, Agnes disagrees with her. She enjoys the truth of his sermons and simplicity of his manner. Nancy Brown, one of the cottagers whom Mr. Weston visits regularly agrees with Agnes' opinion of Mr. Weston. Mr. Weston helps Nancy through a bad spot in her spiritual life where Mr. Hatfield had only made her feel worse. During one of Agnes' visits to Nancy's home, Mr. Weston shows up there also to return Nancy's lost cat. Nancy seems interested in making Mr. Weston and Agnes notice one another.
Mr. Weston is one of the few people that Agnes finds in her life as a governess who actually challenges her to be a better person. Although Agnes does not say so directly, it soon becomes obvious in her writing that she is in love with Mr. Weston and desires to be his wife. Although Agnes is not quite sure how to interpret the attention, Mr. Weston seems to be giving her a certain amount of special attention as well. For several days, Agnes lives in misery as Rosalie tries to flirt with and influence Mr. Weston. She is unable to make an impact on him, however.
At the conclusion of the novel, Mr. Weston finds Agnes as she is walking on a beach near the school that she and her mother have opened. He has with him the little dog that Agnes cared for while she was staying with the Murrays. Mr. Weston meets Agnes' mother on the following day, then spends several weeks getting to know the family better. Mr. Weston proposes to Agnes at the close of the novel and the two are married.
