In Taylor Swift’s Folklore story, James is reunited with Betty after the “august” romance.
“august,” “Cardigan,” and “Betty” describe connected events from different perspectives. The “august” narrator has a summer relationship with James, but James later returns to Betty, the person with whom he had an earlier relationship.
The song’s narrator is not officially named. Swift said she imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine, and fans often use Augustine as a convenient label. That informal name should not be mistaken for Betty, who is an explicitly named character.
The three songs are fictional and were designed as a narrative puzzle within Folklore. Their links encouraged listeners to compare lyrics and timelines, but the songs do not present a fully literal, chronological biography of real people.