Marjorie reached out a hand and placed it on Ellen’s lap to comfort her. “I cannot begin to imagine how hard it must be for you and Andrew.”
Ellen nodded. “Especially Andrew. I know he goes to visit her every other week, and each time, he returns more downcast than before. I can tell it is taking its toll on him. At least, he has you; that should comfort him.” Marjorie nodded thoughtfully. “It just hurts to see the person you love most in the world hurting and knowing you cannot fix that.”
“You know, the Dowager Countess, when she told me the story about how she met her husband the Earl, told me that she was rejected because she was the child of a fisherman.”
Marjorie laughed out loud. “Impossible. I cannot imagine the Dowager Countess not being a Dowager Countess! What do you think she did about his family?”
Ellen smiled “She said that until her mother-in-law’s dying day, she still was not accepted.”
Marjorie instantly went still. “Oh Ellen, you do not mean to tell me that there is a possibility that I will never be accepted by your mother?”
Ellen looked at her sympathetically. “I am afraid so. My mother does not change her mind, but I am not finished with the story.”
Marjorie motioned for her to continue. “She said that for a while, she walked around the estate believing that she did not belong and that everyone else, including the servants, knew until the day she reminded herself that she loved the Earl, not his title, not even his parents or Society, but the Earl, and since then, she learned to live in a way that made her happy.”
“That is a lot, Ellen. You know I always kind of nursed the secret hope that your mother will come around, especially after she meets our child, but I doubt that would be happening.”
Ellen nodded.
“How is the Dowager Countess?” Marjorie asked.
“On a lot of bed rest which has Gerard worried.”
“It is probably nothing. The Dowager Countess is one of the strongest ladies in London.”
Ellen nodded approvingly. “That is also what I thought.”
“There will be a special book club meeting today. Will you be coming?”
“Do I have a choice?” Ellen laughed. “I would not miss it for the world.”
“I cannot wait to see you there! I wonder what this meeting is about; we are not supposed to convene for two weeks yet.”
“Either way, we will find out. I beg to take my leave now; we shall meet tonight.”
Marjorie stood and accompanied her sister-in-law to her carriage. She waited until the carriage was out of her sight before she went back indoors to prepare for the special meeting of the book club members. When Andrew returned home at dusk, she asked him if he could drive her to the meeting. He had looked at her puzzled, wondering what it was she wanted to get that a servant couldn’t get for her.
“It is a special meeting of the book club.”
“I thought the book club does not meet for another three weeks?”
“I thought so too, but apparently, there is something important that needs to be discussed, and I have to be in attendance.”
“All right, My Love. I will personally take you there myself. Just inform me when it is time.”
Marjorie nodded. “Thank you. And before I forget, Ellen came over today.”
“How is she doing?” Andrew turned to ask, curious.
“She seems happier, healthier, and she clearly enjoys her new role and Manor as do I.”
“Good. If not, I would have had to deal with the Earl at the gentlemen’s club.”
Marjorie laughed.
The meeting of the book club started early with no preamble, Marjorie, who had been driven to the venue by Andrew, had met Ellen at the entrance, and they had walked in together. As they took a seat, waiting for the Dowager Countess to appear, they both read the pamphlet that had been shared at the entrance. The membership of the book club had tripled since Ellen’s first time, and it brought her a thrill of pleasure to know that so many other young and old ladies of London were beginning to see the truth in standing up for themselves. The pamphlet shared contained the mission and goal of the book club, and in the middle were featured works of poetry, prose, and drawings by members of the book club to encourage their creativity. It pleased Ellen immensely to find a story she had written published in the pamphlet, and she and Marjorie read it in glee as if seeing it for the first time.
“Ladies of London, I would like to welcome you to another meeting of the book club. My name is Sophia Hann, the Dowager Countess of Bath, but that is on the outside. Inside here, I am simply a lady like you. The book club was founded on the principle of equality and freedom, and it only starts here so that it can translate to other lives.”
