A Fall from Grace: A Nicole Rayburn Historical Mystery Book 6 by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Merlin Press LLC
Published: 2024-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 38

I listened carefully as Quinn relayed what she had seen. It was fascinating and oddly surreal to hear the thoughts and dreams of a woman who was long gone, but also maddening. To think that Edgar had pressured Grace to write his plays and then instead of expressing gratitude had belittled her and made sure to remind her that she was a financial burden made my blood boil. It would have been unrealistic to expect anything else from a man who had been born and raised during the early Victorian era, since that kind of thinking hadn’t begun to change until the second half of the twentieth century.

Even during WWII, when women had taken over jobs traditionally done by men and had not only persevered but excelled, instead of thanking them upon their return, the men had immediately tried to force them out, claiming the women were trying to steal their jobs. Those who continued to work had held menial positions, and the men who employed them had made sure to treat them with as much disrespect as possible to discourage them from seeking advancement and better pay.

Grace Hilliard had been a gifted writer and had clearly had a good imagination since she had been able to write about situations she couldn’t possibly have found herself in in real life. Perhaps Edgar had contributed his insights and the plays had been more of a joint effort than outright appropriation, but Grace would still have to be able to put herself into the minds of her male characters in order to make the narrative believable and the dialogue relatable for a mixed audience and all-male reviewers.

The only real surprise was Venetia’s pregnancy, since I’d found no trace of a child in the course of my research. But that didn’t mean a child hadn’t existed. It was possible that the record of the baby’s birth or its baptism hadn’t made it into online records.. Of course, there were other possibilities as well, but I wasn’t ready to entertain them, not until I knew more.

“What are your thoughts?” I asked Quinn once she had finished.

“I haven’t seen anything telling,” Quinn said. “Edgar’s relationship with the women in his life was typical of the period. Some would even go so far as to say that he was a devoted husband and brother. Edgar was worried about their finances, which was understandable, and given that he was responsible for supporting the family, it’s not difficult to understand why he would enlist his sister to help him. Grace had the ability to write the plays and the acumen to manage the business, and although she did feel put upon, it gave her something to do. I can’t imagine anything more boring than spending one’s days in that tiny parlor with no one to talk to and no reason to leave the house.”

“Do you think Edgar became so overwhelmed by financial responsibility that he simply walked out one day?” I asked.

“I don’t believe so,” Quinn said.

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