Chapter Nineteen
Nell retreated to her room with the books. She rid herself of the wig and spectacles and sat down to read. Novels!
She most wanted to read Summer in St. Ives, but she glanced at the first page of Sense and Sensibility and found herself caught. This was a novel about a young woman like herself, of good breeding but little money. The heroine’s name was even Elinor.
Nell read greedily. She knew she should have savored each sentence, but she couldn’t. She turned the pages swiftly, gulping down the words, almost swallowing each paragraph whole with her eyes. She finished the first volume, finished the second volume. Dusk began to gather in the sky. Nell read even faster, skimming down each page. Names jumped out at her: Elinor. Willoughby. Edward.
When Bessie came to help h
