The Woman of Colour: A Tale

Writing from Monmouthshire, a county in southeast Wales, Olivia reveals that she left New Park after realizing that George Merton would have to pay for her to stay there. She and Dido are now living in a small, rural Welsh cottage. After asking Mr. Lumley to tell Augustus where she went, she admits that she also left because she did not want to get in the way of Augustus and Angelina’s reunion. Mr. Lumley, moved by this, says that anyone who defends slavery by arguing that people of color are emotionally or intellectually inferior to white people should meet Olivia, whose noble and virtuous “conquest over self” would change their minds (148). Olivia says that her mother fought a much harder battle than she is fighting and draws strength from her memory.

Olivia recalls finding an advertisement for the Welsh cottage around the same time that Augustus received an angry letter from his father, blaming him for causing the recent problems by hiding his first marriage and disclaiming any connection to him. Mr. Merton wrote to Olivia soon thereafter, praising her strength and offering her his support. George Merton also wrote to her, encouraging her to accept her fate as his dependent and ordering her to come to London. Olivia ignores George’s letter and instead writes to her uncle, promising she will give up any claim to her father’s fortune if George will give her 50 pounds every three months for her and Dido’s maintenance. George agrees, and Olivia rents the cottage in Wales. She also decides to give her wedding jewels to Angelina in person.

All of Olivia’s New Park friends abandon her once she loses her fortune. Lady Ingot advises her in a letter to go to the East Indies, where her skin color will not necessarily be an impediment to finding a new husband. She also receives a letter from Colonel Singleton, who says that he has always been attracted to her and would not be ashamed to become the companion of a biracial woman. She is disgusted with both letters and does not respond to either.

The day before she and Dido leave for Wales, Olivia walks across the grounds of New Park to visit Angelina. The weather is gloomy, mirroring Olivia’s feelings, but she still feels that the scene unfolding around her is inherently romantic. As she approaches the cottage, Augustus appears out of nowhere, looking anxious and disheveled. He tries to avoid her, which she realizes is because of the shame he feels about what happened between them. Olivia swears she does not resent him, and he falls to his knees in gratitude, simultaneously begging her to curse and despise him. She asks him to think of her as a friend whose fortunes have merely shifted, and he argues that she has been the victim of “hellish machinations” at the hands of his family (152). To his surprise, Olivia asks him to come with her to visit Angelina. When he asks how she can be so generous, Olivia tells him that her religious beliefs have taught her to use adversity as a tool for self-improvement. She then tells him that they must start the process of forgetting each other, even if that means Augustus can never know where she lives or what she is doing.

They arrive at the cottage, and Olivia feels a rush of conflicting emotions as she watches a weeping Angelina hug Augustus. She describes Angelina as timid, almost frail, with almost transparent skin and large eyes. Olivia hands her the wedding jewels and tells Augustus that she wishes she could help the family financially, but she no longer has access to her inheritance. Before leaving, she takes Augustus’s son’s hand and blesses the family. She feels relieved having met Angelina and knows that Augustus will be happy in his marriage.

Olivia writes goodbye letters to the Lumleys and to Mr. Bellfield, expressing regret that she could not help in uniting Caroline Lumley and Mr. Waller. The next day, she and Dido leave New Park, and Olivia sadly says goodbye to her plans to establish a local school and continue helping the villagers. She still believes that Letitia is responsible for the collapse of her marriage, but knows that no matter how much money Letitia has, she will never be able to take away the happiness Augustus and Angelina have with each other.

Olivia says she could be quite happy in her small cottage, but Dido constantly bemoans their change in situation, missing both New Park and Fairfield Plantation. Dido has hired a local Welsh girl to help out and has trained the girl to see Olivia as a princess.

Olivia describes the “wild and romantic scenery” in which her cottage lies and adds that it is not as isolated as she anticipated, since many wealthy gentlemen have their country seats nearby (158). She just hopes to go unnoticed and tries to keep herself busy by helping others when she can. She spends time reading, but admits that she reads only cheerful books and avoids the sad ones.

Olivia receives a letter from Caroline, who chides her for leaving New Park without saying goodbye in person. She reports that Augustus and his family are still living at the cottage and passes on a rumor that George Merton plans to use New Park as a summer residence. Olivia knows that Caroline is not ready to befriend Augustus and Angelina, even though Olivia wishes she would.

The unnamed editor interjects, saying that because Olivia does not write anything of interest over the next month, the record of her life will jump forward in time.

Caroline writes again, reporting that Mr. Merton is dying and has summoned Augustus, Angelina, and their son to London. Olivia prays that Mr. Merton will forgive his son and provide for them after his death.

Olivia writes that although Dido often looks sad and tired, she has been much more cheerful and energetic lately. Olivia can also tell that Dido frequently tries to hide a smile and imagines that Dido will soon present her with a good meal or her favorite flowers.

Olivia reveals that Dido has put her in a difficult position and has caused her to have many conflicting emotions. Dido mentions to her that there is one kind gentleman living nearby, but Olivia, still wishing to remain unknown, does not question her further. The next day, Dido has decorated the parlor with flowers and is unusually attentive while helping Olivia dress. A visitor soon arrives, and Dido opens the door to reveal Charles Honeywood. Olivia is overcome by surprise and bursts into tears. Charles tells her that he has followed both her fortunes and her misfortunes, and Olivia says that while she is certainly sad, she is now simply waiting out her “allotted time on earth” (162). She tries to comfort Charles, who is becoming increasingly emotional, by telling him that all her basic needs are met and assuring him that the true tragedy is that Augustus is now impoverished too.

Charles asks if she loved Augustus, and Olivia says she did. He seems surprised, since Augustus did not reciprocate her feelings; Charles finally admits that he fell in love with her on the ship and has loved her ever since, despite the fact that he knew they could not be together. He inherited a large fortune upon his mother’s death, but that has been no comfort to him since he could not be with Olivia. After settling in rural Wales, he encountered Dido entirely by coincidence and learned from her what had happened to Olivia.

Olivia, shocked by this revelation, tells Charles that she will always consider herself Augustus’s wife. He asks if they can be friends, but Olivia refuses, warning him of the rumors that would spread if he visited her at her isolated cottage. She tells him they must say goodbye forever, and he leaves, heartbroken.

After Charles leaves, Olivia cries. Dido comforts her, explaining that she had hoped they could go live with Charles at his large estate. Olivia tells her that she will not marry Charles and that their happiness does not depend on the state of their home.

Caroline writes to Olivia, informing her that Mr. Merton has died without a will. This means that his fortune will be divided equally between George and Augustus.

While Charles has not tried to visit Olivia again, he sends her gifts, including bouquets, fruit, and newly published pamphlets. Olivia feels guilty, not wanting to encourage his romantic overtures but not knowing what else to do.

Caroline writes to tell Olivia that a great-nephew of Mr. Bellfield’s has discovered the old man’s existence and has written to him at the Pagoda to offer him financial support. The younger man is allegedly very kind and “liberal in principle” (169). Mr. Bellfield has refused the offer of money, but is going to visit his great-nephew and plans to move in with him. Despite his relief, he will be sad to leave Mr. Waller behind.

Olivia has learned that Letitia Merton, facing a sudden, serious illness, has confessed to her plans to destroy Augustus entirely (and Olivia incidentally). She wrote her confessions in a series of letters, which Augustus forwarded to Olivia and which contain “the fatal effects of female vanity” (170). Olivia also learns that George Merton, upon receiving his part of the Merton fortune, relinquished his control of Olivia’s inheritance.

Olivia rewrites Letitia’s confession as a short narrative, which she includes in the body of the letter. Letitia Manby is born into a wealthy, self-made merchant family; her father is unprincipled and avaricious, and her mother is notoriously vain. They raise Letitia to be concerned only with money and appearances. After being sent to a boarding school where her worst traits are encouraged by a corrupt, self-interested headmistress, Letitia returns home and demands that her parents bring her a friend. They summon the orphaned daughter of Mr. Manby’s only sister, Angelina Forrester, who is sensible, kind, and intelligent. The transition from a modest life in Northumberland to a life of wealth and spectacle in London is difficult for Angelina, and Letitia is cruel to her, treating her as an object of ridicule. Mr. Manby soon becomes aware of George Merton, the son of his business acquaintance Mr. Merton, and the Manbys plot to engineer a marriage between Letitia and George. However, when the two families dine together, Letitia is more attracted to Augustus, while Augustus forms a bond with Angelina. While Augustus does not like Letitia, Mr. Merton sees an advantage in marrying the two: He knows that Augustus has no interest in business, and marriage to Letitia would ensure his financial future.

At the Manby home, after Augustus finds Angelina despondent one day after being bullied by Letitia and her friend Almenia Danby, he spontaneously confesses his love for her and proposes a private marriage. She accepts, they marry in secret, and Angelina leaves the Manby home. Letitia and her mother find out what has transpired and immediately plan their revenge. Mrs. Manby tells Mr. Merton that Augustus is planning to marry Angelina, and a horrified Mr. Merton sends Augustus to Ireland to ostensibly to conduct business on his behalf. Meanwhile, Mrs. Manby finds Angelina and convinces her that the villainous Augustus married her illegally. Mrs. Manby then sends Angelina to a remote part of Wales and agrees to pay for her maintenance if she lives under a false name and never contacts Augustus again. Finally, she convinces the Merton family that Angelina is dead and arranges for George and Letitia to marry. Mr. and Mrs. Manby both die soon after these events, and the knowledge of what happened to Angelina dies with them.

Augustus is devastated about Angelina’s death and knows he will never love again. However, he agrees to meet Olivia because he does not want her to become a dependent of George and Letitia, the latter of whom he despises. When Augustus and Olivia get along well and are happy together, Letitia once again becomes intensely jealous. She arranges for the sale of Angelina’s remote Welsh cottage—which she now shares with her very young son—and moves her to the cottage at New Park. Colonel Singleton soon calls upon Angelina, and upset by the “ill-timed” visit, she rushes out of the cottage and runs straight into Augustus (180).

Olivia learns that Letitia has recovered from the illness and that Dido has informed Charles that Olivia has reclaimed her inheritance.

To her happy surprise, Olivia reports that Charles Honeywood is the mysterious, benevolent great-nephew who rescued Mr. Bellfield from the Pagoda. Mr. Bellfield visits Olivia and sings her praises, begging her to give Charles a chance. She refuses, saying that she gets satisfaction from thinking of herself as Augustus’s widow.

Mr. Bellfield visits Olivia regularly, and one day he shares the late Mrs. Honeywood’s story with her. Again, Olivia rewrites it as a separate narrative within the letter.

Years prior, Mr. Bellfield took in the orphaned children of his sister and dedicated himself fully to their care. The eldest was Marmaduke, whom he sent to India to learn trade and industry. The second son died young, and the daughter, Sophia, married a member of the Honeywood family, which had commercial interests in Jamaica. Mr. Honeywood was handsome and charming but also impulsive and unstable, and their marriage was not particularly happy for Sophia. She soon had a son, Charles, and when her own health began to suffer, her husband sent her back to England to recover. She stayed in England until she learned of her husband’s death and the failure of his business ventures; she and Charles then spent three years in Jamaica, sorting out his affairs. After Sophia Honeywood died, Charles discovered he was named in the will of a wealthy relative on her side of the family. Soon thereafter, while living at his Monmouthshire estate, he unexpectedly encountered Dido and Olivia.

Olivia reports that Augustus has arranged for Mr. Waller to live in the same parish as the Lumleys.

Olivia announces that she and Dido are returning to Jamaica, where she will once again try to improve the socioeconomic situation for people of color living there.

Olivia will be sad to leave England, where arts, sciences, and the law all flourish, and she will always appreciate the country that produced people like the Lumleys, Mr. Bellfield, and most of all, Augustus Merton.

The novel’s unnamed editor speaks to a friend, who says that since the novel ended with Olivia unmarried, the work seems to have no moral. The editor responds by saying that Olivia’s virtue, faith, and mental strength are their own rewards. They add that if even one reader who supports the enslavement of African people changes their stance on the issue after reading the novel, they will not regret having edited it.