This is a collection of short stories that I picked up last month from a great little bookstore in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Book Bus Depot is the only bookstore in the US to sell Persephone Books, which, as per their website, “reprints neglected fiction and non-fiction, mostly by women writers and mostly dating from the mid-twentieth century.” The title of this one, Tea With Mr Rochester, is what caught my attention, and it was a surprising and delightful find. Frances Towers did not live to see the publication of this collection, but when the book was published, it received excellent reviews and went through several reprints. Sadly, the author and her stories have fallen into obscurity.
Tea with Mr. Rochester contains 10 stories which focus on the lives and dreams of mostly single women — some young and some older — and reminded me a bit of Jane Austen’s writing. The relationships these women have with family members, friends, or those in their immediate community are front and center, and many of the women are quite independent, working outside the home and not necessarily on the hunt for a man. The stories seem to be set mostly during the interwar and post WWII period, which was when Frances Towers lived (1885-1948). Towers herself was a single professional, having worked at a bank and then as a teacher and headmistress.
Several stories focus on teenaged girls’ “first loves.” In “Tea with Mr. Rochester,” Prissy is a schoolgirl who lives with her two single aunts. Prissy writes poetry and reads Jane Eyre in secret. She also has a crush on a male friend of her aunt, which leads to a very awkward situation. “The Rose in the Picture” is about Ursula, a girl who has grown up in a village where an older boy named Henry has always been well known and popular. Ursula was also attracted to Henry, but then she saw something she shouldn’t have. What will she do when adult Henry returns to the village? “The Little Willow” is a poignant story of first love during the war, and it’s one of my favorites in this book. Lisby is the younger sister of two social butterflies during WWII. They frequently host parties for their male friends home from war, but on one occasion, a young man comes to visit and Lisby feels a deep connection to him but war and more mature older sisters get in the way.
Some of the more intriguing stories deal with relationships between women and the impact of a man on those relationships. “Don Juan and the Lily” is the story of Elsa, a young woman who begins secretarial work in a big office. The boss, Mr Pelham, is remote and seemingly irascible; only Miss Dellow knows how to handle him, but Dellow is also considered an odd duck amongst the other women in the office. Elsa, however, is fascinated by this older woman whose style and confident manners set her apart from the rest. As Elsa gets to know Dellow, she learns that all is not as it seemed with Dellow or Mr. Pelham. “The Spade Man from Over the Water” is a sadly familiar story. Mrs. Asher, who is a young widow, and Mrs. Penny, who is recently married, become neighbors and friends. Mrs. Asher has never met Mr. Penny because he travels so frequently. When Mrs. Penny discovers that her husband will be home in a few days, she expresses her heartfelt wish that her husband and her new neighbor will become friends. We then learn, through Mrs. Penny’s flashbacks, how she met her husband and what kind of man he is and what kind of person Mrs. Penny is as well. “The Chosen and the Rejected” is a story with a strange plot twist. Lucy and Florence are single friends who decide to live in a country cottage together. Lucy is a lively, bright woman who considers herself a bit of an intellect. Florence is warm and earthy, with perhaps more emotional intelligence and intuitiveness. The local “great house” is owned by a couple named Pryde, and Mrs. Pryde — a beautiful woman with exquisite manners and taste — befriends Lucy and Florence. Mr. Pryde occasionally engages in conversation with Lucy but by and large avoids the women’s company. In Lucy’s imagination, her few limited conversations with Mr. Pryde have had what she imagines to be a serious impact on the man.
The remaining stories don’t fit easily in any category, and a couple take surprising turns. “Violet,” which is the opening story, initially felt like a “Mary Poppins” variation. Violet is the maid in a household of grown female children and their parents. Everyone loves Violet except the mistress. Violet seems to know intuitively what people need and even makes some accurate predictions about the young ladies’ love lives. Why would the mistress dislike her so? “Lucinda” is a story about a kind of ghost or spirit that the children of the Quarles family insist lives in their home. They believe she reveals herself to them through their creative endeavors such as writing poetry, music, etc. The children’s mother ridicules the existence of Lucinda but hides a secret of her own. “Violet” and “Lucinda” are both pretty strange stories. “Strings in Hollow Shells” reminds me of Georgette Heyer’s stories. Sandra is 29 and single. She is on holiday with people she has stayed with before. Sandra can be annoying and a bit full of herself. She also does not know how to read a room and finds herself in a compromising position.
The final story is my favorite. “The Golden Rose” is about teenaged Emily and her single aunt Essie. Essie had been good friends with Emily’s mother (Emily’s father is Essie’s brother). Now that her father has remarried, Essie is not invited around as much any more, which strikes Emily as unjust. Emily relies on Essie for advice, particularly about love and relationships. They have a very interesting conversation about why Essie is single, and it sends a lovely message about how not everyone is cut out for marriage and parenthood. Essie tells Emily that she has always found it essential to be regarded as a person in her own right, and then she reveals a little about her romantic history. The end of the story was pretty great, I thought.
I recommend this short story collection to those who like a little romance a la Austen/Heyer and anyone interested in reading neglected mid-twentieth century writers. This was a good purchase and I’ll be checking out more Persephone titles.