The Woman of Colour: A Tale

Olivia acknowledges that she probably writes about Letitia in very harsh terms, but adds that she must write honestly about what she sees and experiences. She has noticed that Augustus dislikes Letitia, although he is polite to her on the surface. Olivia and Augustus often walk together in the nearby countryside, and Olivia believes that Letitia, who seems chronically lazy, would never engage in such an activity. Olivia herself loves physical activity and sees it as beneficial to both her body and her mind. She also admits that although she can tell Augustus does not like Letitia, she can discern little else about his personality, as he is especially quiet around her, almost uncommunicative.

Olivia, grateful for her religious beliefs, prays that God will support her through her impending trials. She is full of conflicting emotions and cannot foresee the future, especially since no one has ever treated her as badly as Letitia has and she has no way of learning Augustus’s real feelings about her. However, she does appreciate that in England, Christianity is highly valued and its rituals are always properly performed.

Olivia remembers that Mrs. Milbanke once remarked on Olivia’s unique walk. While Mrs. Milbanke said the walk was “majestic and graceful,” Olivia worries that it conveyed a sense of pride or haughtiness, particularly since she is taller than the average woman (83). She says that her walk has drawn the attention of many men in England, who alter their routes so as to walk past her multiple times and ultimately react with horror when they realize she is biracial. Olivia finds this amusing and points these occasions out to Mr. Merton. One day, Letitia asks Olivia if she has ever performed on the stage, to which Olivia replies that she is learning to perform on the world’s stage. Letitia says that Olivia would be a good tragic actress, but Olivia says she would want to act in comedic plays, claiming that, despite the loss of her father, she still considers herself someone who loves laughing.

Olivia ends the letter by saying that she must get ready for a ball she and Letitia will be attending.

Olivia attends the ball with Augustus, who is more animated, lively, and talkative than he has ever been. He helps her feel more confident about herself, and she dances happily and energetically. She wears a simple black dress and is aware that her skin color will make her stand out, especially since all the other attendees—Bristol high society—know the details of her father’s will.

Olivia observes that it seems common for wealthy people to be rude: The women have no modesty or self-awareness, and the men stare at her openly as though she is on display. She overhears two men agree to walk by and look at her, referring to her as “Gusty’s black princess” (85). One of the men says he would never make such a sacrifice as marrying her, while the other admits that she has more grace and dignity than any woman he has ever seen. Olivia learns that the latter man’s name is Lionel Monkland, and when Augustus introduces them, she finds Monkland odd but pleasant enough. She meets many more people whose names she cannot remember.

Olivia watches Letitia dance with an older gentleman and is amused by Letitia’s dancing style, as she is not usually a physically active person. The gentleman has clearly tried to look younger than he is and is dancing with determined, happy enthusiasm, obviously pleased to have a younger partner. Olivia asks a woman standing near her who the gentleman is and learns that he is the woman’s brother, Colonel Singleton. Miss Singleton has also tried to make herself look younger: She is wearing an unflattering white dress covered with ostrich feathers, and her dance partner is a very young man. Olivia finds both Colonel and Miss Singleton extremely strange and even a bit funny. However, they embody her general disappointment with England, where she had hoped to meet sensible, educated, progressive people and has instead met frivolous, shallow, people motivated by greed and self-interest. She holds onto the belief that Augustus will prefer a quiet life in the country, which she hopes will be similar to her old life at the Fairfield Plantation.

Mr. Merton summons Olivia and tells her that Augustus has given the responsibility of dealing with Olivia’s father’s will to the two of them and that they must make whatever arrangement they believe is best. Olivia, becoming agitated, says that Augustus must not marry her if marriage to her is not what he wants. Mr. Merton insists that Augustus would not do that and asks Olivia if she does not want to marry because she is in love with someone else, to which she says no. Mr. Merton says that being dependent on George and Letitia would be a terrible fate for Olivia, given how independent and educated she is, but Olivia says she would prefer being in a state of servitude to being in an unhappy marriage. She adds that she would never want Augustus to be an object of ridicule because his wife is biracial; nor would she want him to feel like he had given away his happiness in order to receive her inheritance. Mr. Merton tells her she is looking for problems where there are none: He assures her that Augustus admires her deeply and will devote his life to taking care of her. While Olivia is very happy to hear this, she still worries that Augustus has not fully consented to the marriage.

Augustus continues to hide his emotions from Olivia and still looks melancholy much of the time, which makes her increasingly anxious about his feelings about their marriage. She admits to Mrs. Milbanke that she loves him, but she also feels embarrassed about loving someone who does not love her.

Mr. Merton has taken over the business of settling Olivia’s father’s will. Olivia wants to have a face-to-face conversation with Augustus about the marriage, but he seems to be avoiding her. The family brings diamonds and pearls to Olivia in preparation for the wedding, but she is not interested in them and hopes only to win Augustus’s love. Her emotions are in turmoil, and she does not know how to be hopeful about the future.

Olivia arranges a conversation with Augustus, which she admits is rather bold for a woman to do. When they meet, she is anxious and shaking, and Augustus takes her hand to comfort her. Olivia tells him it is not too late to cancel the wedding and urges him to do so if he sees her only as an object that will increase his personal wealth. She says that while she has many faults common to women and is fully aware of her tenuous situation as a biracial West Indian woman in England, she will not be offended by his refusal and only wants him to be happy. Augustus says that he admires her and wants her to be happy, and she certainly would not be happy as a ward of George and Letitia, but he understands if she does not want to marry him. Olivia says the two of them finally came to an agreement, although she is still not fully convinced that either of them will be happy.

She adds that she has received a letter from Mrs. Honeywood, whose health continues to fail and who has been ordered by her doctor to leave London for the seaside. Mrs. Honeywood seems resigned to death, and Olivia again fears that the two will never meet again.

Olivia announces that she and Augustus have married and have left Bristol. As per the stipulations in Olivia’s father’s will, Augustus has taken her last name, Fairfield. Olivia says she is happy with Augustus but still feels some doubt and trepidation, especially when she sees Augustus’s perpetually sad expression. She adds that part of her anxiety is rooted in superstition and “nameless terrors” of an unknown threat (94).

The wedding takes place in Clifton, on an unusually hot and humid morning, with Mr. Merton standing in for Olivia’s father. While she still believes she is doing the right thing, Olivia is afraid to make eye contact with Augustus during the ceremony. At the moment Augustus takes her hand, a flash of lightning appears through the window over the altar, followed by a powerful peal of thunder. Olivia feels increasingly anxious and can tell that Augustus feels the same way. She believes that God has acknowledged their marriage, but she feels unsettled about the way that it has happened and wonders if she or Augustus are being punished for an unknown crime.

Olivia now writes from London. She has explored the city and appreciates its many novelties and amusements; moreover, Augustus has served as her guide, and she has enjoyed getting to know him better. They are staying at Mr. Merton’s house, which is as fancy as she expected. However, she is not upset by the ostentatious wealth of men like Mr. Merton, because she believes that the English provide assistance to those who need it. She hopes that the English will be on the front lines of abolition and ultimately help end the slave trade around the world.

Olivia has also visited a number of churches in London and was particularly moved by Westminster Abbey. She reflects on the ephemeral nature of earthly fame, noting the “nothingness” of even the most admired people now dead and buried at the abbey (97). She believes that in many cases, people who do not deserve posthumous distinction are able to purchase it simply because they are wealthy, while many people who deserve such distinction are forgotten because they are poor.

Olivia also meets George Merton, Letitia’s husband and Augustus’s brother, for the first time. He is self-important and concerned only with money, which is what Olivia expected. She notes that he and Letitia do not appear to love or even like each other and that he and Augustus are polite but distant. She has observed that Augustus does not seem to like city life, and she looks forward to the day when they can both leave behind the suffocating stiffness and shallow materialism of London high society. However, Olivia adds that she does not want to be isolated, as social isolation can lead to poor manners and regressive beliefs about the world. She has an image of her ideal life: She wants to live in the country with her husband and a set of well-educated, progressive friends, and she wants to live out her religious beliefs by helping those in need.

While Dido has enjoyed being in London, she is looking forward to accompanying Olivia and Augustus to their country estate. She hopes that life there will be like life at the Fairfield Plantation and that she will be able to care for some children and their mothers. She is also excited about having a higher social position as Olivia’s housekeeper and living in a place where she will not be the object of racial slurs, including those slung at her by Letitia Merton. Olivia emphasizes that Augustus has always been kind to Dido.

The unnamed editor interrupts the narrative to announce that, since there was a large temporal break in Olivia’s letters to Mrs. Milbanke, they have inserted two letters written by other people in order to fill the gap and let the reader “a little behind the scenes” (100).

The first letter is from Letitia to Miss Almenia Danby. Letitia says that while it may appear that she is being polite to Olivia, she is doing only so to please her father-in-law and she has actually planned “a noble scheme of revenge” against Augustus (100). Her husband George’s obsession with increasing his wealth will make her plan easier to carry out, and he will help her without even knowing it, but she adds that the plan requires time and patience. Almenia has apparently asked for a description of Olivia, which Letitia provides: She says that Olivia is tall, has black eyes, and is overly sentimental, religious, and bookish. She is disgusted by Augustus’s kindness toward Olivia and knows that part of the reason Augustus is marrying Olivia is to save her from being dependent on George and Letitia. She ends the letter without revealing more about her plan or its motivations and hopes that Almenia will wait eagerly for the results.

The second letter is from Augustus to Lionel Monkland. He says that while he wants nothing to do with Olivia’s father’s will, he does in fact like Olivia much more than he thought he would. He admits that, upon their first meeting, he was appalled by Olivia’s skin color, and in that moment, he did not want to marry her; however, he realized upon getting to know her that she is unusually accomplished, energetic, and educated. He feels deep sympathy for her, knowing she is far from home and among strangers, and he also appreciates that she is not superficial or materialistic like many other wealthy women he knows.

Even so, knowing that he is the only person who can save Olivia from a life of dependency on George and Letitia makes Augustus miserable. He does not want to refuse her, especially having seen how cruel Letitia can be, but knows he will never be able to love her. He knows he cannot share his terrible secret with Olivia—a secret only he and Lionel know—because he is aware that Olivia, if she found out, would choose to live with George and Letitia rather than marry him. As much as he admires Olivia and enjoys her company, his love is now buried in a “silent tomb” (104). While he does not know what to do about Olivia, he believes that the same spirit that once led him to marry a poor woman against his father’s wishes will guide him in making his decision (104).