A Curious Beginning

In June 1887, Veronica Speedwell attends the funeral of her aunt and lifelong guardian, Nell Harbottle. She does not feel this loss intensely; she and Aunt Nell were not emotionally close, and Nell’s death was protracted. Veronica feels excited about her future without her aunt keeping her connected to England.

After the burial, Veronica accepts the vicar’s invitation to tea out of politeness. As they walk to the vicarage, she sees a gentleman watching them. His style of mustache identifies him as German or Austrian. He slips away, and she quickly forgets him. The vicar asks about Veronica’s future, annoying her by referring to her and Nell as “newcomers.” Veronica tersely clarifies that Nell was not her real aunt, merely her guardian, and shocks the vicar by referring casually to her illegitimate birth. Despite the censure of many, including Nell, Veronica refuses to feel shame about this “accident of birth” (4).

The vicar’s wife, Mrs. Cuttlethorpe, dislikes that Nell and her sister, Lucy, moved frequently, but Veronica finds it “useful” to have lived in so many parts of England—it taught her self-reliance. Mrs. Cuttlethorpe urges Veronica to marry a local widower with six children, but Veronica vehemently expresses her disinterest in motherhood.