New Book - The Empty House by Rosamund Pilcher (Pages 1 - 174)

 

First Published: January 1, 1973

SPOILERS!!!

Virginia Keile is spending the summer holiday with her friend Alice in Cornwall. We later discover that Virginia is a recent widow. Her husband died when her car fell from a bridge to the river, and Virginia is in Cornwall, trying to find some peace, and her young children are with their grandmother and the nanny in London.

While driving around, Virginia runs into Eustace, a farmer that she met ten years ago. From her memories we discover that ten years ago when Virginia was seventeen she met Eustace and was attracted to him. He was supposed to phone her but she never got the call, but I believe that her mother, who clearly found him inadequate for Virginia, interfered and stopped him from communicating with Virginia.

Now in Cornwall Virginia thinks that she would like to have her children with her, so she goes to a lawyer to see if there is a place to rent. He knows of a cottage and Virginia goes to see it, and she thinks that the cottage is very rudimentary and decides against sending for her children. Then she runs into Eustace again, and he asks her why the children are not with her, and she explains that she thought about it but the cottage that she saw that morning is not good. Eustace tells her that she is just making excuses. She gets so angry that she finally decides to have her children with her, and she returns to the lawyer to tell her that she will take the cottage.

When Virginia tells Alice, the latter thinks she is making a mistake because Virginia has never had the children with her all alone, and she even tells her that she will upset her mother-in-law and the nanny. That is what happens when she goes to London to pick up her children. Her mother-in-law tries to argue that taking the children is selfish, and it is surprising to see how the older woman considers that upsetting the nanny is a reason for Virginia not to have the children with her. Virginia is the mother, but it seems that is not important. The nanny acts all offended when Virginia tells her, especially when she says that Nicholas and Cara don't need a nanny any longer, and she should stay in London.

Virginia travels with the children to Cornwall, and she has to adjust to their demands. Cara is shy and feels insecure - she believes herself not to be pretty - and Nicholas tends to be demanding. 

I think it is interesting to see how this woman has been treated in connection with her children, who seem to be strangers to her.