In mid-eighteenth century New England, Rosalind Wingrave is lucky enough to marry Arthur Lloyd after the death of her sister, who was his first wife. But she disobeys her sister’s dying wish about her wardrobe, with fatal consequences.
1
In New England, in the mid-eighteenth century, Mrs Veronica Wingrave
lives with her two daughters, Rosalind and Perdita (named after characters
in Shakespeare plays). When her son, Bernard, returns from some years at
Oxford University and in France, he brings a handsome Englishman, Arthur
Lloyd with him.
2
Both girls are attracted to him, but eventually Arthur Lloyd offers for the
younger, Perdita. Rosalind has to subdue her feelings of jealousy as her
sister gains a wonderous trousseau and marries. The couple go to live in
Boston and eventually Perdita is pregnant. Lloyd comes back to the
Wingrave house for the wedding of the son, Bernard and, while he is out
riding with Rosalind, news comes of the birth of his daughter. About a week
later Perdita’s post-natal condition has worsened and, before she dies,
she gets Lloyd to promise that her clothes will be locked away for the use
of her daughter. While Lloyd is in Europe again, for about a year, the baby
is looked after by Mrs Wingrave and, when he returns and reopens his
Boston house, Rosalind, having accompanied the child on its journey, stays
to look after her. Inevitably, in the fulness of time, Arthur and Rosalind
marry. All is well, until Lloyd’s business falls on hard times and
Rosalind starts wanting to use her sister’s stored clothes. During an
argument about this, Lloyd gets the trunk key out of its secret place in
the desk and forgets to hide it again, so when Rosalind cannot be found at
dinner time, he discovers her in the attic, dead against the open trunk
with ten hideous finger wounds on her face.
these synopses
© 2005
part of an etext edition of
The romance of certain old clothes
on
the Ladder : a Henry James website