care because you have a history together. You have known each other’s parents and grandparents, and all the siblings running amok in each other’s yards, and when times are hard, you help each other through. In Hollywood it’s quite the opposite. Everyone comes there to start new and makes up a history—even makes up their own name. Mine’s Mary Anne, by the way, not Mimi.”
“You’re joking!” exclaimed Evie. “You’re about to film Sense and Sensibility as Elinor and your real name is Mary Anne?”
“Yep. Ironic, huh? Although even that right now is up in the air—they suddenly want a younger actress for Elinor, to go with the even younger actress playing Marianne.”
Adeline and Frances looked at each other.
“Will Mr. Leonard let that happen?” Frances asked.
“I suspect it’s his idea,” replied Mimi archly, causing Adeline and Frances to glance quickly at each other again. “Anyway, in a town where no one even knows your real name, let alone where you come from, what is tethering you to anything? What is there to keep you on the ground?”
“Oh, we do plenty of that around here, let me assure you,” answered Adeline. “No one in Chawton is eager for anyone to rise above their station. Don’t even get me started on the education system. There’s a reason Evie was self-teaching in the library all those years. Not that you didn’t love every minute of it,” she said with a smile at the girl.
Dr. Gray and Andrew looked over at each other, aware that they were fast losing control of their limited agenda.
“So, Adeline,” Andrew intervened, “you think the stakes are too high for Adam, both emotionally and reputation-wise. Evie and Yardley, what about the two of you?”
Evie hesitated. Yardley was facing her on the sofa, and for a few seconds they stared at each other knowingly, both recalling that night in the library when she had revealed its many secrets to him. They were indeed very alike, and they had sworn that night to keep the library and the collection of Austen-related artifacts throughout the house as intact as possible.
“May I speak first?” asked Yardley. “I know I am very new to you all, but I really do think Adam can handle whatever happens. That he feels wonderfully supported by all of you, and by the society and what we’re trying to do. And, speaking professionally, the risk of losing all of these items, let alone the house itself, is very significant. Once you lose it, you might never even get an Austen family salt shaker back one day. We haven’t even scratched the surface of the rest of the house, the paintings and furniture and who knows what else. I hadn’t mentioned this yet, but Miss Frances showed me a mahogany writing desk in her father’s bedroom earlier today, and it could very well be the biggest find of all. Sotheby’s sold one for over ten thousand pounds last September, on the chance it was the one Jane Austen used while travelling. I think this is the real one instead. We might be looking at tens of thousands of pounds for that little desk alone.”
“Well, that is indeed ironic,” said Andrew, “as that is the very desk the old man so wretchedly amended his will on.”
Everyone now turned to look at Andrew in surprise at his aggrieved tone.
“Evie,” he continued, ignoring all the looks, “we haven’t heard from you yet. You’re the keeper of the catalogue. What do you think? Do you agree with Yardley?”
Evie was not used to being put on the spot like this. She glanced almost helplessly at Miss Frances, afraid to say something that would hurt her or Adam, then finally spoke.
“I am not a professional anybody, but I do think Yardley has a point. From all the research I’ve done, seeing what all’s been wasted over the centuries, trying to find what’s been lost … as hard as it might be on Adam, it could mean the possible destruction of one of the most culturally important collections out there. There’s no escaping that fact.”
“Well, not its entire destruction,” countered Dr. Gray. “I mean, yes, she lived here for ten years and wrote the last three books here as well—but she lived a long time in Steventon, too, the longest, and almost as long in Bath. We know where some of her other homes were, and the Bath ones in particular are still standing. And even if Adam doesn’t speak up for his rightful claim, we might still