Helen Stanley

Helen Stanley is a novel written by lesbian novelist Matilda Hays. It was first published in 1846 and was Hays' first novel, followed by Adrienne Hope in 1866. Helen Stanley is the story of a young woman from a wealthy merchant family who, when times become tough, is faced with the decision between a loveless marriage or to be the paid companion of another wealthy woman. The novel displays the lack of freedom and opportunities for women during the time. The dedication at the start of the novel simply says “to her, whose love has for years endeared life and filled it with belief in the true and the beautiful.” This novel was published the year Hays met her partner of ten years Charlotte Cushman so this dedication could be to her, or another female lover before Cushman entered her life.

Plot Summary

Helen Stanley opens in a beautiful, romantic country town with calming streams and a picturesque landscape in this summer of Helen Stanley’s twentieth year. Both herself and her father are accepting guests to their home. Her cousin Edward, whom she grew up with, is there and he speaks to all about how he could not stand living in the countryside for his entire life. He craves London.

The party go for a walk and, after helping Mrs Leslie - Helen’s chaperone - Edward runs after Helen who is far ahead of the rest of the party. They share a moment and Edward speaks of how he feels he is either treated as too young or too told to do what he wishes. He wants to gain his independence. This sentiment is also shared when he speaks to Mrs Leslie, who has a soft spot for Edward because of his resemblance to her late son, after crossing back over the river. He speaks of how he has fallen in love with Bessie Sydenham, a young woman eighteen months his senior. He is obviously deeply in love with her, however, from his description of their relationship, Mrs Leslie is quite sure that she only sees him as a boy, although she doesn’t dare tell him. She simply says their age difference is the wrong way round.

During this conversation Helen has returned to the group and found her father with a new, mysterious man named Melville. He is tall and dark with a history of happiness and sorrow and Helen is impressed with his conversational skills. When Melville meets Mrs Leslie it is shown that the two have a past, they knew each other years ago and have not seen one another since. They are both taken back with emotion at reuniting. After a meal, Melville agrees to stay at Mr Stanley’s home for the night as a guest so that he can continue speaking with Mrs Leslie.

Mrs Leslie in her chambers begins to read letters from Melville. We find out that Melville was Mrs Leslie’s late daughter, Emily’s, husband. Emily had been married off at a young age to a Lord but did not love him. Melville and Emily fell deeply in love, Melville threw away his political career and they ran away together. They were separated until Emily obtained a divorce, and then they themselves got married. After four years of marriage, Emily passed away. This was when Mrs Leslie had been working for the Stanleys for two years, and Helen was fourteen. Mr and Mrs Leslie had married their daughter off to an older man because of his esteem and his wealth, however their daughter had been miserable until she found Melville. Because of this, Mrs Leslie vowed to bring Helen up to be a noble-spirited and esteemed woman in her own respect, and to value other things above marriage.

After the events of this day, we skip six weeks later to October where our protagonist and her family are in their London home.  They are there preparing for their winter trip to the south of France and Italy.

Edward and Helen head to the National Gallery to meet Melville, as Helen wants to show him the copy of Francesco Francia’s Mourning over the Dead Christ. Edward says he is meeting friends there and would like to introduce them to Helen, however Melville rushes Helen inside because of the wind before Edward’s friends arrive.

Melville and Helen walk around the gallery discussing the paintings. Melville briefly sees Lord Marchmont, Emily’s ex-husband, however the two continue. They discuss Helen’s copy and an unknown man makes comments that she could be a great painter if only she wasn’t wealthy, as wealth ruins talents. Melville comments that she should prove him incorrect.

Edward then arrives with his friends Mrs and Miss Sydenham (Bessie, the young woman Edward loves). It becomes clear to Helen that Edward has strong feelings for this woman and she comments that he should have introduced them sooner. Helen then starts a conversation with Bessie, whilst Melville escorts Mrs Sydenham.  They speak of the opera, and when Helen sees her father she whispers to him exclaiming that they must invite Bessie to their home. Mr Stanley invited Mrs Sydenham to their home on a different date, during which Mrs Sydenham praises Edward and they discuss how they do not know what he shall do with his life.

Dinner at the Stanleys is joined by Lord Sherwood. Edward and Melville, and of course also Mrs Leslie, are also present.  Although it seems Edward is not a fan of his company, Mr Stanley enjoys Lord Sherwood more than any other young man of his rank. They discuss the work of Byron and Shelley in depth - the author, Matilda Hays, showing her in depth knowledge of artist works. They discuss this with morals and god, with the conversation mostly flowing between Mr Stanley, Melville and Helen, with Lord Sherwood bringing in contradictory points to Melville. Melville is able to quote Shelley’s work without reference. Melville asks to hear Helen sing, which she politely declines saying that the cold wind has not helped her voice.

After leaving the women alone for a while, the men enter once more and Edward and Lord Sherwood occupy space near Helen. Lord Sherwood begins to speak to Helen, complimenting her, and we see that he is fascinated by her. Helen begins to find him annoying, but she cannot tell why, and so gets Edward to join the conversation. Sherwood then tried to find out the connection between Mrs Leslie and Melville, however neither Edward nor Helen know themselves. Once Melville and Mr Stanley returned Melville walks over to Mrs Leslie after a brief conversation with Helen. Helen seems upset by this and wants Melville’s attention once more. Because of this, she finally decides she will sing. However he does not until the final note where they make eye contact, and Helen blushes. He then rejoins her side and requests another song he would like to hear, which she happily obliges. This is what happens for the rest of the evening, Melville and Helen side by side. Mrs Leslie observes the affection between the two. We see that Helen is beginning to fall in love.

As the trip to Italy and France approached, the family hosted many parties. Mrs Leslie is becoming more and more tired, unable to go on walks with the youth anymore Melville was always there and Bessie and Helen became very close, Bessie coming to the house day after day. The last day arrives and everyone is at the home. Unexpectedly, Lord Sherwood arrives, much to everyone's distaste, besides from Mr Stanley. Melville agrees to join the Stanleys and Edward in Paris and it becomes clear to Mrs Leslie that both Helen and Melville love each other. She ponders over this, not because she does not approve but because she is worried that Mr Stanley will not accept a man who seduced another man’s wife as the husband to his daughter. She decided that there is no better man than Melville and it will work out well.

In Paris, Helen is finishing a painting when she receives a letter from a mysterious sender simply marked as “M” saying that Melville is a man that cannot be trusted and sharing that he seduced another man, a friend’s, wife. This destroys her and her father comments on her pale complexion in their carriage later, asking if she is sick. Lord Sherwood rides up next to them and asks Helen if he can dance with her at the ball that evening. She turns all of his requests down. She does, however, decide she will go to the ball to see if she can find out more about the Melville situation, thinking Sherwood might know some information. At the ball, Helen finally speaks to Lord Sherwood who tells her what he knows of Melville, the truth. Helen feels sick and gets taken home. The next day she thinks of all of their moments together and realises that she is only a second love to him, this is when she sheds her first tears from the situation. Mrs Leslie realises she should speak to Helen, as she knows her pain must have something to do with Melville. However, she plans on doing it the next day, as she herself has not been in the best state, although she tried to hide it. That night she can not any longer and calls for assistance saying that she has spasms in her heart. They call in a doctor to try to help her, but alas they cannot. Mrs Leslie says with Helen kneeling by her side, that the man Helen loves and will love is a good and noble man and she should love him well. Edward and Mr Stanley enter and they hold hands by their beloved friends body as she spasms once more and then is gone. She is said to be with her loved ones now.

Back in England,a fortnight after Mrs Leslie’s passing, Melville rides with an old family friend, Sir John Dentworth. Melville compliments the Stanley family and urges his friend to come to Paris. Melville does not yet know of the loss of Mrs Leslie. Once he returns to his London home, he receives the letters from Mr Stanley explaining the death. He decided to leave for Paris at that very moment and travels day and night with the thought of dear Mrs Leslie in his mind. Once in Paris, he finds out that the Stanleys had left Paris for Italy three days before he arrived. He is pained that he was not there to comfort the mother of his first love on her deathbed. He hears that they mentioned going to Naples so the next day, after visiting Mrs Leslie’s grave, Melville heads to Italy.

We find out that Mr Stanley left Paris without telling Melville because he was hurt that a man so close to Mrs Leslie would not be there for her funeral. They left on doctors orders as the news from Lord Marchmount and the death of Mrs Leslie had been too much for Helen. They travelled from town to town until finally arriving in Naples in April where they are greeted by Lord Sherwood.

They spend time there, being entertained by Lord Sherwood, but Helen does not forget Melville. He was thought of with tenderness and sadness. One day there is a party of young people and Helen attaches herself with some of them, including Sherwood. They mentioned how Melville had been travelling with Sir Dentworth and says he has become very close with Miss Dentoworth and that there should be a match made there soon. Helen’s feels her heart stand still at the mention of his name. She feels her blood curdle at the thought of him marrying this young women she had never heard of.  Helen asks more about Melville stopping over in Naples, and Lord Sherwood is hurt by her interest as his liking for her as now turned to love.This news Helen heard now made her certain that Melville could be nothing to her.

It is revealed that Edward will be a sailor and is set to set sail in the autumn. Edward thanks Mr Stanley greatly and asks how he can repay him. He replays by saying he can repay him by getting to the top of his profession by the time he is forty. Edward pleads to go to Rome to celebrate, Helen is wary as that is where Melville was. However she agrees. It is revealed that Bessie is there, and that is why Edward wishes it go, however his passion for her is not as strong than it was before their trip to Europe.

We find out that Melville is simply waiting in Rome for the Stanleys and that they entire Dentworth family are not concerned that anything romantic will come from his friendship with their daughter Isabella Dentworth, as she had always looked up to Melville as an old friend of her fathers and he of of her as a little sister.

At the Colosseum, the Stanley party bump into the Dentworth party. Helen holds Lord Sherwood’s arm and it looks as though the rumours of Isabella and Melville could be correct.Once home, they tell Mr Stanley of the sighting and ask him to be lenient on Melville for Mrs Leslie’s sake. Mr Stanley sets out to find Melville, Lord Sherwood says he will walk with him as it is on his way home. On the walk Lord Sherwood asks to make Helen his wife. He says he will win her for himself but does not want to attempt without her father’s approval. Mr Stanley had never really thought of his daughter marrying, however this match seemed perfect to him. Mr Stanley warns Sherwood that his infatuation may pass and he might feel as though he is throwing himself away to a woman of a lowering standing. Sherwood responds saying he has his owns father’s permission and that Mrs Stanley’s family was of almost the same ranking of his own. Mr Stanley gives Lord Sherwood his consent to marry Helen.

Mr Stanley meets with Melville who explains his side of the story and apologises. He asks if he can introduce Mr Stanley to his friends, which Mr Stanley turns down to ponder on the news he just recieved from Sherwood. He also forgot, in the chaos of his mind, to invite Melville to his house. Mr Stanley walks home confused on what to do, as he knows Helen now likes Sherwood, however he does not know if she loves him and does not want to do that disjustice to Lord Sherwood. He thinks briefly of her feelings for Melville, but remembers how calm she was when talking about the rumoured engagement between him and Miss Dentworth.

The next evening they attend a ball and Helen seems to be dancing with Lord Sherwood all night. One woman asks who Helen is and another answers saying that she is betrothed to Lord Sherwood, all still just rumours. However Melville hears this. Helen and him make eye contact and Helen wishes for him to approach but he does not. Melville speaks to Sir John about the situation.

Finally, Melville approaches Helen and Sherwood. He speaks to them and says his goodbyes to Helen, saying he may not see her for many years. He then bows and departs. Helen then tells Sherwood that she will not marry someone she does not love and that she does not love him, although she admires him greatly. He asks her to give him time, however she says there is no hope.

Melville, convinced the engagement is true, leaves the next day to London, although he does not plan to stay there. The Dentworths stay and Isabella seems as happy as every, which makes Helen wonder if the rumours she heard could be false and she hopes that to be true. She knows that her love for Melville is true.

Our story now skips to late Autumn and Helen, her cousin and her father are staying in London. Edward and Helen go to say goodbye to Bessie, however Bessie and her mother are out of town. Edward is slightly relieved that he did not need to see her and feel all of his emotions again. He sets off on his travels and sends letters back saying how great it is. Time passes and Mr Stanley seems to be more and more anxious. It is revealed that he is a ruined man because one of his trusted agents defrauded him. They are to be broke. He says he must go to India to try to fix the problems at hand. Helen begs to go with him, however they can no longer afford the expense of a woman on the journey too. They dismiss their servants as they can no longer afford the house itself and Mr Stanley sets off to India. Helen begs to stay in London to pursue her art and so it committed to the care of a widow, Mrs Walters, who treats her with kindness and attention at first. However, the two begin to clash over Mrs Walters’ prejudices, as it is difficult for two strangers to live with one another.

Helen works on her art but begins to become more and more distraught about her family’s situation. She spends time at the Nation Gallery, looking for the mysterious man from before. However, she never finds him. She then received a letter from Lord Sherwood asking to see her again and also asking her to possibly take back her refusal of his proposal. The letters feels too polite, as if there is no warmth in his words. She responds saying she is disinterested but thankful for his fondness.

Helen, hearing that their financial situation is bleak, tried to sell her paintings but is mostly unsuccessful. With this being a failure, Helen realises that she must try to be a governess somewhere. Although she disapproves, Mrs Walters eventually lets Helen got to do this but says her house is always open to her.  The job is with a married couple in the country with no children, where the wife wants the company of an educated woman. She is allowed her maid to join her and so Helen says goodbye and sets of to join the family.

Helen arrives and Mrs Watson picks her up in the carriage, with their servant John driving. They get ready for dinner and Mr Watson leads her into the dining room, coldly. Helen feels uncomfortable in the situation but is grateful that Mrs Watson seems to kind. Time begins to pass and one day Helen meets a group of women on the grounds and they invite her to walk with them. They sing for one another and have a jolly time. Helen is then quickly escorted back to the house by a servant to find out from Mrs Watson that these women are not friends of the household, as Helen had thought, and she should not communicate with them. Mrs Watson has a quarrelsome nature, making her some enemies in the town.

Overtime Helen begins to hear gossip and bitterness from Mrs Waters, however she is not disappointed at her unhappiness in the house, as she was expecting it from the beginning. Mrs Watson then tells Helen that Mr Watson has advised that she gets rid of Annette, Helen's maid. This hurts Helen as Annette has been a great support during the hard times and the only person left from her old life. Mrs Watson says that has Helen's elder she should listen to her advice, however Helen does not listen to her and says she will make her own decisions. Mrs Watson then says it is because of money and that Annette is intruding on their hospitality, to which Helen says she is happy to pay for Annette to stay. Mrs Watson gives in and says Annette can stay and no compensation needs to be made.

Helen gets through her time, once more, with her art. She thinks of Melville and how he encouraged her pursuits with every stroke of the pencil or paintbrush. She hears from her father and the news is more favourable than before. He also says he plans to be back in England with her before Spring passed. Helen and Mrs Watson go to visit a friend of Mrs Watson, however Mrs Watson does not actually like this woman and does not agree with her marriage. They meet Mrs Bradshaw, her child and a young Turkish man and are thoroughly entertained by them all. Mrs Watson later realised that it was inappropriate for a man to be there without Mr Bradshaw's presence and, even after Helen tries to convince her otherwise, writes a letter to Mrs Bradshaw about the issue. Both woman refuse to apologise but, even so, Mrs Bradshaw goes the next morning to find Mrs Watson and come to some arrangement. During this, Mrs Bradshaw and Helen speak and become friends and Mrs Bradshaw decides she should visit Helen more.

Helen reads in the newspaper that her cousin's ship is well and receives a letter from her father saying that even if he cannot return in the wealth he once had, he will return with enough money for them to live happily in their country home. With the hope in this letter, she shows it to Mrs Watson and says that she plans on returning to London as soon as it can be arranged. A week later Helen was saying goodbye to Mrs Watson and Mrs Bradshaw, the latter she will miss greatly.

During this time, Melville is residing in Scotland. He is distressed with his love of Helen and knows nothing of Mr Stanley's misfortune. He had cut himself off from all of society and instead explored the Highlands. Only once did he see a paper from London, which he looked at to see if it was to mention Helen's marriage, which of course never happened. The Autumn is harsh in the Highlands and so Melville decides to go to a new destination. He hops on the side of the Aberdeen mail, much to the drivers dismay. However he lets him stay and they go on their way. London is not his destination but the manufacturing districts of England. There he mingles with people and helps people of all kind and of all wealth. He does good work and shows his kind and caring disposition. He begins writing and sharing it with the public, however not showing his name. Parliamentary men begin noticing his work and quoting it and a buzz appears over the mystery author. His writing showed both Whig and Tory that both men and women worked like beasts, all from the sights he witnessed. Eventually, he throws off his disguise and stands for election. Everyone is astounded and he wins. He writes a letter to his dear friend Sir John exclaiming his happiness for conquering his past.

Helen returns to Mrs Walters house in London, as she said she could do. Helen hears from her father who says the agent confessed and a large sum of the stolen money can be recovered. A month from the date of the letter he shall set sail to England! Helen waits for her father's return with patience, her love for Melville still strong. She reads his work, unaware it is his, and when she finds out that it is she is filled with fascination with the man she loves. She realises through his writing that he mistook her situation with Lord Sherwood when they met in Rome. She is the summoned to the drawing room to find the mysterious man from the National Gallery. He says he saw the works she sold before moving to Mrs Watson's and recognised the style and that is how he found her. He says his name is Sir Peter. He is a rich, old bachelor with a love of art. He says she has made great progress since they first met. He says he wants to help her if she tells him her plans. She explains her situation to him and they talk. He asks her to add work to his gallery, a gallery filled with art from living artists as he believes these are the people who need his aid. She gives him the first two paintings he saw as gifts, and agrees to paint more for him. The road to wealth was opening for Helen, now that she did not need it.

Melville's election causes him to return to London. Many admire his work and he feels more comfortable in his position now as a mature man than he did in the days before Emily. He bumps into Lord Sherwood, who approaches Melville at a rapid pace to speak. He tells Melville that he is getting involved in politics and a young lady will not take his hand until he has a certain position. This makes Melville positive that the young lady could not be Helen and it is revealed to him that they are not betrothed, let alone married. Sherwood explains the situation to Melville, having more respect for the man now than he had in the past. Sherwood tells Melville that he is now devoted to Lord Marchmont's niece. Sherwood tells Melville of the financial issues of the Stanleys and says he has not spoken to them in a long time. Melville know knows Helen refused Sherwood in times of prosperity and of financial ruin.

The next morning Melville searches for Helen over London, unsure of where she is residing. He eventually finds her, this the same day as Sir Peter had come. Sir Peter had only just left when Melville enters the drawing room. He takes her hands, both of their faces colourless with nerves. He tells her that he loves her, and she him, and that fateful night in Rome and ruined them for so long. Helen wishes to ask him about his past, but she cannot, so Melville brings it up for her. She says she knows it all but his connection with Mrs Leslie, to which Melville gives Helen the answer. Helen shows Melville the letter she had received in Paris and he reads it. They discuss it and she says that she does not believe the gross words. They part that day having shared all of their lives since being apart and all of their emotions.

Lord Marchmont dies that evening, after having been to angry and passionate about Melville who Sherwood spoke of after bumping into him.There was none to mourn the loss of a wicked life. Mr Stanley and Edward return together. Mr Stanley is rich once more and Edward is rich in fame and an early promotion.

Helen and Melville marry, at the wedding Edward flirts with Bessie. The two never marry though. Edward does, however, marry Isabella Dentworth and Bessie is named Godmother.

Characters

Helen Stanley

Helen Stanley is an interesting young women who was brought up to be educated and look for things other than a husband in her life. She is brave, strong willed and intelligent. Helen sees the beauty in everything and is a fun and thoughtful spirit. She is very close to her cousin Edward and her chaperone Mrs Leslie, who raised her from the age of twelve. She is a talented amateur painter and a very good singer, however not as good as Bessie Sydenham.

Mr Stanley

Mr Stanley is Helen’s father and a very wealthy man, we he gained from his own achievements. He and his wife visited the town the story takes place on their honeymoon and fell in love with it. His wife died whilst in labour with Helen, leaving him to raise her alone. He is described by both Mrs Leslie and Edward as being liberal and kind. He has a warm heart and wants the best for people.

Mrs Leslie

Alice Leslie, known as Mrs Leslie, is the chaperoine of Helen and entered her life when Helen was just twelve years old. She is a widow who is very fond of Edward because he reminds her of her late son who died whilst at work as a sailor. These were not the only people in her life that she lost. After two years with the Stanleys she was rushed away briefly to the death bed of a close friend, later revealed to be her daughter, and subsequently went through a mourning period. Although she has a sad past, Mrs Leslie has a cheerful exterior and caring attitude.

Edward

Edward Summers is an energetic, passionate and adventurous nineteen year old. He is described as being hot-headed. He is also seen to be very caring, making sure Mrs Leslie doesn’t hurt her foot at the start of the novel, even saying “I shall never forgive myself” when saying they must go back to help her incase she hurts it again and he is not there (page 18). However he is sad at times, unsure of where he fits in the world, feeling as though he cannot speak his mind to its fullest. His uncle, Mr Stanley, wishes for him to become a clergyman and because of Edward’s dependance on him, he feels as though he must. However, this is not what Edward wants from his life. He is in love with a young woman called Bessie Sydenham but is told by Mr Stanley that he is too young to be thinking of such things, and should wait a few years until he speaks of it again. He doesn’t enjoy his studies at Oxford and believes that with that in hand with not having enough money, he can never be happy there. He is desperate for his independence.

Melville

Henry Melville, known simply as Melville, is a well spoken, calm man with an emotional and interesting past that it is said people never seemed to feel the need to ask him about. We find out that he was the husband of Mrs Leslie’s late daughter, Emily. He used to be a politician with a bright future, however he left that behind to marry Emily, as she had to get a divorce for them to wed. After she passed away he moved to continental Europe. Melville is a deeply religious and good man who is well travelled and intelligent.

Bessie Sydenham

Bessie is the young woman that Edward is in love with. She is said to be incredibly beautiful with Helen saying that “she is the most beautiful girl I ever saw, - a worthy subject for Guido’s pencil”She is said to have a lovely voice and a passion for the opera.

Mrs Sydenham

The mother of Bessie. She was friends with Edward’s mother in their youth and is said to have put her whole life and heart into raising her children. She sees Edward as almost one of her own.

Lord Sherwood

He is the eldest son from a ducal family. Once ambitions, he is now a disappointed man of thirty who has a satisfactory political career which had suffered from wasted opportunities. He now set to do things for pleasure rather than duty. Both Melville and Edward do not enjoy his company because of his dissatisfaction with life and therefore how he goes about it. Lord Sherwood feels as though there is nothing he can achieve, but there is nothing more he might want than to feel as though he can. Whatever his dissatisfaction is, he keeps it close to his chest. He loves Helen and wishes to woo her and, although she eventually does enjoy his company, she knows she can never love him.

Sir John Dentworth

A rich and kind man who is good friends with Melville and knew him through all of his life. Melville stays with him during their time in Italy

Isabella Dentworth

Isabella is a bubbly eighteen year old who is always happy. She is very close with Melville and, although people think they are betrothed, only thinks of him as her father’s old friend, and her as a younger sister. She is a fresh and beautiful young girl.

Mrs Walters

A kind-hearted widow that Helen stays with whilst her father is in India and her cousin in sailing. She is judicial when her prejudices are not attacked. She treats Helen kindly, however it is hard to live with someone when you have never known them before. Helen and her begin to clash over some of Mrs Walters prejudices, and in these times Mrs Walters can be incredibly cold.

Mr Watson

A country man who is very fond of his animals. He is a Godly man who goes to church twice every Sunday. He doesn't always think much, however, of his servants. If he saw the poverty and thinness of his servant, John's, ten children he would do something to help them. However, he does not see them so does not think about it. He can be rather cold.

Mrs Watson

Jane Watson is an affectionate woman, often trying to gather up old clothes from her friend's for John's ten children. She is a lively woman with a kind disposition. She deems herself a good Christain however had a quarrelsome nature. She is the type of woman to live in the present.

Annette

Annette is Helen's maid. We do not get to see much of her personality but she is described as dainty and pretty and she is a great gift to join Helen at Mrs Watson's home, as she is the only person left from Helen's old life. She is with Helen when she falls sick in Paris and helps her through her time with Mr and Mrs Watson.

Sir Peter

Sir Peter is a rich, old bachelor with a love of art. He owns a gallery of paintings from modern, living artists. Helen first meets him in the National Gallery where he tells her she will never make it as an artist because she is too rich. He becomes an inspiration for her to become better at her craft. He later finds her work in a store and recognises it. This leads him to meet her once more.

Major Themes

Marriage

From early on in the book, Hays makes it clear that the main aim for women at the time is to gain a husband. However, Helen Stanley was not the type of woman to want this, with the book saying that singing and dancing were usually the means to an end for a husband, “but not for such ends was Helen Stanley nurtured” This is because she was raised by Mrs Leslie, who saw through her daughter's life that marrying for the sake of marrying does not leave you happy or fulfilled. The novel notes that “Love, the true marriage, has been laughed at” because now people are not marrying for this reason, and under God marriage is not true without love. On page 42, Hays talks about how modern (for the time) female education is crushing the idea of actual love and replacing it with the the marriage society wants, the one in which young women are sold off to wealthy families. There is a large portion of this book, specifically Mrs Leslie's backstory where this is the main message - so many woman are unhappy in their marriages and that we should “distrust the lesson that teaches you that love in unnecessary in marriage” This ties in greatly with the life of Matilda Hays herself, as she was never married but lived in what we can assume to be committed relationships with women for her entire life. This brings us on the the next theme of this book.

Homosexual Ideas

There are many ideas in this book that point to the fact, and highlight, that the author herself was a lesbian. As mentioned above, there is a strong theme that women should love who they want to love, rather than being thrown into unhappy relationships. This could very well be a sly hint from Hays that women, and men, should be allowed to love whoever they want whether that be a man or a woman. On top of that, on page 42 the book says that men are impulsive beasts and that sort of behaviour often makes then unable to even experience true love. This is not to say that no men cannot feel love, as we see clearly through Edward and Melville that great love can be felt by men. However, this being said alongside the complaints of marriage, can easily be interpreted through a 20th-century day lens as Hays saying that women should love one another, or at least be allowed to do so as they can love truly. For the audience of the day, however, it could be a small hint of Matilda Hays' true feelings showing through the pages of her debut novel.

There is also Helen's own appreciation of women. When Helen first meets Bessie Sydenham, who we have heard from Edward is incredibly beautiful, Helen's own deception and intrigue of her feels very queer to a modern audience.

Independence and Choice

A large theme shown throughout the book is about independence and choice. This is seen a lot through Edward, but also through Mrs Leslie.  Mrs Leslie says to Edward that “A man should never despair, his fate lies in his own hands”. This is important as it contrasts with the ideas in the book that women do not have a choice with who they marry and who they are forced to try to love. At the time, men had all of the power in society, they could do whatever they chose, even if Edward for example feels like he must follow what his uncle once. When it comes down to it, if Edward did not want to be a clergyman, Mr Stanley would not make him go down that path. However, the same isn’t said for the women in the story. Emily was forced to marry a man she didn’t love, which lead to the complication with Helen and her love for Melville. Because of this Helen is not able to marry the man that she loves. Women’s choices are being taken away, they are not allowed independence. However men are. When Lord Sherwood asks Mr Stanley if he can marry Helen, Mr Stanley's thought process about if Helen loves Sherwood is not for Helen's sake, but for Sherwood's. Even Mr Stanley, who is a kind and liberal man, sees the importance of the choice of a man over the choice of a woman. He does, however, also not care if his daughter was ever to marry. He would let her make her own choice, but his first thought is to make sure his male friend would be happy, rather than his daughter. This shows how unbalanced the idea of choice was between the sexes at this time.

Wealth and Being Self-Made

It is obvious that Matilda Hays really appreciates independence and being self-made. She says in the book that there is nothing more honourable than bringing yourself up in the world. This is one of the greatest character strengths of Mr Stanley and why we see his opinion as wise. He is kind and liberal, as mentioned numerous times throughout the novel, because he had to work to get to the riches he is at now. In comparison, we see Lord Sherwood who has everything and is next in line for the dukedom, but he is unhappy and dissatisfied. If he had something to aspire to he could be happy, however he doesn't and therefore he cannot find joy and other people do not enjoy him. Hays is trying to comment on society and how we should not just look at status to see somebodies worth. Another note on this would be when the mysterious man comments on Helen's painting. He says that she is too wealthy to ever actually become a truly talented and skilled painter, as she doesn't have the ambition that someone in poverty might have. Melville, however, says that she should prove him wrong and that she has all the materials and time to become incredibly talented. This is a comment on the same idea. Most people who are born into wealth don't feel like they need to go anywhere and therefore will not try as hard, but it doesn't mean it is impossible to try. This is why Lord Sherwood is not very well received, he could try, but he doesn't. Wealth doesn't need to equal laziness and we see that in Helen. Wealth becomes a large topic in the book when Mr Stanley is a victim of fraud. They lose their money and Helen is suddenly completely alone. This is when she tries to sell her paintings for money, but it fails. It is not until she has money once again that her art is appreciated. This could be a comment by Hays that only the rich seem to succeed, however this would contradict the life of Mr Stanley so it does not seem to be this way. Instead, Hays is commenting that it was the passion and drive that Helen had throughout the book that got her to where she is. She met Sir Peter when she had money, right at the start of the novel and he inspired her to keep working throughout it, whilst she was in and out of wealth. Passion is the key to success, passion and happiness. This seems to be the message that Hays is presenting.

This article "Helen Stanley" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Helen Stanley. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---