The Woman of Colour: A Tale

Olivia wonders at the ability of the ship to sail smoothly and at God’s ability to guide it “through the horrors of the deep” (56). She expresses appreciation for Mrs. Honeywood, an older English woman who had visited Jamaica in an attempt to improve her health and is now returning to England. She is accompanied by her son, Charles Honeywood, with whom she is very close. Olivia fears that Mrs. Honeywood will die soon and is worried for Charles.

Olivia has discussed her father’s will with Mrs. Honeywood and reveals that one of the document’s stipulations is that she must marry her cousin once she arrives in England. She also hints that Charles is romantically interested in her, but she sees him only as a brother.

As nothing of note is happening on the ship, Olivia describes “conversations and reflections” instead (57). She has been spending time with Dido, an enslaved African woman traveling with her to England, as well as Mrs. Honeywood. She describes a recent occasion when she is sketching Fairfield Plantation and Dido is styling Olivia’s hair: Mrs. Honeywood, looking at the two of them, compares Olivia to a princess on her way to meet her betrothed. Olivia and Mrs. Honeywood agree that arranged marriages rarely turn out well. Olivia expresses anxiety that her cousin will find her appearance and interests strange and unappealing and will refuse to marry her. She reveals that while she has sworn to marry her cousin, Augustus Merton, he has the legal right to refuse to marry her, and if that happens, her inheritance of 60,000 pounds will pass to Augustus’s brother. Mrs. Honeywood remarks on how unusual this situation is and assures Olivia that no one could refuse her because she is “superior to the generality of [her] sex” (58). Olivia hopes that people in England are more progressive than those in Jamaica and will accept her and her marriage.

She tells Mrs. Honeywood more about the Mertons: Mr. Merton is the husband of her father’s late sister, and his two sons are Augustus and George. Mr. Merton is a very wealth merchant whose wife has recently died, and Olivia has heard that Augustus was her favorite son. While Olivia hopes the good things she has heard about Augustus are true, she feels extreme anxiety about meeting him and finds the entire situation humiliating. Mrs. Honeywood assures her that her father would not have set her up for failure, and Dido comforts her, excited that Olivia will be marrying a wealthy, powerful English gentleman.

Olivia reflects on arranged marriages in Jamaica in which money was the only motivating factor and wonders why she believes Augustus will be different from other men. She speculates that his gratitude for inheriting her fortune will lead him to be kind to her and wonders if she could be satisfied with that arrangement.

The conversation with Mrs. Honeywood has increased Olivia’s anxiety about meeting Augustus, and she imagines being sacrificed “at the shrine of avarice” upon reaching England (61). She feels lonely and helpless and is terrified of arriving in a country where she knows no one. Later that night, she is awoken by a terrible storm, and Dido rushes into her room, afraid that the ship is sinking. Charles Honeywood soon finds them, reporting from the captain that the storm is abating and they will be fine. Olivia is deeply grateful for both Charles’s comforting words and the knowledge that they will survive the storm.

The following morning, Olivia wonders whether anyone could survive such storm and not believe in God. Charles approaches her excitedly at breakfast, but when she is confused by his attention, he seems embarrassed and deflated. Mrs. Honeywood, who looks especially ill, says that given her poor health, she would have accepted dying in the storm. Charles chides her for talking about her death, and Mrs. Honeywood says that once she has died, Charles will be able to find a loving wife. Charles looks at Olivia with an unreadable but significant expression. Mrs. Honeywood asks Olivia to help Charles accept the fact that he will soon lose his mother, but Olivia says she is in no position to offer consolation as she is still grieving the recent loss of her own much-loved father.

Olivia reflects on how close she already feels to the Honeywoods and how much she will miss them when they arrive in England. While she is sitting on the deck that evening, Charles joins her, and Olivia says that the night seems even more beautiful because of the storm that preceded it. Charles praises her ability to remain positive in the worst situations and says that her goodness will “shame” the ladies of England (65). Olivia asks, somewhat jokingly, whether Charles thinks he is the only person who can see her good qualities. Charles responds seriously, telling her that English ladies are notoriously superficial and immature. Olivia counters by saying that she is not perfect and accepts her own faults.

Charles describes his mother’s poor health, telling Olivia that the two of them went to Jamaica three years prior so that his mother could “gather up the wreck of a shattered fortune” for Charles, who had been raised with the expectation of a large inheritance and had thus learned no practical or professional skills (66). He adds that his father never truly appreciated his mother, but he cuts himself off before he can offer more details. He takes Olivia’s hand and tells her he does not want their acquaintanceship to end after they land in England. Olivia reminds him that nothing can be certain, as she will either marry Augustus or become a ward of Augustus’s brother. Charles is fearful that the Mertons will prevent Olivia from seeing him again and admits that if he were in their position, he would want Olivia all to himself. Embarrassed at having said that, Charles leaves.

Olivia acknowledges that Charles is attracted to her; however, while she enjoys his conversations and believes he is a good man, she sees him only as “an amiable brother” (67). She describes a miniature portrait of Augustus, which she looks at secretly while alone in her cabin. She appreciates his physical resemblance to her father, but adds that Augustus is much handsomer. While she believes she is looking at her future husband—assuming that he will agree to marry her—she worries that she is flattering herself and that the artist may have flattered Augustus by portraying him as more attractive than he is in real life.

Only a few days from arriving in England, Olivia describes the “dreadful pause” that occurs between the expectation of an event and the event itself (67). She will finally know her destiny and, wondering whether her father is watching over her, hopes she will meet that destiny courageously.

The ship has entered the Bristol Channel and is a few hours from anchoring. Dido excitedly puts on her gold earrings, which she has not worn during the voyage. Olivia feels increasingly anxious and almost faints, but catches herself on the arm of Mrs. Honeywood’s chair.

The ship has anchored, and the boat that will take them to shore—arranged by Charles—is within sight. Olivia feels impatient during the wait.

This letter, the first not written from the ship, is written from Bush Tavern in the port city of Bristol. Olivia, Dido, and the Honeywoods arrived at the tavern the previous day. Olivia, expecting Mr. Merton, Augustus’s father, to arrive at any moment, is writing this letter to distract herself from her anxiety. She describes the beautiful, rugged landscape the group saw the previous day as they rowed from the ship to the shore, but notes that Charles looked sad and resigned. She became increasingly uneasy as they got closer to Bristol, realizing that she would soon be in a large city full of strangers. After they settled at the tavern, Dido and Mrs. Honeywood’s maid left together, excited to explore the city. Mrs. Honeywood congratulated Olivia on her arrival in England, and Olivia, aware that she would soon have to say goodbye to the Honeywoods, began crying.

The innkeeper approached them and gave Olivia a letter Mr. Merton had left for her. This letter informed her that Mr. Merton, Augustus, and the wife of Mr. Merton’s other son are staying in a house in the nearby neighborhood of Clifton, waiting for Olivia’s arrival. Olivia feels sick with anxiety, and Charles tells her she does not have to immediately inform the Mertons of her arrival in Bristol. Olivia decides to contact Mr. Merton the following morning and spend one more evening with the Honeywoods.

Olivia ends the letter by saying that an “elegant chariot” has arrived at the door and it is thus time to meet the Mertons (71).

Recalling that Mrs. Milbanke has always liked Olivia’s descriptive abilities, Olivia promises to write exactly what she thinks about the Mertons, even if this means being overly harsh. When the Mertons arrive in the inn dining room, the Honeywoods offer to leave, but Olivia holds Mrs. Honeywood’s arm, compelling her to stay. When Dido throws the doors open, Olivia sees a fashionable young woman on the arm of a tall, stiff man. A third person stands behind them. The tall man, Mr. Merton, introduces Olivia to the young woman, Letitia, who is married to his son, George. When Olivia extends her hand, Letitia recoils and does not shake it. Mr. Merton hugs Olivia warmly and presents her to the third person, Augustus. Olivia is relieved to see that he is as handsome as his portrait suggests, although she notices a “tender melancholy” in his expression (72). He is polite and elegant and has a dry sense of humor. Olivia makes it clear that she does not fall instantly in love with him, but she is still very pleased with his appearance and personality.

Olivia soon leaves with the Mertons, saying a sad goodbye to the Honeywoods, whom she fears she will never see again. Olivia describes Letitia Merton in more detail, emphasizing her self-importance, affected attitude, and languid body language and concluding that she is only superficially beautiful. This is due, Olivia believes, to the fact that this woman is a wealthy Londoner who is accustomed to being frequently admired. She describes Mr. Merton as being around 60 years old, plainly but neatly dressed, and extremely well-mannered and genteel. She can also tell that he has limited conversational abilities, having spent many years of his life focused on business. She cannot describe Augustus in more detail as she has not spent enough time with him, but she worries that his melancholy expression indicates that he does not want to marry her. She is prepared to tell him to refuse her and spare both of them the misery of an unhappy marriage, but every time he smiles, she is so charmed that she starts to doubt her conclusions about his lack of interest in her.

Olivia notes that Mr. Merton, George, and Letitia display their wealth proudly and talk openly about how much money they have. She believes that this is common among people who have made their own fortunes and remembers encountering the phenomenon among many Jamaican planters.

Olivia spends her first day with the family discussing the Fairfield estate with Mr. Merton. He is kind enough to her that she becomes less timid and more confident. Letitia shows no interest in their conversation and plays with her three-year-old son and the family’s pug dog. Augustus contributes little to the conversation, but Olivia notices that when she praises her late father, Augustus seems genuinely affected.

Olivia declares that Letitia hates her more than anyone else in the world. She hopes that George Merton does not feel that way, because if Augustus refuses to marry her, she will be dependent upon George and Letitia for the rest of her life. She suspects that Letitia would like to be in charge of a poor woman of color and would be happy to inherit Olivia’s large fortune, and she even worries that Letitia will try to convince Augustus to refuse Olivia simply to bring about this outcome. Olivia emphasizes Letitia’s selfishness, shallowness, and laziness. She also notes that Augustus still seems melancholy and wonders if this is because he does not want to marry her.

One morning, Olivia enters the dining room to find Letitia reading a fashion magazine and Mr. Merton reading the newspaper. Augustus joins them, and soon after he arrives, a servant brings in a large plate of boiled rice. When Mr. Merton asks why they are having rice for breakfast, Letitia says that since all Black enslaved people eat rice, she assumed Olivia would have wanted it. Olivia understands that this is meant to insult and humiliate her, but she reacts calmly, thanking Letitia but pointing out that she eats the same food that the Mertons eat. Letitia looks awkward, and Augustus seems pleased.

George, the son of George and Letitia Merton, runs into the dining room, shouting that “that nasty black woman” had touched his face and made him dirty (78). Letitia hushes him with a look that suggests he is referring to Olivia, although everyone knows that he is actually talking about Dido. Olivia takes George onto her lap and shows him that even though she and Dido have darker skin than he does, this does not mean they are dirty. She explains that it is impossible to change one’s skin color and demonstrates this by letting him rub her arm with her handkerchief. George, charmed by Olivia, says he wishes God had made her white because she is so kind. Olivia tells him that Dido is also kind and faithful and explains that even though people with dark skin are often enslaved, God created them as human beings and they are equal to anyone else. In response, George asks why enslavers have the right to own enslaved people, and Olivia knows she has made her point. She says that as a Christian, she hopes the practice of slavery will soon end forever; Letitia says that, because Olivia’s father was a planter who relied on the labor of enslaved people, she would have thought Olivia would feel otherwise. Olivia becomes emotional and leaves the room, followed by George, who wants to find Dido and apologize for being cruel to her.