If you had the chance to change your fate by disappearing and impersonating a dead woman, would you take it? This was the choice Elinor had to make when she was saved from the Titanic disaster but her maid was among the missing. Elinor Haywood Coombes, wife of the heir to the Storton title, was tricked into a very unhappy marriage. Like many British castles, the Coombs estate and grand house were way too expensive to maintain by those who didn't work, so marrying into money was often their solution. When Frederick hastily asked Elinor, daughter of a rich dealer in fabrics to marry him, she thought it was very romantic, like her Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte novels. But she had been tricked-the only things Lord and Lady Storton wanted were her dowry and a male heir. When she had her baby, the family signed a legal document that if anything happened to Frederick, they would assume legal guardianship, leaving Elinor to abandon her son-this was intolerable. Frederick had also admitted that he was in love with Elinor's best friend and had been since they were children but she could not inherit, so they were unable to marry.
Elinor's father, two years earlier, had bought tickets for himself, Elinor, Frederick and their servants, on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. When their son Teddy was two, they all went on the boat-it was the first time she had seen her father since the wedding and his first chance to meet his grandson. Her maid servant refused to board the boat and luckily, a woman moving to New York to live with her cousin, agreed to be her new maid and take care of Teddy-her name was Molly Mortimer. She was lost in the Titanic tragedy, as were Elinor's father and husband, but Elinor and Teddy were saved in a lifeboat- what would she do now?
This was a great set-up for "Molly's" new life as an immigrant to America, where staid rules no longer apply and with hard work and some luck you have a chance to thrive. Of course, she has many obstacles to overcome-she has to convince her new family that she was their relative and make sure no one connected her to her old life. The story had a few unlikely coincidences, but I chalked that up to "truth is stranger than fiction", and they were necessary to driving the plot. I see this novel as a good book discussion title, as there are many issues to talk about; migration to New York's Lower East Side and its hardships, complicated British inheritance laws, and the Titanic and its aftermath. A good historical novel.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
February 25, 2025
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