Vater

"Isn't it true, you will stay with Father," the mother had whispered on her deathbed, "promise me..." and she promised. Of course, Jennifer could not and did not want to leave her father. But after twelve full years, something unexpected happened: one beautiful afternoon, without having said a word to a soul beforehand, Father came home for tea with a new woman. And Jennifer felt relieved: finally, after twelve years, she saw the gate to freedom opened. However, Father had other ideas. Two women in his house, the daughter, whom he believed had now become an old maid over the years, and the much younger new wife were supposed to be an ideal complement for him. How Jennifer deals with this and ultimately comes to terms with it, how she emancipates herself from a life constrained by obligations and family ties, is described by Elizabeth von Arnim in her own delightfully ironic language.