The avant-garde book club

The dim room possessed an old book smell, which was to be expected, considering that it was a library. To be sure, it was the largest house library that that Miss Lily had ever seen, not that she had ever been in a regular one before. There must have been about a dozen bookcases that were ceiling high, all full of extraordinary volumes.

There were quite a few candles that were lit, as well as a blazing fire. Laughter could be heard as it bounced off the marble floors. Lily, in her worn-out dress and half decent hair, felt misplaced. In her whole life she had scarcely read a dozen books and now she was surrounded by possibly thousands! She was a fairly bright woman for not having a proper education; but compared to the owner of the fine library, she scarcely knew a thing!

Harry walked in sync with her, smiling at her amusement.

“What do you think of it?”, he asked.

She couldn’t meet his eyes. Harry had an annoyingly good talent at deciphering people’s emotions. “It is quite remarkable,” she breathed in true awe.

“We meet here every Saturday evening, our book club has to be one of the most sophisticated yet!”, exclaimed he.

Lily was unable to speak as they had now approached a set of couches, armchairs and a coffee table. If Lily hadn’t felt out of place before, she most certainly did then!

The men seated were dressed just like Harry, all smart and polished; and the women were an entirely different class of their own! They had lavish dresses with ruffles and such refined looks.

One young lady was covering her mouth with a gloved hand as she giggled. “Oh, Charles, you can be so very ridiculous at times! What nonsense you speak!”

“It is only the truth my lady,” a young gentleman responded, causing the woman to blush.

Harry cleared his throat. “Fellow book lovers, I would like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine who will be joining us today. Everyone, meet Miss Lily Coulter.”

Many eyes lifted to stare at Lily, she felt most outrageously embarrassed. Never in her life had she been pried at by so many judgmental eyes.

The woman who had previously blushed was now laughing again. “Harry, surely this is some sort of joke!”

 Harry frowned slightly. “Not at all Harriet. Miss Lily is a friend of mine and we share a common interest in books. Therefore, I thought it only natural to have her visit our book club.”

Now all the wonderfully perfect smiles that had been plastered onto the women’s faces had been transformed into hateful scowls. The men’s brows knighted together as they scrutinized Lily.  

“Where do you come from girl?”, demanded a red bearded man.

“I live here sir, in this very city,” Lily answered, trying her upmost not to burst into tears.

Lily Coulter had always been a sensitive young lady. She cared for the feelings of other good-natured people; therefore, she was very well tempered. However, she was not used to being judged in such an outright manner. She might not have been in the same class as them; but all in all, they were all the same.

“Ladies and gentlemen let us welcome Miss Lily like the good people we are!”, said a woman with rosy cheeks.

Although the tone in which she spoke might have sounded normal, Lily could tell that the woman had no real intentions of making her feel welcome.

“My name is Julie Dickinson, pleased to make your acquaintance,” said the rosy cheeked woman. “Please take a seat.”

Lily sat down in a comfortable leather armchair next to the couch.

“Oh no, Miss Lily! You must sit on the couch with Harriet and I, leave the armchair for our dear Harry!”, exclaimed Julie.

Lily did as she was told, however much she disliked having to sit so close to the pompous women!

“So, James, what is the novel up for discussion today?”, asked Harry as he sat down, addressing the red bearded man.

“I am truly glad that you asked,” smiled James. “Today we will be discussing one of Jane Austen’s master pieces, Pride and Prejudice!”

The group erupted in quite clapping. “Oh, how simply marvelous! I love a good romance, don’t you?”, cried Harriet as she looked at Lily. “Isn’t it simply one of the best novels on earth!”

Lily politely smiled. “I am afraid I am unfamiliar with the novel of interest.”

Julie and Harriet gasped. “You are not familiar with Pride and Prejudice!”

Lily shook her head. “I am afraid not.”

The men looked at each other and shook their heads. “This is quite unacceptable indeed!”

“Pray, then what have you read?”, asked Charles.

Lily started to play with her loose blonde locks. “I have read Macbeth...several times.”

“Macbeth! This girl knows naught what good literature is!”, exclaimed Charles.

“Besides that, Macbeth is a play not a novel,” noted Julie.

“The world is in troubling times, troubling times indeed,” muttered James.

Lily glanced up at Harry. As soon as their eyes met his flickered away. She was gradually becoming more hurt by him and the others. How could they say such things to her and not feel sorry in the slightest bit? Here they were, getting themselves drunk on biscuits and tea while hundreds of people were starving to death! So no, she had not had access to actual novels, she had only read plays; but at least her and her family weren’t corpses on the side of the street! When deciding as to whether money should be spent on books or on food, she thought that the answer would be obvious!

So yes, indeed the world was in troubling times, and it probably always would be.

“Honestly, Harry, where did you find this girl!”, laughed Harriet.

“I thought that as respected members of society we should educate the less fortunate about the great works that make up literature,” he said.

Lily looked at him.

She was entirely flabbergasted by what he had just said! How could Harry, a trusted friend, say that he was pitying her! She had already made it blatantly clear to him that she had never wanted his sympathy or money!

Julie tossed her copper ringlets in Lily’s direction. “Oh Harry, you have always been such a charitable man! You will make such an excellent husband some day!”

“Oh Julie, for heaven’s sake enough with your flattery, let us move forth with our discussion,” laughed Harry.

“Spoken like a true gentleman,” chuckled James.

Suddenly, Lily went from being the target of all of their attention to being completely ignored. Nobody spoke to her and they no longer acknowledged her presence.

“I love the way that Elizabeth Bennet has such a character development! We can really see her grow as a person throughout the novel, as she becomes progressively more aware of the world around her. It is truly extraordinary how Jane Austin manages to convey this!”, noted Harriet.

“I wholeheartedly agree with you dear,” said Julie.

Lily could feel herself drifting further and further away from the room. Images of the street that she grew up on tumbled into her head like rocks off a slope. The people here, she thought, have no idea whatsoever what our world is like compared to theirs! Had these people ever lived in a house with half it’s people already looking like carcasses? No, she didn’t suppose they ever had. The only person who knew about what the world was like where Lily came from was Harry. However, she had been deceived by his `do good´ act. He had no real interest of becoming her friend from the very beginning, and that was as clear as rain to her at that moment!

All of a sudden, she felt an uncommon sensation engulf her body. She was angry.

No, she was furious.

She would not allow herself to be treated in such a manner, even though she was neither sophisticated nor accomplished!

She stood up from the couch and simply exited the library with as much dignity as she could muster. They already thought the world of her, what would they care if she left without a word!

In the distance she could hear Harry excusing himself, so she quickened her pace. She had not one ounce of patience left, therefore, she wanted to leave without any confrontation.

She had just reached the front door when Harry caught her arm and spun her around.

“What on earth do you call that! Surely you must have known that such rudeness would be sure to embarrass! What on earth caused you to act in such an impertinent manner?!”

Lily gave him a slap across the face before curtsying and letting herself out the house.

She was sucked into the cold night air, not allowing herself to look back.

If he wanted to remain with the established peacocks he could; but in her opinion, the people on her street were far better than any of them!