Page 93 of The Midnight Book Club
Elinor was thoughtful, looking first at Aurelia, then across the room at Vronsky.
“‘Happy enough’?You and Vronsky are cut from the same cloth, it seems.”
Elinor, who was usually so even keeled and gentle, surprised Aurelia with her sharp tone.
“What do you mean?”
“Both of you are all too willing to settle forhappy enoughwithout trusting that a greater happiness is possible.”
“Possible, sure, but there’s no guarantee.”
In spite of Aurelia’s attempts to keep her voice down, Rachel—who had been standing nearby—seemed to have overheard them.
“I am thoroughly perplexed by you, Aurelia,” she said, her tone just as sharp as Elinor’s.“You told us that women in your time can do anything they like, be anything they like.There are no barriers, correct?”
“Yes, but—”
“In our time, barriers are put up all around us, by others.And here you sit, manufacturing barriers of your own when you could live as free as you choose.”
“It’s not that simple, Rachel—”
“Of course it is.You’ve found a way to spend nights in the shop with us, a way to run this shop on your own, a way to write a book, and help a friend.There can be no possible reason not to follow your heart if you love this man.”
“Lovehim?I don’t know if I—”
Almost instantly, Aurelia thought about that pulling, all-over tingling feeling she felt every time they’d been together over the past few weeks, and found she did know.
“But… even if we were together,” she continued, struggling under the weight of her realization, “we could make each other miserable.Or he might find out about all of you and refuse to see me again.”
“Or one of you could become ill.Or worse,” Elinor said, catching Aurelia’s eye to make sure her point hit home.“Or you could find yourselves happier than you ever imagined, and you could live out a long and happy life together.Good and bad are possible, Aurelia.”
“It’s true that Alexei’s old story had an unhappy ending,” Marianne said, pushing into their circle just as Rachel had done minutes earlier.“But what about my happy ending?”
“And mine,” Rachel chimed in.
“And mine,” Elinor said firmly.“You and Count Vronsky think avoiding love entirely is certain to protect you from experiencing the pain of heartache.But it is also certain to prevent you from experiencing the joy and happiness of finding someone you truly love, and from finding your own happy ending.”
“But… I’ve finished Alexei’s book and it’s just the way he wanted it—there’s no love story.”
Aurelia suddenly understood what that meant.
“I’ve sealed his fate, haven’t I?I set out to give him a better ending, but then I let him run from a real chance at happiness.”
“You said the book won’t be published for several months yet.Is there time to correct his mistake?”
“There might be time, if I work quickly.It’s possible I could find a way to work something in on my own.”Aurelia’s mind rushed forward as she began to think of how she could do it, what she would write, when, and how she would tell Vronsky what she’d done.“I think I could manage it.I’m not sure how, but I could try.”
“I think you must try.His story is not yet complete.And, it seems, neither is yours.”
When dawn arrived and everyone departed, Aurelia wasn’t tired at all.Instead of going up to her flat to sleep, she strode over to her desk and pulled out a stack of blank paper, ready to begin writing a new ending for Count Vronsky.Again.
56
Afewhourslater,Aureliawas so deep into her writing that she didn’t register the knock at the shop door until it happened a second time.She looked up, confused.Once she saw that it was Mark, peering in the window at her, the pieces fell into place—it was just past ten in the morning and she hadn’t opened the shop yet.
Jumping up from her desk, she nearly knocked over her chair.She rushed to the door to let Mark in, apologizing before it was even fully opened.
“Mark!I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was.”
