Ominous Night at Hexagon House
by RC DeWinter
Title
Ominous Night at Hexagon House
Artist
RC DeWinter
Medium
Painting - Digital Oils - Paintography
Description
Copyright 2015 RC deWinter ~ All Rights Reserved
The Spinster's Tale
My name is unimportant,
known to those who need to know
and irrelevant to those who do not.
I speak not to be remembered as myself
but as an example of what used to be
for women like me.
We New Englanders are not given
to extravagant fulmination or drawn-out disclosure.
Although there is much to tell,
do not expect lurid personal revelations
or high drama.
Born to a banker and his wife,
I grew up surrounded by privilege.
Life was luxurious but constricted;
there were things one did not say,
things one did not do.
My childhood years were uneventful;
there were no family tragedies
(at least none that were discussed).
My two younger brothers and I
were schooled in the custom of the time:
they were shipped off to Exeter
as soon as they were eligible;
I was tutored at home in the arts and graces
thought necessary for a young woman
whose only obligations were
to be an ornament to society, to marry well
and to produce at least one heir.
I came out in the usual way,
along with the other young women of my set;
everyone knew but never mentioned
we were expected to meet our future husbands
from among those attending these balls
and cotillions.
And meet him I did - a handsome young man
of impeccable lineage filled my card
at every opportunity.
Our respective parents beamed
along the sidelines
as we floated gracefully through waltz after waltz.
We became engaged four months after.
All seemed settled, then;
energies were turned to planning the wedding.
My intended had a sister whom I had yet to meet;
she had been sent to Europe for finishing.
I wrote what I hoped was a sisterly letter,
inviting her to be one of my attendants.
Three months before the wedding
she returned.
The family gave a dinner
at which she was introduced to us.
Her conversation was sophisticated, witty;
her manner easy and appealing.
She invited me to ride with her next day.
I was happy to accept.
Our friendship bloomed as naturally
as spring flowers open in the sun.
However, the more time spent in her company,
the more I realized I -
brought up in the strictest of moral codes,
knowing my place and
what was expected of me -
was attracted to her.
Feelings never stirred by my fiance's
very proper romantic expressions
grew stronger with every hour spent in her company.
Innocent though I was,
I knew what I felt was reciprocated.
I had no prior experience of this sort of thing.
No person had ever captivated me this way.
It was nothing to do with gender
and everything to do with the essence of being.
I knew I could not marry.
I had met the person meant for me
and my feelings - our feelings -
were neither sanctioned by nor spoken of
in polite society.
I did what had to be done, quickly, firmly.
Both families were appalled,
although all I gave for my reason
was that I felt I could not marry
and live a happy life,
nor bring happiness to any man.
When the shock and disappointment diminished,
I asked my father to send me abroad.
I needed to get away, I said,
from all that was familiar,
to reexamine my life from a far remove.
He quickly agreed, wanting, no doubt,
to damp the gossip and speculation
we all knew was lurking
behind closed doors and parlor drapes.
My beloved had already departed,
ostensibly to study painting in Paris.
Although my stated destination was London,
I stayed there just long enough to defray
suspicion
before I too went to the City of Lights.
There we set up our first household,
keeping mostly to ourselves.
When we did socialize, it was with women
like us.
After six years abroad we returned home.
Her father had died, leaving her a sizable fortune.
Her brother had married,
my defection in no way having hurt his reputation.
We found a lovely hexagonal house in a small city
and there we lived - quietly, devotedly, happily -
in what you might know as a Boston marriage.
Our families never mentioned us;
everyone knew, but nothing was publicly acknowledged.
If we came up in conversation
we were simply referred to as spinsters.
It was the way things were done.
And there you have the tale.
I am alone now, my devoted companion
having preceded me to whatever awaits.
I still live in Hexagon House, although without her
it is nothing but a reminder of happier days.
I entertain old friends, keep up with the
garden as best I can,
and hope with every fiber of my being
that when I die I shall be somewhere, somehow,
reunited with the love of my life.
~ copyright 2015 RC deWinter
A view of the upper part of a historic hexagonal house in the South Norwalk Historic District (SoNo) in Norwalk, Connecticut. My family lived South Norwalk until I was nine and we moved up the coast to Fairfield.
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Thanks to the group hosts for their encouragement and support.
house, architecture, vintage, Victorian, antique, night, nostalgia, Connecticut, skyscape, moody, stone, hexagon, clapboard, atmospheric, moon, clouds, nostalgic, design, hexagonal, historic, historical, Norwalk, New England, RC deWinter,
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May 31st, 2015
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Viewed 1,313 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/26/2024 at 10:41 AM
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Comments (25)
Claudia O'Brien
I love this, RC...I don't remember seeing it previously. It kinda gives me chills ... I love the texture and the aura of it. l/f/voted
Jenny Revitz Soper
BRAVO! Your amazing art has earned a FEATURE on the homepage of the FAA Artist Group No Place Like Home, 2/14/2017! You may also post it in the Group's Features discussion thread and any other thread that fits!
Laurie Search
Really wonderful image, RC!!! Such a lovely sky!!! :)))vf
RC DeWinter replied:
Thanks, Laurie, glad you like the sky, I was particularly pleased with it myself.
Jim Williams
Thank you, Gina, for submitting your story to TELL TALL TALES. It is featured. l, f, TTT
Nina Stavlund
Gorgeous work!
RC DeWinter replied:
Many thanks, Nina, I had a grand time re-imagining this from a broad daylight urban setting.
Lyric Lucas
Congratulations your creative and unique art work is featured in the "Out Of The Ordinary" group! LF
John Bailey
Congratulations on being featured in the Fine Art America Group "Images That Excite You!"