THE OLD MAID, The Fifties, a Classic Short Story by Edith Wharton

In the genteel yet suffocating society of 1850s New York, where appearances are everything and secrets lie buried beneath polished veneers, a single night threatens to unravel years of carefully maintained façades. The Old Maid, a tale of love sacrificed, passion denied, and identities entangled, follows the intertwined lives of Delia Ralston and Charlotte Lovell. Bound by a child whose true parentage could destroy them both, these women navigate a world where loyalty and resentment walk hand in hand.
As a wedding approaches, old wounds reopen, and a mother’s desperate love clashes with the adopted warmth of another. What truths will be revealed on this fateful eve? And will Tina, the radiant bride-to-be, unknowingly step into a life built on hidden compromises? Edith Wharton's masterful exploration of duty, jealousy, and the haunting pull of the past will leave readers breathless until the final revelation. Discover the story where love and sacrifice blur, and no choice comes without a cost.

[@novascheller5957]

Wonderful story… Wharton is amazing how she builds these tensions….

[@teresadelacanal1065]

I had already read this book before, and I find it very well written as is customary to the writer. The story is a little sad and unfair, I'm always disgusted by "high society." I never liked Delia a lot. As for the reader, she's always extraordinary 👌 thank you so much.

[@EuniceStone-s9j]

Secrets begatting Secrets.

[@billdauphine951]

Once the WASP society was very real....weird....❤