Commonplace, and other short stories

"Commonplace, and other short stories" by Christina Georgina Rossetti is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The lead tale follows three Charlmont sisters—steadfast Catherine, tender Lucy, and dazzling Jane—as they navigate Victorian propriety, romance, and ambition between a quiet seaside town and the temptations of London society.

The opening of Commonplace introduces Brompton-on-Sea and the three sisters at breakfast, where Jane reads a marriage notice revealing that the charming Alan Hartley has wed Everilda Stella—a blow Lucy silently absorbs. A long flashback sketches their family: a prosperous doctor father lost at sea in a fog, a mother who dies after Jane’s birth, and Catherine’s solemn promise to keep the home ready, after which she becomes guardian to her sisters under the eye of their prudent trustee and the prim Miss Drum. In the present, Catherine receives a London invitation; Lucy, heartsore, stays home with Miss Drum, whose insistence on daily walks slowly restores Lucy’s health. Meanwhile in Notting Hill, Jane captivates Stella’s wealthy, pompous father, Mr. Durham, while the kindly Dr. and Mrs. Tyke foster gaieties and private theatricals. A set of letters urges Catherine and Jane to prolong their stay; courtship gathers pace, and at a charade where Jane shines as Venus, Mr. Durham proposes. Settlements are arranged generously (with Catherine quietly providing for Jane), and the sisters return home, where Jane’s breezy triumph contrasts with Lucy’s quiet composure and the discreet attentions of the widower-solicitor, Mr. Ballantyne. The section closes with preparations for, and the early moments of, a country picnic at Rocky Drumble, as Lucy minds little Frank Ballantyne and the party disperses into the sun-dappled glen. (This is an automatically generated summary.)