A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts

That summer, Alva and her children go to Newport. Oliver is not there that summer because he is working for the presidential campaign of the progressive candidate, William Jennings Bryan. At a party, she tells a friend that Consuelo is awaiting a proposal from the Duke of Marlborough, but she admits Consuelo is still somewhat smitten with the playboy Rutherfurd.

Just then, she spots Consuelo dancing with Rutherfurd. She drags Consuelo away, telling her, “that man will ruin your life” (474). Consuelo insists that they are in love and engaged. Alva tells her that if she elopes with Rutherfurd, Alva herself will “shoot him dead” (476). After Consuelo storms out, Alva collapses from nerves. When Consuelo learns of her mother’s anxiety attack, she relents and agrees not to marry Rutherfurd.

A few weeks later, the Duke of Marlborough arrives in Newport. He stays with Alva at the Mable House. Alva wishes Ward McAllister was there to help her with the hosting duties, but he died in January of a heart attack while eating dinner. In his absence, she imagines that he is there giving her advice. In her imagination, McAllister tells Alva she should pursue a relationship with Oliver for her own happiness.

In September, the Duke proposes, and Consuelo accepts. She admits to Alva that she does not love the Duke, but Alva says, “genuine love will occur later” (483), although she is aware this is not necessarily true. Before her marriage, Alva tells her daughter about how sex occurs in more direct terms than how she learned it. She reassures Consuelo that eventually, she will get used to it as “just another part of [her] routine” (486). During the engagement, Oliver acts as the Duke’s “ambassador.” The Duke and Consuelo marry in New York on November 6. Alva is both relieved and anxious about how their marriage will go.

In December, Oliver pays a visit to Alva at the Marble House. He kisses her. She is overwhelmed and delighted. He admits to having always had feelings for her. Then, he makes love to her. Afterward, he proposes marriage, and she accepts. They marry in January.

Once remarried, Alva is once again accepted by the same society that had shunned her after the divorce. Soon after, Alva hears that Corneil has died. She reflects on how Alice’s life has effectively ended just as Alva is starting her life “over again.”

Four years later, Alva hosts a New Year’s Eve party designed, in part, to garner support for Oliver’s campaign for Congress. She invites Mary, now her close friend, and Mary’s husband. She and Oliver step out on the balcony. They reflect on their happy marriage.

In 1908, eight years later, Alva is 55 years old. She agrees to attend a meeting of suffragists at the Colony Club. She finds their presentation too dry to garner popular support. She is also angry that one of the speakers is a racist who does not believe that Black women deserve suffrage as much as white women. She encourages them to find a more exciting way to argue for their position.

In May, Oliver begins to complain of stomach pain. When it does not resolve by June, they call in doctors. They diagnose him with appendicitis. They do surgery, but his appendix has already ruptured. He dies five days later.

Alva is grief-stricken, but she does her best to hide her grief.

Consuelo separates from her husband, the Duke. They had ultimately had a clash of personalities, as he was very stiff, and she was more carefree. Alva visits her in London. She resolves to reconnect with her former best friend, Lady C.

Alva and Consuelo go together to a rally for women’s suffrage in Hyde Park. Alva marvels at the size of the crowd, and she is inspired by Emmeline Pankhurst’s speech. She resolves to focus on advocating for women’s suffrage.