The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2

Beth Brower’s The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 2 (2019) is a work of historical fiction presented in an epistolary format. As the second installment in The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series, the novella continues the witty, private diary of its titular heroine in 1883 London. While fighting for her inheritance, Emma M. Lion is also forced into the high-stakes Social Season by her formidable aunt and begins an unconventional correspondence with a mysterious new neighbor. The novella explores themes such as The Exhaustion of Maintaining Social Appearances and Grief as a Lingering Presence. A central concern is the Women’s Struggle for Autonomy, illustrated through Emma’s pursuit of financial independence and a plot involving the retrieval of a treasured, smuggled copy of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), which is a symbol of feminist rebellion and solidarity for Emma and her school friends.

The novella is deeply rooted in its historical moment. Emma’s fight for her property occurs just one year after the passage of the real-world Married Women’s Property Act of 1882, a landmark law that expanded women’s economic rights in the UK. The narrative also incorporates the legacy of the Second Anglo-Afghan War and references the work of real-life war photographer John Burke, contextualizing the backstory of loss that haunts Emma. 

This guide refers to the 2019 Rhysdon Press edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of sexual harassment and death.

Plot Summary

The narrative of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 2 unfolds through the private journal entries of its titular heroine in London, 1883. This novella, the second in the series, begins where the first volume left off, as Emma tries to gain control of her home, her fortune, and her future. 

Since she returned to London in the previous novel, Emma has been living in the garret of her home, Lapis Lazuli House, in the eccentric neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. She has been “banished” there by her cousin, Archibald Flat, who has maintained control of the house as her guardian. That guardianship has recently been revoked due to his purposeful mismanagement, which has cheated her of nearly all of her inheritance, but due to a promise Emma’s father made, she feels required to keep him on in the house. While her banker, Mr. Penury, advises strict frugality, Emma’s formidable Aunt Eugenia Spencer has other plans, forcing her into the London Season to act as a social foil for her beautiful cousin, Arabella Spencer. 

Emma’s quiet life is further complicated by her decision to rent out the adjoining house, Lapis Lazuli Minor, to a mysterious new tenant, Mr. Pierce. She soon begins a correspondence with him, as he occupies the other half of the garret, through a crack in their shared garret wall. Their initial notes concern a mouse problem, which Mr. Pierce solves by introducing a shared cat, Tybalt, and secretly carving a small door between their homes for the animal to pass through.

Forced into society by her aunt, Emma attends a series of social functions where she is unhappily reunited with two “mortal enemies” from her past: the cruel Victoria Braithwaite and Roland Sutherland, a childhood tormentor who has since matured into an excessively handsome and charming man. Roland, intrigued by Emma’s sharp wit, makes a wager with her during a card game and wins, his prize being a carriage ride with her in the park. During this outing, they encounter Mr. Pierce, and Emma introduces Roland as her “childhood nemesis.” 

Later, a chance meeting with Mr. Pierce at the local coffee shop, the Reed and Rite, turns intense when he reveals he is a war photographer who was in Afghanistan, the same place Emma’s beloved, Maxwell Stuart, was killed. The emotional weight of the conversation causes Mr. Pierce to retreat from their burgeoning familiarity. 

Meanwhile, Cousin Archibald invites Mr. Pierce to dinner without Emma’s knowledge. Discovering the plan, Emma insists on co-hosting, turning the evening into a memorable disaster. Archibald behaves boorishly, and the dinner culminates with Tybalt making a sudden appearance—horrifying the cat-hating Archibald—and the maid, Agnes, screaming after seeing St. Crispian’s resident ghost, The Roman, inside the house. The ghost reportedly delivers a cryptic prophecy that “[t]he man of war will end this house” (91). The chaotic evening concludes with Mr. Pierce and Emma agreeing to be “friends.”

Soon after, a black leather journal with a strange monogram on the cover appears in one of their cupboards, a common occurrence in a neighborhood where objects are known to wander between houses. Finding no owner’s name inside, Emma’s curiosity overtakes her, and she reads it. She becomes utterly captivated by the beautiful prose and finds herself falling for the mind of the anonymous author. Piecing together clues within the entries, she is appalled to discover the journal belongs to the Duke of Islington, a fellow St. Crispian’s resident whom she recently had an awkward encounter with at a ball. Riddled with guilt, Emma marches to the duke’s residence to return the journal and confess. She admits to reading the entire volume more than once, leading to a tense, biting exchange of wits that ends with a fragile, unspoken understanding between them. 

In the meantime, Emma’s friend from boarding school, Mary Bairrage, reveals a crisis: The cherished, secret first-edition copy of Jane Eyre, which was passed down among the students for decades, has been confiscated by the formidable headmistress, Mrs. Wade. Mary calls for a “conclave” of all the former keepers of the book, known as the Janes, to be held at Lapis Lazuli House to plan a rescue mission.

The day of the conclave arrives, along with unexpected guests. In the park, Mary impulsively invites the Duke of Islington, who accepts. At Lapis Lazuli House, they are joined by another uninvited observer: Jack Hollingstell, Mary’s charming but dangerous “pretend cousin,” whom she hires to avoid having a chaperone. As the Janes discuss their dilemma, it becomes clear they are all too proper to commit the crime necessary to retrieve their book from Mrs. Wade’s locked drawer. 

Jack proposes a masterful plan: He and a former student, who is not a known Jane, will pose as a married couple visiting the school. He will then create a diversion and pick the lock. All eyes immediately turn to Emma. Despite her vehement protests, Jack demonstrates his uncanny talent for disguise by transforming into a doting, professorial husband before their eyes. The Janes vote unanimously in favor of the plan, sealing Emma’s fate as Jack’s temporary wife.

The heist at Fortitude proceeds with theatrical flair. Jack maintains his persona, completely bewildering Mrs. Wade with scholarly nonsense while professing his gratitude for her role in molding his “biddable, sweet wife” (137). In Mrs. Wade’s office, Jack creates a distraction by “accidentally” knocking over a framed photograph of her father. While Mrs. Wade is flustered, he deftly picks the lock on her desk drawer and pockets the three volumes of Jane Eyre. 

They make their escape, but on the train journey back to London, Jack reveals a darker side to his methods: He slipped a mild hallucinogen into the headmistress’s teapot to make her doubt the reality of their visit. Horrified but indebted, Emma strikes a Faustian bargain. She promises Jack two future favors, to be called in at his discretion, in exchange for his solemn vow to keep Mary, the Duke of Islington, and her other loved ones safe from the dangerous circles in which he operates.

Having successfully retrieved the book and made a perilous new alliance, Emma returns home. The following day, the Duke of Islington visits to ensure she survived her escapade, and their conversation is marked by a new, wary respect. Mr. Pierce also returns from a trip, and Emma invites him for tea and pastries in the garden, where their friendship settles into an easy, comfortable rhythm. Mr. Pierce presents a business proposition: He wants to rent Emma’s unused salon to convert into a photography studio. Recognizing a perfect solution to her financial struggles, Emma eagerly agrees. The journal concludes with Emma poised on the cusp of a new chapter, her future at Lapis Lazuli House seeming, for the first time, not only possible but hopeful.