Chapters (51)
- Cover
- Praise for A Season for Second Chances
- Also by Jenny Bayliss
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Discussion Guide
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
“My great-great-grandparents worked for the De-Veer family when they lived in India. When they came back, my great-great-grandparents came with them. My great-great-grandmother Heba was a kind of lady’s maid to Serena De-Veer. The De-Veers were very impressed with Heba’s paintings and always very encouraging. Apparently, they had a friend who worked in publishing, and they offered to show him Heba’s work. The publisher was very keen to go ahead, but it was decided that the books would carry more gravitas with booksellers if they were under Serena’s name as opposed to that of an unknown Indian immigrant.”
Nory watched his fists open and close in frustration. She’d never had to suffer the injustice of being discriminated against because of the color of her skin. She’d watched her best friend encounter a myriad of daily microaggressions during their friendship—many having nothing micro about them at all. She couldn’t imagine the bitterness that Heba must have felt, a bitterness that had been passed down through the generations and now hung on Isaac’s shoulders.
“They offered to pass the profits and any royalties on to Heba,” Isaac continued. “And they’d promised that if the books were successful, they would come clean down the line, show people up for their prejudices.”
“But they never did,” Nory said, picturing Serena De-Veer’s name on the covers of the books in her shop.
Isaac shook his head. “No.”
“What about the money?” Nory asked.
“Not a penny.”
“But how did they get away with it? I mean, surely Heba and your great-great-grandfather had proof? They could have gone to see a solicitor . . .”
“Heba signed a contract, handing over the rights of her paintings to the De-Veers. They told her it was the only way, and she trusted them. She thought she was making a better life for her family. The contract was written up by the De-Veers’ solicitor. My great-great-grandparents didn’t have the money to get their own solicitor. They didn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“That’s so awful. It’s wrong! So wrong. What about later on, your grandparents, or your parents?”
“Can you imagine how much money it would cost to contest a contract that old? To go up against the De-Veer family? They’re still one of the wealthiest families in England.”
“What about you? Have you looked into it? Times have changed, people would be more sympathetic now.”