Excerpt
“All those children staring at you. And besides, a woman ought to be with her own children. She has enough to do.” Maybe he was being considerate. Maybe I’m too hard on him. Liam has always been kind and gentle and thoughtful. But he doesn’t understand. He has very fixed ideas. He’s dogmatic. He lives by books. If it isn’t written down somewhere it doesn’t exist, and he won’t discuss it. He’d never heard of a woman—or rather, he’d never read of any woman—who wanted to … to fulfil herself by working, by doing something meaningful besides raising children and caring for her home and husband. “We don’t really need the money,” he said. You know, as if money was the only reason for doing anything. He’d never thought that a woman might want to work for … what shall I say? … intellectual reward, mental stimulation. You know what I mean.’
‘Yes, I know. And I agree with you. Though I’ve nothing against money as long as it doesn’t become the be-all and end-all of life. I’ve never really been interested in making lots of money. I’m not at all like Clifford in that respect. I would never strive to be a millionaire and drive around the countryside in a brand new Bentley. But I like to have just enough to make life comfortable. I suppose I’m very middle class. But I’m like you, I think. I find that a sense of personal achievement is more satisfying than a large, padded bank book.’
Nora drank some tea. ‘Yes, I’m the same. I feel there’s more to life than simply getting rich. Money satisfies the needs of the body. But a woman—and a man too—is more than just a body. As far as women are concerned, men haven’t learnt that yet. Men are so engrossed with the female body that they don’t take time to think that she also has a soul, that she has a mind. They need nourishment too. They need stimulation. I was a “promising young artist” when I was a girl. Can you believe it? I even had my work shown once in Belfast. That talent was wasted. Wasting talent is sinful, you know.’ She lifted another biscuit and looked earnestly at Ian. ‘Do you think I’m talking nonsense? You seem a bit sceptical.’
‘No, I’m not at all sceptical. And I don’t think you’re talking nonsense. In fact it makes good sense to me. It’s just that, like Liam, I’ve never thought about it before.’
‘Well I have, because I was the one who had to give up what I most dearly wanted to do in order to raise children.’ She snapped a biscuit fiercely into three or four crumbly pieces.
Ian could not restrain a smile. ‘Don’t you like raising children?’
‘Of course I do. I love my children. But I do not see why I cannot raise my children and teach at the same time. Why am I not to be allowed to fulfil…
