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Authors: Jeremy Josephs
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that Eunice's condition placed on the family purse. In time Grace acknowledged the dilemma, and realized that there was no point in complaining.
Throughout this period she struggled to maintain the optimism she had known at Clarendon. But whereas at school she had been buoyed up by constant companionship, now she retreated into daydreams to lift her spirits. Sitting alone in church, she would imagine a life in which she was free of the sexual obligations imposed on her by a domineering father, free of his rages, free of the petty restrictions in which he sought to ensnare her.
For the Reverend Mann was as determined as ever to have his daughter all to himself. In recent years he had braced himself for the day when he would have to allow Grace out into the world. How, he had often wondered, would he be able to isolate and control her when her school-days were over? Although it entailed a degree of exposure to the wider world, the technical college was a necessary step if Grace was to make something of herself. At least, he could comfort himself, the clothes she wore to class were hardly calculated to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
However, as soon as Grace's year at the college was over, the Reverend's possessiveness raised its head once more. After some thought he decided that the answer lay in the Girl Crusaders Union. Here was a Christian organization from which the male of the species was wholly barred; where only women, of varying ages, were to be found working diligently side by side. The Reverend used his influence to ensure that his daughter was appointed a junior office clerk, with a number of minor duties to perform. It was an ideal solution, he felt. But what about when the working day ended?
Ironically, it was indeed after office hours that Grace, now eighteen, fell in love for the first time. She had been aware for some time that young men had begun to notice her, but she had always turned her head away, remembering the lessons her father had drummed into her for so many years. Inside, though, she was quietly rebelling, planning her escape when the right person came along. He might not have been able to point to the most exciting of careers, but David Bond, a bank clerk from Thornton Heath, south London, and an active member of the Reverend Mann's own congregation, was such a young man, stirring feelings in Grace that she had never felt before.
Grace knew that any attempt to develop a friendship with David would meet with her father's strenuous opposition. Nevertheless, desperately keen to have the freedoms enjoyed by other girls of her age, she calculated that if she granted her father more sexual favours he might relax his veto. Eventually she was allowed to go on a date with David, but the plan backfired, for after giving his consent the Reverend became even more obsessed with his daughter and redoubled his efforts to thwart the relationship.
'He's just not the sort of person I want you to be involved with, Grace,' he said, plainly in no mood to argue. 'You can do far better than that,' he added, secretly hoping that he would not have to vet an alternative.
But her father's insistence was to no avail, because for the first time in her life Grace began to dare to defy his orders, by arranging a number of clandestine meetings with her new and ardent admirer. Tracking her every move, the Reverend did not take long to find out, and made no effort to conceal his wrath. Yet, sensing his daughter's determination, he indicated his willingness to adopt a different attitude. She could go out with her young man, but on certain conditions. So restrictive were these that the Reverend felt confident that the relationship would soon wither on the vine. Most importantly, Grace had to be home by 9.30 p.m., with the result that the young couple were scarcely able to enjoy an evening together.
In truth, the minister was as fascinated by this blossoming romance as he was horrified by it. He soon found himself
Throughout this period she struggled to maintain the optimism she had known at Clarendon. But whereas at school she had been buoyed up by constant companionship, now she retreated into daydreams to lift her spirits. Sitting alone in church, she would imagine a life in which she was free of the sexual obligations imposed on her by a domineering father, free of his rages, free of the petty restrictions in which he sought to ensnare her.
For the Reverend Mann was as determined as ever to have his daughter all to himself. In recent years he had braced himself for the day when he would have to allow Grace out into the world. How, he had often wondered, would he be able to isolate and control her when her school-days were over? Although it entailed a degree of exposure to the wider world, the technical college was a necessary step if Grace was to make something of herself. At least, he could comfort himself, the clothes she wore to class were hardly calculated to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
However, as soon as Grace's year at the college was over, the Reverend's possessiveness raised its head once more. After some thought he decided that the answer lay in the Girl Crusaders Union. Here was a Christian organization from which the male of the species was wholly barred; where only women, of varying ages, were to be found working diligently side by side. The Reverend used his influence to ensure that his daughter was appointed a junior office clerk, with a number of minor duties to perform. It was an ideal solution, he felt. But what about when the working day ended?
Ironically, it was indeed after office hours that Grace, now eighteen, fell in love for the first time. She had been aware for some time that young men had begun to notice her, but she had always turned her head away, remembering the lessons her father had drummed into her for so many years. Inside, though, she was quietly rebelling, planning her escape when the right person came along. He might not have been able to point to the most exciting of careers, but David Bond, a bank clerk from Thornton Heath, south London, and an active member of the Reverend Mann's own congregation, was such a young man, stirring feelings in Grace that she had never felt before.
Grace knew that any attempt to develop a friendship with David would meet with her father's strenuous opposition. Nevertheless, desperately keen to have the freedoms enjoyed by other girls of her age, she calculated that if she granted her father more sexual favours he might relax his veto. Eventually she was allowed to go on a date with David, but the plan backfired, for after giving his consent the Reverend became even more obsessed with his daughter and redoubled his efforts to thwart the relationship.
'He's just not the sort of person I want you to be involved with, Grace,' he said, plainly in no mood to argue. 'You can do far better than that,' he added, secretly hoping that he would not have to vet an alternative.
But her father's insistence was to no avail, because for the first time in her life Grace began to dare to defy his orders, by arranging a number of clandestine meetings with her new and ardent admirer. Tracking her every move, the Reverend did not take long to find out, and made no effort to conceal his wrath. Yet, sensing his daughter's determination, he indicated his willingness to adopt a different attitude. She could go out with her young man, but on certain conditions. So restrictive were these that the Reverend felt confident that the relationship would soon wither on the vine. Most importantly, Grace had to be home by 9.30 p.m., with the result that the young couple were scarcely able to enjoy an evening together.
In truth, the minister was as fascinated by this blossoming romance as he was horrified by it. He soon found himself
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