Lady

By Thomas Tryon

Lady and her husband were one of the best families of the small town where she lived. Lady was beautiful, kind and gracious and lived the good life. Widowed after just a few years of marriage, she lived the rest of her life alone except for her two faithful servants.
Everyone in town knew the story of Lady and Edward. Wealthy, handsome, young Edward was looking for a wife and Lady, so young, lovely and innocent, daughter of an impoverished seamstress, was just the girl he was looking for. So they quickly married and soon a baby was on the way. Then the luck turned against them. Lady fell and lost the baby. She became quite ill and spent months in the hospital. Her mind was affected by her illness and she was afterward subject to periods of depression.
World War I started and Edward went off to serve. He was wounded and came home to recuperate but his health was severely affected and he died of the influenza. Lady was left alone and never seemed interested in finding a new love.
Across the street was another young woman who lost her husband too soon. She is raising her large family all alone, working full time and leaving much of the care of the kids to her oldest daughter.
The middle boy, Woody, becomes fast friends with Lady and he spends as much time as possible with her. He basks in the love and attention she gives him and he suffers when she shuts herself away in the grip of one of her black moods, which can last for weeks and weeks. He would love to help but, a mere child, he doesn't understand her suffering.
Everyone in the small town knows about Lady's bouts of depression where she shuts herself away from the outside world. They all attribute it to her grief over the loss of her husband, Edward. She even keeps a shrine dedicated to Edward in the front room of her house, with photos of him and other mementos. She keeps his clothes locked away in their bedroom and refuses to get rid of them.  To all appearances, she never got over losing Edward.
Then Woody stumbles upon Lady's long hidden secret and he is shocked to his core. So shocked that he cuts off all contact with her. However, Woody isn't the only one who has discovered Lady's secret. Before much longer the whole town in privy to the secret and all but her closest friends turn their backs on her.
Eventually Woody and Lady reconcile and, in her old age, Lady finally reveals the details of her marriage to Edward and the truth of what she sacrificed to continue to live in the house across the street.

This was a pretty good story. It sort of bogged down in the middle of the book and didn't really pick up until Lady's big secret is revealed. All throughout the first part, we are given hints that Lady has some huge secret and it takes way too long to get to the big reveal. I admit I got impatient and wanted the author to stop dragging it out and dragging it out. But other than that, it was an enjoyable novel.