During a run-in with Celia, Abigail claims she can relate to Celia’s romantic plight but she fails to expound. What do you imagine her experience might have been, and how does her sense of commonality with Celia ultimately affect their relationship?

During a run-in with Celia at Portland’s City Park, Abigail solemnly claims she can relate to Celia’s romantic plight, “at least…to an extent.” But interrupted, she fails to expound. What do you imagine her experience might have been, and how does her sense of commonality with Celia ultimately affect their relationship?

I’ve been thinking about this one. The only romantic link I can think of for Abigail is maybe with the family’s carriage driver, Timothy Vale. Abigail must know that this relationship would be totally unacceptable to her mother. Timothy decides to leave his employment with the Bettencourts and move to a ranch in Colorado (maybe knowing a relationship with Abigail is clearly out of the question). He proposes to Celia, asking her to join him, because she’s “in quite a pickle.” Pure conjecture though.

I also took this to mean Abigail loves someone the family doesn’t approve of.

That’s interesting. I think you might be right. Timothy was putting distance between himself and Abigail by moving to Colorado.

It would seem that as Abigail matured, she had feelings for someone she knew would be unacceptable to the family, especially her mother. She began to understand the relationship of her brother and Celia and perhaps the lengths her mother and father would go to in order to stop it. At the end Abigail certainly came through for Celia.