Myra Stevenson, an Anglo Indian teacher and single mother to Thomas, faces her worst nightmare when she discovers Thomas’s father has visited him without her knowledge. As he belongs to the echelons of British society in India, she fears he will claim their son who looks European.
Giles Cottrell, owner of a tea plantation and an officer in the Indian Army reserves, had no idea he fathered a son until his grandmother (Jessie) informed him of the fact in a letter after her death. He informs Myra that his grandmother left them each a letter. His letter sets out directives, one being that they must marry for Thomas to bear his name in accordance to the Legitimacy Act, 1926.
Myra refuses to allow Giles to read her letter. Conflicts arise between the pair as a result, especially as Jessie left her property in Delhi to Myra. The couple marry and embark on a train journey to Darjeeling to await the decree that makes Thomas legally a Cottrell. However, their married life is fraught with issues of mistrust and outside interferences. Myra once again faces her past fears of ostracism. How she wins her husband’s love and stands tall amidst racial misconceptions and discrimination is the story she relates.
About the author
‘Jessie’s Will’ initially began with the author inquiring into her identity as ‘other’ in Australia. It was at a time when the country began to open her door for immigration to her nearest neighbours while still influenced by her white Australia policy. The author arrived in Australia in 1975, newly married to her Englishman husband, who was born in India. It later made her wonder what her daughter’s life would have been like had she been born in India at the end of British rule, as racial exclusivity was strictly adhered to. Through much research and for the love of anything romantic, this story was born. The author holds a Bachelor of Legal Studies Degree and an Ethics Minor in Philosophy.
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