An American Beauty: A Novel of the Gilded Age Inspired by the True Story of Arabella Huntington Who Became the Richest Woman in the Country

Catherine comes home one evening to find Belle playing the piano brought to New York from the boarding house. She is planning on visiting Johnny’s faro house to arm herself with information, as she wants to get rid of him. When Johnny comes to pick Belle up from Catherine’s, he is drunk. Catherine watches how Johnny acts around Belle and realizes he has fallen in love with her.

A pregnant Belle writes in her journal about how tired she is of living a lie. Johnny has been drinking more and behaving badly of late. Desperate to get rid of him for good, she arranges for him to visit his home and wife in Virginia. Belle also decides to tell Collis about the baby when he returns from a trip.

When Belle breaks the news to Collis, he is thrilled. She then tells her family, but Lizzie is bitter because both her sisters are moving on with their lives: Emma reveals that Thies has proposed. Belle is stung by the thought that her sister will be a proper wife. The sisters squabble, as Emma feels her sisters are not happy enough for her, Lizzie feels ashamed of still having to be supported by Belle, and Belle is resentful at what she is giving up for her family.

Collis sets off on a long, pre-planned journey at the end of August, and will only be back by November. Belle is determined to remind him of the happy world that awaits him upon his return.

Belle sees Johnny off at the train station. Once she is back home, she immediately changes all the locks and writes Johnny a letter telling him his services are no longer required; he will receive his final payment soon. Johnny writes back congratulating Belle on her clever plan, wishing her well, and asserting that he is all the richer for having known her.

The day Collis leaves, Belle goes to the station dressed as a housemaid to catch a glimpse of his wife. Elizabeth Huntington recognizes Belle and is visibly angry.

Belle vacates her house and moves in with Catherine for a while, telling everyone that Johnny has passed away. She begins to plan how she can secure her own and her unborn child’s future.

Emma gets married to Thies in the drawing room of Belle’s new house; Belle is not bitter anymore. She grows bigger as the pregnancy progresses, and Lizzie discusses the child with Belle. She cautions her sister against naming him after Collis, as it will be too public a claim and will rupture her relationship with Collis. Lizzie is also curious as to why Collis is not around more. She believes he is mollifying his wife and encourages Belle to secure her future somehow.

When Collis next visits, Belle notices his that there are moments when he seems ill at ease, and she recalls Lizzie’s warning. However, she reassures herself that he won’t abandon them, soothed when Collis produces a silver rattle that he has bought for the baby. Belle finally goes into labor on a Thursday morning in the middle of her breakfast.

Lizzie writes a letter to Emma, who now lives in Texas with Thies, updating her on all the news from back home. Belle has had her son and has named him Archer Milton.

Ten-year-old Clara Elizabeth Huntington walks down Fifth Avenue, Christmas shopping for her father with her mother and the maid. She spots a silver baby’s rattle in the snow, and when she sees a beautiful woman pushing a buggy nearby, she runs to return the rattle to her. The woman thanks Clara, and they wish each other Merry Christmas before Elizabeth spots them and pulls Clara away. Later that night, Clara overhears the maids discussing the woman, and one of them calls her the “mistress.”

Belle writes in her journal, reflecting on the hard life she once led. She was reminded of it when she visited Johnny’s faro parlor a couple of years ago, and she vows to never return to it again. She is now a “shadow wife,” but she will find a way around that for Archer’s sake.

Belle discusses her plans with Catherine and Lizzie, and they conclude that the only way to guarantee success is by owning land and property in the right location. She convinces Collis to front her funds to buy a vacant lot near Lexington and Sixty-Ninth, promising to pay it back eventually with interest. Belle loses the first couple of bids, but her fourth attempt succeeds. She begins to buy an increasing number of plots in prime locations, and her plan for independence seems to be going well until Elizabeth interferes and everything falls apart.

Emma writes to Lizzie, excited for their upcoming visit, but reflecting on how Belle will be sad to leave Archer behind with them when she returns to New York.

Shortly after Archer’s birth, Collis mentions that Elizabeth knows about the baby and is hurt. He suggests that Belle and Archer visit family in Texas, and asks Belle to return without Archer for a while.

While in Texas, Emma encourages Belle to go back and convince Collis to do right by his son. She also reveals that Thies’s ranch is having money troubles. Belle confronts Thies about his financial situation, and he admits they won’t last more than a year. He unconvincingly denies having married Emma in hopes that Belle would help out, but asserts that he loves Emma, come what may. Belle promises to see what she can do.

Belle writes to Collis claiming that Archer is sick and asking for tickets to bring him and her family back from Texas. She also mentions that the ranch is suffering and requests assistance. Collis immediately sends tickets and opens an emergency line of credit in his own name for the ranch.

Clara is delighted when her parents tell her they are taking her to Delmonico’s, the most popular and exclusive restaurant in town, for her 13th birthday. On the day of, however, Collis goes away on unexpected business and Elizabeth has a migraine, so Clara has to go with her governess, Miss Elly.

At the restaurant, Patrice Montgomery, Clara’s former friend who cut her off six months ago, is seated at the neighboring table with another girl and a boy Clara has a crush on. The girls notice her and loudly claim that Clara is not a real Huntington, as she is adopted.

Stunned and upset, Clara rushes to the washroom, where she runs into Belle. Belle tells an angry Clara that she is only here to enjoy dinner with own mother, and that she would have left immediately if Elizabeth had come along. Belle helps Clara freshen up and reassures her that no matter the circumstances of her birth, she will always be her parents’ daughter. Belle tells Clara she is clever and strong enough to face other people’s attempts to hurt her.

Later, Clara learns that she is the youngest daughter of Elizabeth’s sister, Clara Prentice. After Clara’s husband died, she couldn’t manage five children by herself, and the Huntingtons, who couldn’t have any biological children of their own, took the youngest child in.

With Collis’s help, Belle finally buys a house of her own. She moves in on the very first day and plans all the changes she will make to it, including to the wild and overgrown garden that comes with the house.

Catherine remembers her first meeting with Johnny. At that time, Catherine was so impoverished that she couldn’t find food, and her children were starving at home. Midway through the meeting, one of Johnny’s kitchen workers brought in a white china plate heaped with food, and Catherine ate the entire thing. By the end of the meeting, they had decided on the terms of Belle’s employment. Catherine tells herself it was all for the good in the long run, as Belle’s life has turned out well. However, Catherine still can’t bring herself to eat off a white china plate.

Belle finds that she gains easy access to the most exclusive and refined of places to purchase furniture and interiors for her house as long as she has money. However, some spaces are still denied to her, like balls and social clubs, with the invitations to these being largely controlled by the socialite Caroline Astor.

Belle convinces Collis to publicly accompany her to an estate auction to purchase art for her new house.

Sixteen-year-old Clara attends America’s first World’s Fair for the centennial celebrations held on July 4, 1876, where she runs into Belle again. Clara is initially standoffish but eventually softens, as Belle advises her to buy a bonsai tree for her room and tells her how to care for it. As they talk, Clara is astonished to discover that Belle isn’t in love with her father; rather, Belle admits they “hold each other in great mutual esteem” (170). Clara points out that her own mother loves Collis, and Belle admits Elizabeth is a good woman.

Belle journals about how she is losing her son again and curses Elizabeth for bringing it about.

Collis tells Belle that Elizabeth has threatened to leave him and take Clara with her if Collis doesn’t do anything about Belle. Collis cannot bear to be without her, but he cannot leave Elizabeth either, to whom he feels indebted. He asks Belle to send Archer back to Texas for a while, promising to take good financial care of every member of her family in return.

A heartbroken Belle sees Archer off at the station with her family, promising to visit soon. Catherine reminds Belle to “[t]ake what [she] can, when [she] can” (178), asserting that Belle has managed to save her entire family.

After Archer leaves, Belle refuses to speak to Collis for more than a fortnight, after which she puts forth her terms: If Archer is to be sent away, she won’t remain hidden anymore. She demands to be seen with him in public, even if discreetly, and Collis agrees.