Her mother's secret

"Her Mother's Secret" by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth is a story from the 1800s about a young woman named Odalite Force and the difficult choices she faces. She's in love with Leonidas, a childhood friend, but her mother, Elfrida, wants her to marry the older Colonel Angus Anglesea instead. Elfrida thinks this marriage would be better for Odalite's future, but Odalite doesn't want to give up on her feelings for Leonidas. There's a big family secret that Odalite doesn't know about, and it's the reason why her mother is pushing her to marry the Colonel; this secret controls what her future looks like. Odalite finds herself stuck between doing what her family expects and following her own heart.