The Invisible Woman

In 1857, Charles Dickens spots Ellen 'Nelly' Ternan during a London stage performance at the Haymarket Theatre. He is captivated and later casts Nelly, along with her mother and sister, in a production of The Frozen Deep at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester. After the premiere, Dickens and Nelly share a private moment at a party, signaling the start of their complicated relationship.

Nelly and her family attend one of Dickens's readings at the Harrow Speech Room. The experience deepens Nelly's fascination with Dickens's fame and ideas and introduces her more fully to his social orbit. This event marks the beginning of her immersion in the world that will shape her future.

Following the Harrow event, Dickens takes the Ternans to Doncaster Racecourse, expanding their exposure to his world beyond London. The outing solidifies Dickens's growing attraction to Nelly and cements their growing entanglement. The visit also foreshadows the social and financial leverage Dickens will promise them.

One morning Dickens slips away from Gads Hill Place to see Nelly perform in East London. Mrs. Ternan invites him into their cottage but cautions him about risking Nelly's reputation. Dickens insists he has no intention of compromising Nelly's name.

Dickens organises a reading and fundraiser to benefit London's fallen women and their children. He then invites the Ternans to his town house, expanding Nelly's access to his circle. The move deepens the tension between her family’s hopes and Nelly's own desires.

Mrs. Ternan imagines that a financially stable future might come from Nelly becoming the wife of a married Dickens. Nelly overhears the plan and feels anger and confusion about the possibility of becoming a mistress. The moment highlights the clash between family pragmatism and Nelly's personal ambitions.

Catherine mistakenly receives Dickens's gemstone bracelet for Nelly and is told to deliver it. Catherine warns Nelly about the pain of being involved with Dickens, while Nelly remains unsettled by the cruel implications of the arrangement. The episode sharpens the sense of risk surrounding their relationship.

Dickens and Collins arrive late to Nelly's birthday party and persuade her to visit Collins's house with his mistress, Caroline Graves. After demanding to leave, she confronts Dickens about insulting her honour and his suggestion that she become his whore. Dickens, claiming he no longer loves Catherine, asks to enter Nelly's home and kisses her.

Nelly visits Dickens, who reveals that he has completed Great Expectations. She approves of its ending, which leaves Estella and Pip apart, and they become lovers. The relationship deepens as they navigate secrets and public perception.

Nelly becomes pregnant, and the couple anxiously faces gossip and scrutiny. Their child is stillborn, and Dickens signs the death certificate with the false name 'M. Charles Tringham'. The tragedy casts a long shadow over their affair.

Returning from a trip to France in the spring of 1865, Dickens and Nelly ride a Folkestone-to-London train that derails near Staplehurst, Kent. Dickens stays with the wounded and hides their affair from public view to avoid scandal. Nelly watches him recover a page from a work in progress as he assists others.

Dickens installs Nelly at a country house and promises to visit twice weekly, keeping her as his secret mistress until his death in 1870. Their arrangement endures amid social scrutiny and personal complexities. Nelly remains a discreet presence in Dickens's life for years.

In 1876, Nelly marries Oxford graduate George Wharton-Robinson, who is twelve years her junior and unaware of the past affair. They have a son, and only Reverend Benham knows about the relationship and Nelly's real age. The marriage closes a chapter she kept hidden for years.

In 1883, while watching her son perform in a school play, Nelly recalls the lines she spoke in The Frozen Deep. The memory ties her past to the present and marks a quiet reckoning with her history.