Morton Hall, the Gordons of Bramley’s dignified, “lovely,” and ample estate near the English town of Upton-on-Severn, is Lady Anna Gordon’s new home following her marriage to Sir Philip (5). Ten years into their happy marriage, Anna finds out she is pregnant, and Sir Philip is filled with joy. He assumes the child will be a boy and refers to the unborn child as Stephen, after the first Christian martyr, in the months prior to birth. However, on Christmas Eve, Anna gives birth to a very angry girl instead.

Anna and Sir Philip both pretend to be happy despite the child’s gender. Sir Philip insists on calling her Stephen, even though the Vicar thinks the choice of name “rather unusual.” Stephen proves to be a “strong” and “well-behaved” girl who loves to tussle and roughhouse with her father when he gets home from work.

At seven, Stephen is still an only child. She often feels “a dim sense of frustration” that causes her to have tantrums (8). Her mother questions her about the root cause of these tantrums, but she does so in a “cold” manner, leaving Stephen feeling “shy” around her mother. Anna also does not feel close to Stephen.