House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.
The truth shall be revealed...
After leaving Gerty's house, Lily goes to see her Aunt to tell her the truth about her debt. At first, Lily tries to lie about the origin of her debt by saying that it was caused by living expenses however "her aunt's implacable memory had never been more inconvenient" (Wharton, 139). Mrs. Peniston had remarked that living expenses for a girl of her age could never amount to the sum that Lily had proclaimed. Lily finally admits to gambling away her money. Mrs. Peniston is appalled to find that Lily has been playing cards for money. Mrs. Peniston essentially leaves Lily out to dry and assumes the debt owed to the dress maker.
After Mrs. Peniston abandoned her, Lily saw Selden's affection as the only refuge at this point. However, Selden never came to visit Lily, instead, it was Mr. Rosedale, who arrived to propose to Lily for her hand in marriage. Lily explained to Mr. Rosedale that she would contemplate his marriage proposal and she dismissed him, hoping that Selden would come to see her. Selden never came. As it turns out, Selden had left for Havana in the afternoon.
Lily's anguish over her debt and her Aunt's refusal to help her left Lily in a desperate situation which she saw Selden as the only refuge. However, Selden had seen Lily with Trenor the night earlier and was still upset so he never came to her, instead, Rosedale came to her to propose to her with the enticing offer of clearing all her expenses. However, Lily still had feelings for Selden despite her lack of desire to marry him. It seems that Lily faces another life decision in the face of treacherous situations. All of Lily's financial hiccups are now catching up to her, making her choose between happiness and wealth.
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