Ellie is determined to be reunited with her maternal grandmother since she is the only true family she has left.
Another condition to living with the Everton’s, was to cease all contact with her other family members. They pose a danger to damaging Charles’ and the Everton’s reputation. Even at that, Ellie’s grandmother is too old to properly take care of her.
In order to see her grandmother again, Ellie is saving the money she earns from selling her artwork. She wants to be free from the stuffy formal and “proper” world of elites. Ellie takes great care to make sure her father and Fred do not find out.
At the weekend, Ellie sneaks out of the estate (not that anyone is watching) and brings her artwork to a small gallery in the nearby town, her hometown.
Spencer, the owner of the gallery was a close friend of Clara’s and has been like an uncle to Ellie. Spencer allows her to sell her art in the gallery.
The gallery holds an “Up-and-coming” art exhibition at the end of every month. This gives young, passionate artists the opportunity to display and even sell their work.
Ellie almost always displays her pieces in the exhibit. She has started to notice that her paintings get the most attention compared to her other pieces. That is not surprising considering Ellie pours her heart and soul into her paintings. And those emotions are what grabs peoples attention.
However, since it is only an amateur exhibition, the artwork doesn’t sell for more than €200 a piece. Although she needs the money, Ellie is happier to see her work appreciated.
Spencer has known Ellie all her life and has noticed that she is keeping everything bottled up and her art is her only emotional outlet. Living in an unfamiliar household and surrounded by close-minded people has really taken its toll on Ellie. It doesn’t help that she is strong-willed like her mother.
Hoping to cheer her up a little, Spencer offers a proposal.
Spencer suggests selling Clara’s last remaining pieces. As her daughter, Ellie would be entitled to 55% of the profit.
At first Ellie is hesitant, but decides to let Spencer sell her mother’s final four paintings. She trusts Spencer to find good buyers, those that will appreciate her mother’s legacy.
Ellie doesn’t need paintings to remember her mother. She would rather Clara’s art be seen and appreciated rather than gather dust in a store room.
The most important thing now is re-uniting with her grandmother.
Spencer is amazed at Ellie’s resolve and tells her he is proud of her, and is sure Clara would be too.
Just as she is about to leave, Spencer hands Ellie the flyer for the next exhibition. It will be a special exhibit dedicated to the charismatic artist, Clara. Spencer tells Ellie he is going to display Clara’s pieces at next months exhibition.
Ellie gives Spencer a big hug and thanks him before heading back to the estate.
Dedicated Dreamer 