Vera

Research during this conversation points to "Vera" as the pen name of Kate Madeleine Bottomley (née Barry), a Canadian novelist and essayist born in 1865. A Google Books record identifies her as the author of Honor Edgeworth; or, Ottawa's Present Tense (1882) and The Doctor's Daughter (1885), and notes that both books portray aspects of life and character in Canada's capital.

Because reliable biographical material is scarce, not much more could be confirmed with confidence. What does stand out is that her surviving work appears tied to late-19th-century Canadian social fiction, offering readers a glimpse of Ottawa society through the voice of a young woman writer using a pseudonym.

No clearly verified portrait image of this author was found during this search, so none is included here.