The Convenient Marriage
The title of this book is descriptive – the novel does concern, in fact, a marriage of convenience. However, the back of the book is quite misleading. “When the eligible Earl of Rule offers for the hand of the Beauty of the Winwood Family, he has no notion of the distress he causes his intended. For Miss Lizzie Winwood is promised to the excellent, but impoverished, Mr Edward Heron. Disaster can only be averted by the delightful impetuosity of her youngest sister, Horatia, who conceives her own distinctly original plans…”. Based on this, one assumes that Horatia schemes through the entire book only to finally have the Earl of Rule fall into her trap at the end. No – that is not so! Instead, Horatia proposes to the Earl of Rule in the Second Chapter, and they are married by Chapter Five! The rest of the book focuses on Horatia’s wild life of fashion and gambling in London. Lizzie Winwood and Mr. Heron are barely mentioned at all – Lizzie makes no return appearance and Mr. Heron comes back at the very end. Horatia’s proposal is the catalyst for the book, not the climax at the end of it.
Even after I got past the misleading description, I still did not like this book as much as I usually like Heyer’s work. Horatia seemed quite an interesting character in the first few chapters, but soon her wit and charm evaporate and she seems mindless and silly – fluttering around to the various balls, card parties, and other social events of her time. She is a terrible gambler and loses vast sums at the tables without drawing the ire of Lord Rule. I cannot see what Lord Rule sees in her to fall in love with her so. Further, she has a stammer. Now, I understand, people have stammers. They can’t help it and I am patient. An author can help from giving a character a stammer. It makes Horatia’s dialogue terrible to read. I also highly disliked the character of Horatia’s brother (Pelham) . He is a young buck, vaguely foppish, who also gambles away vast sums, thereby necessitating the marriage of a (poor but noble) Winwood sister to the (rich yet rakish) Rule. And the sisters seem to excuse it! Oh, it’s not the poor brother’s fault, it’s in his blood, it’s what all the young men do. He is not a very likeable character either. There is some confusion at the end about a lost brooch, and the highwayman scene is excruciating! I think it is supposed to be broad comedy, but I didn’t care for Pelham nor his friends and did not find it at all amusing to have to spend so much time with them embarked upon some absurd adventure.
Also, on a side note, this book is not actually set in the Regency time period, but prior to that time period. Judging from the references to dress and Marie Antoinette, the book would appear to be set in the period prior to the French Revolution, say about, 1776-1780? At any rate, it does not matter when it was set, as it is not one of my favourite Heyers and will not find a permanent home on my shelf.
Bath Tangle
Fortunately, this was more my usual Heyer – and true Regency as well! (Based upon references to Princess Charlotte’s engagement and marriage, one can conclude this book is set in 1815-1816.) It is primarily set in Bath, and seems to have vague overtones of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
However, the heroine of this book is vastly different from Austen’s gentle Anne Elliot. Lady Serena is an Earl’s daughter and a true aristocrat. Raised without reference to propriety, she is strong and independent. Her father dies and the entailed estate is passed to a cousin. Her father also leaves behind a widow – the sweet and timid Fanny – who is also several years younger than Serena! Fortunately, Serena has inherited a fortune from her mother. However, this fortune is tied up in a trust, to be released to her upon marriage. Unfortunately, the Trustee is the Marquis of Rotherham – Serena’s former fiance whom she jilted shortly before the wedding. Not only does the Marquis control her fortune, he must give his consent to Serena’s marriage. Serena and Fanny remove to Bath, where Serena meets an army man she once loved several years ago. They secretly renew their attachment and become engaged. Rotherham also becomes engaged – to a local gentleman’s daughter scarcely out of the schoolroom. Various romantic entanglements ensue, but suffice it to say that everyone who should be together is by the end of the book.
This is true Heyer Regency Romance – likeable characters, gentlemen and ladies, fortune, fashion, gossip, and love. Serena is passionate and fiery – the gentle and shy Fanny is an excellent foil for Serena’s more vibrant character. There are quite a few characters, and a lot of gossip to retain, but it is an enjoyable and frothy afternoon read.
Faro’s Daughter
This heroine of this book is a departure from the usual well-bred Heyer heroine. That is not to say that the lovely and charming Miss Deborah Grantham (Deb) is ill-bred – however, her aunt keeps a gaming house and Deb is a dealer in her aunt’s fine establishment. Needless to say, this has caused her to gain the reputation of a woman of low virtue. Unfortunately, this does not stop the highly eligible bachelor Adrian, Lord Mablethorpe, from falling deeply in love with her. A marriage cannot take place immediately because, sadly, Adrian is not yet of age. Further, although he is in love with Deb, Deb, while fond of the charming young man, is not in love with him. However, she does accepts his proposal after Adrian’s uncle and trustee, Mr. Max Ravenscar, tries to pay her a sum of money to not marry Adrian. Deb is highly insulted, refuses, and is determined to have her revenge against Ravenscar (although not to the extent of having to marry Adrian!). Add to the mix the sweet, beautiful, and helpless Phoebe Laxton (saved from a forced marriage to an old rake by Deb and Adrian), the insufferable Kit Grantham (Deb’s soldier brother) and Ravenscar’s vivacious and spirited sister Arabella, and you have the makings of a delightful Regency romance.
I highly enjoyed Deb as a character – she is charming and witty and has a independent, stubborn streak that I admire. However, I perhaps did not quite understand to the extent that she was insulted by Ravenscar at the beginning, and thought it to be in somewhat poor taste for her to use Adrian as a pawn in her scheme. Further, the romance between her and Ravenscar seemed to come out of nowhere in the end. Heyer must match up all of the characters at the end (and I do understand that a good marriage was the goal for every eligible young woman of the time), but I would not have minded seeing Deb stay alone, since I couldn’t get any sense of her having any positive feelings for Ravenscar by the end of the book. A good Heyer, but not nearly as delightful as Arabella or Frederica.
I highly enjoyed Deb as a character – she is charming and witty and has a independent, stubborn streak that I admire. However, I perhaps did not quite understand to the extent that she was insulted by Ravenscar at the beginning, and thought it to be in somewhat poor taste for her to use Adrian as a pawn in her scheme. Further, the romance between her and Ravenscar seemed to come out of nowhere in the end. Heyer must match up all of the characters at the end (and I do understand that a good marriage was the goal for every eligible young woman of the time), but I would not have minded seeing Deb stay alone, since I couldn’t get any sense of her having any positive feelings for Ravenscar by the end of the book. A good Heyer, but not nearly as delightful as Arabella or Frederica.
Cotillion
Another sweet and charming Heyer novel. The plot goes as follows. A young lady was adopted by an irascible and childless penny-pincher. The miser has amassed a fast fortune and will leave the entirety to the young lady, provided she marry one of the miser’s numerous nephews. If she does not, she will be penniless. The bride – sweet and somewhat silly Kitty Charing. The potential grooms – her “cousins”: the intellectually inferior Earl, Lord Dolphinton; the prudish and straight-laced minister, Hugh Rattray; the fashionable and dashing young gentleman Frederick (Freddy) Standen; and the rakish and raffish Jack Westruther. (The rough and rowdy soldier cousin does not enter into the plot at all, being inconveniently obliged to go fight wars on the continent.) Kitty quickly enters into a sham engagement with Freddy, the least objectionable, in order to get away from her sheltered country existence and go to London. There, she hopes to meet a suitor who is not one of the “cousins”.
Kitty has cousins of her own – French cousins – and meets one of them in London, the Chevalier. He quickly falls in love with Kitty’s new friend, Olivia Broughty, whose mother has pushed her into London society, determined that she make a connection (whether through marriage or otherwise) with a wealthy benefactor. Kitty must also deal with her hapless cousin Dolphinton, his manipulative mother, and Dolphinton’s lower-class true love. Kitty does find love at the end – although it may not be with whom you suspect!
Contrary to usual, I did not see the “twist” at the end and predict correctly who Kitty ended up with. I will, however, mention that the “subplot” featured on the back of the book which stated that Jack was Kitty’s biggest rival for her hand, rarely featured in the narrative. I understood that there was some childhood tenderness between Kitty and Jack, but there were hardly any scenes between the two that would justify any sort of romantic feelings between them or indicate that part of Kitty’s acceptance of Freddy’s proposal was to get back at Jack. However, generally, I liked the characters. That said, they were, kind of, well, dumb. Not that I expect every character I read about to be an intellectual genius, it’s just that I didn’t feel that I could identify with them sometimes. (And not that I’m an intellectual genius either!) Freddy seemed extremely preoccupied with dress and deportment – the usual Heyer characteristics of a foppish young man. By the end of the novel, he has developed into more of an action man, but still retains his fashionable ways. So there was some character development – I just didn’t necessarily identify with everything the characters did.
This is also perhaps the most risque of all the Heyer novels I’ve read to date. The characters talks quite openly about Olivia Broughty’s mother and her plans for her daughter. Olivia is to make a rich marriage or find a wealthy lover. The wealthy lover? None other than Kitty’s cousin Jack, who is notable for his short-lived conquests. Olivia seems to be about the same class as most of Jane Austen’s girls – a gentleman’s daughter, so it is interesting to have her potential fall from grace discussed so openly. Further, there are hints of something going on between Jack and Freddy’s married sister Meg. Only hints, however. And, finally, there is some discussion between Kitty and her “cousins” that she is the illegitimate daughter of the miserly uncle. (Which she is not.) Those risque developments aside, this was a pleasant read. Not, perhaps one of Heyer’s best, but still worthy of your time.
Kitty has cousins of her own – French cousins – and meets one of them in London, the Chevalier. He quickly falls in love with Kitty’s new friend, Olivia Broughty, whose mother has pushed her into London society, determined that she make a connection (whether through marriage or otherwise) with a wealthy benefactor. Kitty must also deal with her hapless cousin Dolphinton, his manipulative mother, and Dolphinton’s lower-class true love. Kitty does find love at the end – although it may not be with whom you suspect!
Contrary to usual, I did not see the “twist” at the end and predict correctly who Kitty ended up with. I will, however, mention that the “subplot” featured on the back of the book which stated that Jack was Kitty’s biggest rival for her hand, rarely featured in the narrative. I understood that there was some childhood tenderness between Kitty and Jack, but there were hardly any scenes between the two that would justify any sort of romantic feelings between them or indicate that part of Kitty’s acceptance of Freddy’s proposal was to get back at Jack. However, generally, I liked the characters. That said, they were, kind of, well, dumb. Not that I expect every character I read about to be an intellectual genius, it’s just that I didn’t feel that I could identify with them sometimes. (And not that I’m an intellectual genius either!) Freddy seemed extremely preoccupied with dress and deportment – the usual Heyer characteristics of a foppish young man. By the end of the novel, he has developed into more of an action man, but still retains his fashionable ways. So there was some character development – I just didn’t necessarily identify with everything the characters did.
This is also perhaps the most risque of all the Heyer novels I’ve read to date. The characters talks quite openly about Olivia Broughty’s mother and her plans for her daughter. Olivia is to make a rich marriage or find a wealthy lover. The wealthy lover? None other than Kitty’s cousin Jack, who is notable for his short-lived conquests. Olivia seems to be about the same class as most of Jane Austen’s girls – a gentleman’s daughter, so it is interesting to have her potential fall from grace discussed so openly. Further, there are hints of something going on between Jack and Freddy’s married sister Meg. Only hints, however. And, finally, there is some discussion between Kitty and her “cousins” that she is the illegitimate daughter of the miserly uncle. (Which she is not.) Those risque developments aside, this was a pleasant read. Not, perhaps one of Heyer’s best, but still worthy of your time.
Cousin Kate
This is a slightly different Heyer work – set in the very early Victorian era (or even perhaps during the reign of William IV [1830-1837]), it has a Gothic feel – somewhat like Jane Austen’s Gothic send-up Northanger Abbey.
The titular Cousin Kate is Kate Malvern, the daughter of a noble soldier and a lady of “inferior lineage” (as Heyer puts it). Having just been fired from her position as a governess, she returns to the London home of her old nurse, Sarah, while she ponders what to do next. Her idea of going out to work as a lady’s maid (an abigail) or dresser is firmly scotched by Sarah, who takes it upon herself to write Kate’s estranged Aunt Minerva, her father’s half-sister. Kate’s father was cut off from the family as a result of his marriage, and Kate was brought up in Spain following her soldier father. Much to Kate’s surprise, Minerva swoops down to London and brings Kate back with her to Staplewood – the estate of the Broome baronet, Sir Timothy. Timothy and Minerva have one son, the heir, Torquil. But there is something wrong with Torquil; Minerva describes him as being ill and sickly, but Kate soon suspects more – in fact that he is mentally unbalanced. Kate realizes that Minerva is suppressing Kate’s letters to Sarah. Kate also becomes more and more concerned about Torquil’s strange behaviour – he tries to strangle Kate, a rabbit is found killed, and Torquil steals a gun from the gunroom and ends up nearly shooting Kate while attempting to shoot a puppy. (Don’t worry, the puppy is okay and makes no further appearance in the novel.)
While at Staplewood, Kate meets Torquil’s cousin, Philip Broome, next in line to the estate should anything happen to Torquil. Despite Torquil’s assurances that Philip is trying to kill him, Kate and Philip fall in love and become engaged. Kate finally realizes that Torquil is insane, but thinks that Minerva and Timothy must not know. Her assurance in this fact is shattered when Minerva tells Kate why she brought her to Staplewood – to marry Torquil and produce an heir before Torquil goes completely mad, to ensure the unbroken continuation of the father-son line of the Broomes at Staplewood. However, Kate is saved from a horrible fate by the timely intervention of her nurse Sarah. The book wraps up neatly as Minerva is strangled to death by Torquil, who then drowns himself in the pond, leaving Philip the heir to Staplewood.
Despite all the potential for action in this book, nothing much really happens. Sure, there are some scary moments by moonlight, but Kate is never in any real danger in the book. Nor is the plot to have her marry Torquil anything more than a plot – it is only mentioned to Kate by Minerva, and then Sarah shows up before anything can happen. There is no forced marriage by midnight, no locking Kate in her room until she agrees to marry Torquil; while I don’t want my heroines to suffer very much, this book (especially if it’s going to be Gothic in style) could have used a little more drama.
Also, I kept wondering about the plot-lines that didn’t happen. I would have enjoyed reading about Kate’s adventures as a dresser or abigail. How about the pretty young abigail who quickly ascends through the ranks of the servants to become dresser for a great lady and then falls in love with the handsome brother while ignoring the advances of the rakish cousin? Sounds promising. I was also interested in the plot-line of Kate marrying Torquil. Sadly, Kate is too good and not mercenary enough to marry Torquil for his money, position, and estate, but a book set a few years down the line would be interesting: once the heir is provided, Kate may find her own fun where she may while Torquil is locked up permanently on the estate. That would also be interesting reading. The plot-line as followed is perhaps not quite as interesting as the potential plot-lines that were ignored. That said, it is a fine Heyer – a nice afternoon read, but perhaps not quite one of her best. Or maybe I am less enamoured of the “Gothic” style than I am of the pure Regency style. That said, I think I need a break from the Regency Romance – next up is my bookclub book: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.
Of the 5, I've only read Cotillion and Bath Tangle, but I prefer the former. I thought the Kitty/Freddy match was sweet. But my favourite Heyer remains the Grand Sophy. They really need to make that into a movie, I think. Just make the protagonists not so closely related... Speaking of which, you can pretty much always predict whom the heroine will end up loving -- just look for a cousin ;)
ReplyDeleteKitty and Freddy were fine - they both just seemed a little feather-brained for my taste. I prefered Serena's spirit and wit in Bath Tangle instead.
ReplyDeleteI actually got the Grand Sophy out of the library, but it had a hold on it and had to go back to the library before I could start. Maybe in my next batch!