A terrific read, the first book for ages that’s had me so spellbound that everything else got neglected so that I could carry on reading. One of those tales with such an arresting premise that you just have to know how it all works out.
Here’s the premise: Genevra (Jan) Hazeldine is toppling headfirst into perpetual spinsterhood at the age of twenty-eight. She’s had innumerable offers and rejected all of them, but there’s one she can’t forget – her first, to Max, the Marquis of Ollenshaw. He was a rake who seemingly couldn’t change his ways even when he was in love with Jan, so she jilted him but she just can’t forget him. Instead she buries herself in her music, being a talented violinist. When her young cousin tells her she’s betrothed and invites her to the wedding in Bath, Jan is delighted to accept, only to discover with horror that Belinda’s betrothed is none other than Max.
Now this is a wonderful situation, with faint echoes of Heyer’s Bath Tangle (but almost every modern Regency has echoes of Heyer – she invented all the tropes, after all). The difference here is that Max behaves far better than Rotherham did. At no point does he try to cry off from his engagement. He talks sensibly to Jan, agrees to keep their prior betrothal from Belinda, at least for a while, does his best to keep Jan, if not at arm’s length, then at least not to pay her too much public attention, and plays the complaisant suitor to Belinda. And Jan, too, behaves well.
Naturally, such a situation can’t last, and the author dreams up a spectacular way for them to betray their feelings. From there on, things become increasingly unstable and reach a resolution without any machinations from the main characters. Along the way, there are two minor romances to enjoy.
For the pedantic (like me) there are a fair few Americanisms that slipped in, but I was enjoying the story too much to care. There are some questionable plot issues, too. For instance, Max is said not to like music at all initially, yet he attends a musical evening where he is entranced by Jan’s violin playing. And then, after he jilts her, they don’t meet again for eight years – how on earth did he manage that, when they moved in the same very limited circles? Surely they must have bumped into each other at some point?
But none of that troubled my enjoyment of the book. Highly recommended. Five stars.
Leave a Reply