The Disdainful Marquis, the and Abandoned Bride

I just finished The Abandoned Bride - although not this edition but, rather, a first edition from 1985. I have The Disdainful Marquis waiting in the TBR pile for later.Edith Layton is simply one of the best and she did not let me down. I recently moved house and kept a bag of books easily accessible and to hand for reading until my boxes of books have all been unpacked. I deliberately put in a few Laytons as special treats - and boy, I was not disappointed with this one!Like Balogh, Layton can be almost elegaic in her writing; often her novels are full of an almost philosophical element of introspection. With her heros, in particular, we become so intimate with their inner thoughts that we seem to know everything that makes them tick.I don't want to resummarise the plot here but would instead like to point to some of the themes that Layton so skilfully develops. We have an abandoned bride from a common background whose parents displayed wholly inappropriate judgement, allowing their daughter to very nearly ruin her life. We have a hero who was badly burnt by an unscrupulous woman who still, thanks to a strong father figure in his life, and a loving family of mother and sisters, loves women and their company. We have a young man who is homosexual and whose dilemmas in life are very accurately portrayed. We have scrupulous evocation of period, landscape, food, politics and conversation that is fantastic between two people who at first loathe and then, finally, adore each other. We have misjudgements and restitution. We have a traitor and we have a host of fantastically interesting peripheral characters, servants, etc.What we have here, in short, is a story that is carefully crafted and brilliantly realised. Layton truly works magic here. (I forgive her, again (!), stupid mistakes in correct use of titles - she is one of only a very few authors where I can overlook this because it truly, for once, matters not.)Don't miss this one if you like intelligent, beautifully written, character-driven, introspective novels of people who truly, through love, grow and change - all for the better.

Both "The Disdainful Marquis" & "The Abandoned Bride" were published sometime in the 1980s, and both novels are examples as to why Edith Layton is considered by many to be a really good novelist. Riveting, absorbing and totally engaging, both these novels easily stand the test of time, and are as engrossing now as they were when they were first published. They also reminded me of the reason why I became so addicted to Regency romances in the first place: because the heroines that were usually featured in this genre were all mainly strong and resilient. The heroes were not always likable, but the heroines, whether they were beautiful beyond all description, or plain and ordinary, were all usually intelligent, responsible and courageous. In "The Disdainful Marquis," our young and determined to make-her-own-way-in-the-world heroine, Catherine Robins, is hired by the Dowager Duchess of Crewe, to be her companion. Outwardly, it seems as if Catherine has landed onto a cushy job; for the Duchess doesn't seem to require for Catherine to do anything except wear pretty but daring clothes, look decorative and 'be nice' to her gentleman friends. What Catherine doesn't know is that the Duchess has made herself the byword of society, and is known for hiring beautiful courtesans to act as her companions. It takes a while for Catherine to work out what's going on but by that time everyone assumes that she is a courtesan as well. The Marquess of Bessacarr in particular. And he spend an awful lot of time being cruel and mean to Catherine. And while Catherine loathes and distrusts Bessacarr, she finds, to her distress that she is not as immune to his 'charms' as she would like to be. What is Catherine to do? Give in to Bessacarr's vile advances or remain strong and inviolate no matter how tempted she is by his love making?In "The Abandoned Bride," Julia Hawkins is kidnapped by her erstwhile husband's uncle, Nicholas Daventry. A few years ago, Julia had eloped with the dashing Robin Marlowe. But for some reason, Robin abandoned her on their wedding night, leaving Julia ruined in the eyes of her little country village. Since then, Julia has been trying to put the whole episode behind her and to live her notoriety down. What Julia doesn't know is that Robin has been spinning a yarn about her cruelty and rejection to Nicholas, using her as the reason why he lives on the Continent, and why he refuses to assume his responsibilities. Nicholas is determined to reunite Julia with Robin in spite of his poor opinion of Julia. Julia, however, is unwilling, and so he kidnaps her. What follows is a tale of how two people who initially despise each other begin to realise that they are ideally suited to each other. However there is the complication of Julia's previous marriage. What will happen when Julia and Robin are finally reunited? And why did Robin leave Julia anyway? (It's easy to guess why and one wonders why Edith Layton made such a heavy going of it, but then it was th