Review: a strong likeable heroine dealt a tough hand.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 17, 2012
The book starts with Elizabeth's love, Giles, dying after a very short marriage.Just before Giles dies, he pressures his friend Jack to promise to marry Elizabethand vice versa.  Jack is big on honor and he pressures Elizabeth to complete themarriage, though she has real qualms: it is clear he does not love her.  Big on honor,Jack is quite dishonorable.  Leaving Elizabeth without consumating the marriage (andwith barely a word spoken), Jack is immediately in bed with a married woman: hemocks Elizabeth to his slutty bedmate.Next Jack heads off to Canada.  Elizabeth does not expect muchand is happy to have the security of managing Jack's estate.  She doesn't expect him tobe chaste, though she is. Jack has cared enough to secure her future in his will,but she knows he does not love her.What she does not expect is that he will flaunt his his liaisons,not even mentioning to friends that he is married.  She expected his discretion.Stories get back to England and Elizabeth now lives with the shame as she ispitied by her neighbors (fairly openly, and not in a nice way).Jack returns and gradually realized how awful he has been and that heis attracted to Elizabeth. Eventually Jack and Elizabeth fall in love,she forgives him, but insists he tell her who he slept with so she isnot embarassed again (mild word for what she went through). Jack tellsalmost all the truth, but is too embarassed to tell of the adulterousaffair he had right after the marriage.Well as you might guess this comes out.  The husband, who was cuckolded,shows his dead wife's diary to Elizabeth--with the date right after themarriage and all the nasty descriptions of Elizabeth by Jack. Hard wordsfollow between Jack and Elizabeth before a military battle,Jack is wounded, ...  Of course, everything works out.The story is well told and the characters come alive.  I have a weaknessfor stories, where the heroine has been dealt a crushing hand, but shegrows stronger and more clear-minded as a consequence; and where the herogrows to deserve the heroine.This is a book I will reread.