Customer Reviews

Breach of Promise

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Susan Fairford's husband kissed his bride and then absconded with her fortune, leaving her only a manor home she can't afford to maintain and a meager honey business.

On the morning of his wedding, Philip, Marquis of Chalmondeley,found his fiancée in bed with his brother, and blindly took off on his horse, ending up in the village of Chipping Campden, where he discovers that "Mrs. Stott" has a home to lease. "Mrs. Stott" seems to prefer to be called "Miss Fairford," a situation which puzzles and intrigues him. He makes arrangements to lease the house for a short time, giving his name as Philip Stone, as he has no desire to be found by either his brother or his former fiancée.

An immediate attraction springs up between the bachelor and the beekeeper, but their past sufferings make it difficult to trust each other. When Susan discovers that Philip is being sued for breach of promise by his former fiancée and that she is with child, she convinces him that he must do the honorable thing and marry her after all. However, she does not know that the child is his brother's!

What bothers me most about this story is the timing. A disillusioned Philip runs away on his wedding day, and a week later he's in love with his mysterious landlady! (Susan, at least, has had sufficient time to recover from her travesty of a marriage.) In view of this, it really stretches one's credulity when Philip agrees that he must marry the former fiancée to give his brother's child a name. The traitorous brother is a cardboard character,the only motivation given for his behavior being resentment for being the second son.

Frankly, the constant references to bees, honey, the word "sweet," beetles, glowworms, queens, honey house, honey jars, beehives, stinging...become annoying after awhile. At first it's kind of cute, but too much of a good thing can make one's stomach curdle.

If you like Regencies as much as I do, this one is probably worth reading, but don't expect it to be easy going.

A standard Regency romance comprises 70-75,000 words. Of those words, probably 60-65,000 of them are the ordinary, mortar-like glue that holds the story together. A, an, and, the, it, he, she, they, them, his, her, town, country, and so on. Everyone uses them. It's the *other* words and how the author uses them that either makes magic or boredom. Poetry or hogwash. If only there could be a magic formula to imbue all authors with the ability to make magic or poetry, instead of the much-more-often found boredom or hogwash. (It is this latter ingredient that is most responsible for those books referred to as 'wall-bangers'. I've certainly encountered my share of these, just as you have.)

An author who always spins a tale of magic and poetry, of such life and tenderness and longing is Elisabeth Fairchild. She wields her wand of magic once more in this book, breath-taking in the beauty of its words, as the tale is told of two victims of a separate Breach of Promise; one the day after the marriage, one the day of the marriage.

Susan Fairford of Chipping Camden, orphaned young, and husbandless now, must remain in a small rented house in her hometown, although not in her childhood home, which she still owns, as it is beyond her capabilities--financial and otherwise. She now raises bees, and the reader is privileged to learn about this activity, never too much or too little, but just enough to provide a glimpse into the life and times of the buzzy little sweet-making creatures.

Philip Stone (or is he really someone else?) enters the village and being told that the manor house is to let, engages it for a fortnight or two. But soon, because of the ever-present fascination with gossip (such fascination apparently unchanged through the centuries) it appears that he is not what or who he says he is.

These two wounded souls must reach out to each other and the world around them. How fortunate they are to do this in a world made beautiful for them by the magical and poetical words of their creator. How very fortunate WE are to be able to read about them. Life is good, indeed. As long as there are books by Elisabeth Fairchild in it.

This book wasn't too bad, although I think Ms. Fairchild has several much better works. I also lamented the misuse of Philip's titles. I found these constant mistakes both irritating and distracting. I would like to say that it was also very irritating to hear him called the Earl of Rockford, MARQUIS of Chalmondelay on one page, then the MARQUESS of Chalmondelay, Earl of Rockford on the next page. They aren't at all the same thing!!! Then he was Philip Chalmondelay (as his family name), when it should have been his title! Argh.

All in all, it wasn't a bad book, just occasionally a bit sickening sweet. The characters were likable, and it ended decently.

Susan Fairford was left heartbroken, shamed, and deprived of her fortune by the deceitful but charming Mr. Stott the morning after their wedding. He left her nothing but her virtue and her home, Fairford Manor. No longer able to afford the costs of living at the manor, she now lives precariously in a small cottage in the village of Chipping Campden, renting the manor when possible, and selling honey to maintain herself.

On the morning of his wedding day, Philip, Marquis of Chalmondeley, walks in as his fiancée and his younger brother are coupling. The cuckolded groom calls off the wedding and rides he knows not where. Exhaustion halts him at the Cotswold village of Chipping Campden. He rents Fairford Manor in order to rest and come to terms with what has happened to him.

Love gently blossoms between Susan and Philip, but is hindered by understandable mistrust each has developed from brutal experience, and the greed and malice of his former fiancée and her lover.

Breach of Promise is quiet, thoughtful and understated, which lends depth, and more credibility to the relationship of Philip and Susan than the facts of the story might indicate. Fairchild excels at building and sustaining romantic and emotional tension. In this novel, she explores the nature of honor versus dishonor, and charm versus genuineness. Underlying all is the peaceful, hypnotic rhythm of honeybees and beekeeping.

This fine story does have problems and dangling threads. How could Chalmondeley have fallen in love within days of a devastating betrayal (stranger things have happened, but this is usually called rebound). The vast social gulf between Susan and Philip is never even alluded to. Why did Chalmondeley bail Stott out of debtor's prison? Lavinia's and Brett's final actions seemed out-of-character.

The hero, whose style is not written correctly, flees on his wedding day after discovering the betrayal of his betrothed. He winds up in Chipping Camden, where he rents a manor house from Miss Susan Fairford and wishes to remain incognito by lying to her and everyone. Susan is distrustful of her tenant and suspicious of strange men ever since her husband absconded on her wedding day stealing her fortune. Philip and Susan are physically attracted to one another, he lusts after her, they get to know each other better but she still doesn't trust him. Then Susan's ability to trust Philip is called into question when his past catches up to him. Susan is forced to confront her feelings for Philip and how much she's willing to trust her feelings and how far she's willing to go for them.

This book is a bit too long and not much happens in the plot until halfway through and then it gets bogged down and some issues are left kind of unresolved. The whole plot is unbelievable. There is no good reason for Susan to believe that Philip was a villain after he had already pretty much told her he had had his heart broken. There was also no way that the action/ "secret" that precipitates Philip leaving Chipping Camden for London could have happened in that short amount of time. The story just doesn't ring true for me and I also disliked all the sensuality and lusting after each other. Sexual tension is OK as long as it's done right and this was not. I really did not like this book and give it two stars, which is all it deserves.

Elisabeth Fairchild does not shy away from making her readers think carefully about difficult issues. In this book about honour, loyalty, honesty and loneliness the central issue is the destructive and demoralising results of malicious gossip. As others have said here, the H/H are both victims of a breach of promise but their recovery from the situation is hindered by local gossip. In this book, the action takes place in a village and it made a refreshing change from gossip at Almacks or Carlton House, etc.

It was, for me, nice to read a story set in Chipping Campden as I live nearby and know it very well. The descriptions were quite evocative and obviously the author has visited and walked around the village!

Only one problem with this book which crops up in so many Regency novels. Why oh why don't authors (or, particularly, their editors) purchase a paperback guide to titles and forms of address? In this case, the Marquess of Chalmondeley and Earl of Rockforth is constantly referred to as the Earl. In the case of two titles such as this, he is a Marquess and the Earldom is what is known as a "courtesy title" and is held by the eldest son. If there are three titles in a family (often the case with a Dukedom) then the third (and lowest) title would devolve on to the eldest son's eldest son. Confusing perhaps but the mistakes made in this book really are annoying on my side of the "pond" or, indeed, to anyone who does know the correct form. Also, the second son (and all other sons) of a Marquess, eg the villain of this piece, does have a title and they are known as "Lord First Name/Family Name, or in this case Lord Brett Chalmondeley. Sorry to be pedantic - wmr-uk who also reviews Regencies finds this annoying too!

All in all, a lyrical and emotional story - well done!