Customer Reviews

The Lawyer's Secret (Hesperus Classics)

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Reason for Reading: I love Victorian literature.

Comments: Published as part of the Hesperus Classics series, which publishes obscure or little known titles by well-known classic authors, this book actually contains two titles: "The Lawyer's Secret", a novella, which was originally published as a serialization and a short story entitled "The Mystery at Fernwood".

In "The Lawyer's Secret" a woman receives a large inheritance from her uncle with the stipulation that she marry his adopted son. At first she refuses but is then convinced by her lawyer and guardian to accept the situation. Shortly after the marriage she realizes the man she has married is not the caring man she thought he was and her long marriage becomes an enduring torture.

In "The Mystery at Fernwood" a young woman becomes engaged to a lively young man, Laurence, and with her aunt goes down to his estate to meet the family. Here she finds a friendly yet morose group of people, especially her fiance's sister. Then she learns that the sister is very committed to looking after an invalid relation who lives in a wing of the house. This relation has always been locked up in that wing ever since Laurence was a young boy and yet he has never seen him, not even once.

Both of these stories revolve around a secret being kept beyond all manner of sense for the sake of honour, promises, or the perceived good of others because of a grave matter unacceptable to decent society. Neither of these stories is much of a mystery; it doesn't take long to figure out the lawyer's secret or to know exactly what is the mystery of Fernwood. But that is not really the point in the enjoyment of these stories to the modern reader. They are both wonderful examples of sensation fiction and Braddon was prolific in the field, writing over seventy books in her lifetime.

Both stories make delicious use of foreshadowing. Right from the start we're told how absolutely terrible the final outcome will be and all throughout this is repeated often, so if we dare get a thought in mind that things are working out nicely it is quickly squashed. "The Lawyer's Secret" is divided into chapters, I'm supposing where it would have left off each issue as it was serialized and every chapter ends with lines announcing the "utter wretchedness" of the situation, making one anxious to read on.

The topics dealt with, while certainly not sensational to the modern reader, are perfect examples of Victorian sins and secrets. My favourite of the two is "The Mystery at Fernwood" simply because I love the mysterious person locked in the west wing/attic/secret room plot and this story while predictable was wonderfully Gothic and kept the one especial mystery a secret until the tragic ending. Simply delightful to read!

Lovely young Ellinor Arden has just come of age. She will inherit her uncle's fortune, but only if she marries her uncle's ward, Henry Dalton. However, she would gladly give up the money to marry her true love, the handsome, scintillating lawyer who has been her guardian since childhood.

We sense that the lawyer, Horace Margrave, loves Ellinor. Yet he does everything in his power to urge her to marry the other man. What can be his motive? Such is the mystery that begins The Lawyer's Secret.

This well crafted little novella is followed by a short story called The Mystery at Fernwood, a small masterpiece of sensation fiction. The plot revolves around an invalid locked in a wing of a gloomy family mansion.

Hesperus Classics are beautifully produced volumes. This is a rather slight book for the price, nonetheless it does give a taste of Mrs. Braddon's best prose style in short fiction. And the forward is exceptional - lively and thought provoking.

Editor Matthew Sweet makes certain points that I have not found elsewhere in scholarly introductions; for example, that the Victorians were sensation seekers in many things besides the novels they read. And he reminds us that the subtle stylist Henry James greatly admired Mrs. Braddon for her interest in "the mysteries that are at our own doors..."

I'm pleased to have this little book in my growing collection of Mrs. Braddon's works. I'd recommend it as a nice extravagance after you've read a number of her novels.