RULES OF MARRIAGE

Rating:
Summary: Proceed with caution
Review: Seventeen year old Charlotte has long been infatuated with Kit, a handsome, dashing Marquis. When they meet for a few minutes, Kit finds her intriguing and decides to marry her. Delighted to oblige, Charlotte is married straight from the schoolroom.

It doesn't take an expert to see trouble coming, and come it does. Twelve years older than she is, Kit has bored of the glittering Regency social world that Charlotte has just entered.

He is wrapped up in social work for the poor, which is sorely needed but causes him to overlook trouble in his marriage. Charlotte, inexperienced in the adult world and angry at Kit's neglect, begins a flirtation with an admirer. A flirtation which, one weekend, becomes a brief but disastrous affair.

It's mostly from this point I had a problem with the story. Kit's response to her lapse is brutal (and hypocritical, since apparently he didn't hold marital fidelity so important before marriage). He spares Charlotte a divorce, but only if she lives permanently retired in the country, and, of course, causes no more "scandals."

Since this is romance novel, the rule is that all must end well. To this end, Kit's harsh behavior is eventually explained away. For me, though, it was like watching backstage while a magician performs her tricks. Bishop showed too much unpleasantness in Kit for it to be romantic to have him restored to the "hero."

Since Bishop is an excellent writer, the story does have its points. If it weren't for his abusive streak, Kit would be an acceptable hero. I wanted to like him. Charlotte is intelligent and spirited. While incarcerated by her husband, she grows in an interesting way as she, too, learns about the hardships of the poor.

Bishop's keen eye for human nature is here in the secondary characters, in particular some of Charlotte's "fair weather friends." The character of her mother didn't quite ring true, though.

From a historical standpoint, it is well researched. If you are interested in Regency history, especially the post-war depression that caused hardship for the poor, and the various social remedies that were suggested (many of which haven't changed), you will find this a painless education. You'll also find out why Georgette Heyer characters always ask for "the latest crim. con. stories."

To sum up: this novel has its good points, but don't expect an escape to a more elegant, romantic era. On the contrary, it made me thankful to be living in a time when husbands don't have so much power over wives.