The Golden Collar by Elizabeth Cadell

Henry Eliot isn’t sure how he became engaged to the beautiful and autocratic Marly Stonor, daughter of Sir Bertram Stonor, the CEO of the firm where he is an architect. His status as future son-in-law doesn’t spare him from being summoned like a schoolboy when Sir Bertram has an assignment. Sir Bertram has been thwarted in his attempts to purchase some coastal property in the Algarve region of Portugal for his daughter (and, eventually, Henry) and he decides to send Henry to represent his interests because Henry speaks Portuguese, having grown up in Brazil.

Marly goes along to add charm and to socialize – by which she means hobnobbing with people she considers worthwhile, not the overly friendly retiree sitting next to Henry on the flight to Lisbon.

But once they arrive, Henry learns that the owner of the property, Senhora Silva, has no intention of selling and is disgusted by British strangers who have tried to bully and/or coax her to agree to a price. He is intrigued by the Senhora’s niece, Teresa, who is half English but happy to live quietly in Portugal. Teresa explains why she would not sell the family land to Stonors:

. . . I know, or I think I know, what kind of house you and your fiancée – your wife – would build on it. You’d build what most other foreigners are building in the Algarve, a holiday house. You’d live in it for two, perhaps three months of the year. You’d pay your servants enormous wages. Then you’d go away and shut up the villa, and the servants would make their money stretch until you came back – if you came back.

The fact that he agrees with Teresa and is unwilling to bully the Silva family about their decision not to sell, plus senses it would not change their minds, causes friction between Henry and Marly, not to mention her father. Henry realizes he and Marly are far from soulmates but he is too much the gentleman to break up with her. He is not very tolerant of Marly’s love of parties, and it is implied that she is too flirtatious (or worse?) despite being engaged but I had to laugh when Henry tells Teresa that his favorite pastime is listening to records. I think I’d rather go to a few parties myself!

When I first read this as a teen, I was a little puzzled as to why all these Brits were buying holiday homes in Portugal, partly because (as an Anglophile) I couldn’t imagine a place more desirable than England! However, the Algarve became a desirable destination for British second homes or holidays in the 60s and 70s, and Cadell herself moved to Portugal in 1960. Property was relatively inexpensive, there were few purchase restrictions, cheap flights, and the region offered beaches, golf and offers more than 300 days of sunshine annually and mild winters. And spring must come early – my friend, also a writer, Heather Vogel Frederick, moved to Portugal several years ago and posted pictures this week that show spring is arriving!

new edition

The Golden Collar is full of Cadell’s trademark humor and eccentric characters. Sir Bertram and his daughter are arrogant people, who think money can buy anything. Their cousins in the Algarve, who practice international house flipping and eagerly try to take advantage of newcomers like Mr. Easter and Lady Pearling, want Marly and her money for their son. In contrast, the Portuguese are gravely courteous but operate at the speed of molasses. Henry adapts to the slower pace and everyone loves his Brazilian accent. Even Teresa finds him unexpectedly appealing, but obviously he has to be released from his engagement before he can switch horses, so to speak. It takes two unexpected British millionaires, Mr. Easter and Lady Pearling, to come up with a plan that is much better than either Sir Bertram’s or Senhora Silva’s.

It doesn’t seem as if Cadell thought highly of her countrymen who were spending their holidays in the Algarve, but she must have loved Portugal despite them because she lived there until her death in 1989. Presumably she found congenial friends and avoided people like the Stonors and their cousins.

Title: The Golden Collar
Author: Elizabeth Cadell
Publication: William Morrow, hardcover, 1969
Genre: fiction
Source: Library