When a gentleman, passing by in his carriage, thoughtfully stops to tell her the coach is delayed until the following day, night is approaching and she has nowhere to go.
With no better options and somewhat in awe of her austere benefactor, Camilla agrees to a marriage of convenience. On her wedding morning, Lord Leominster’s 17-year-old sister Chloe turns up, having been expelled from boarding school, and Camilla suggests she accompany them to Portugal. She likes Chloe and senses having a third party around will reduce the tension between the new husband and wife.
The book is set in 1807 during the Peninsular War. Portugal was an ally of Britain, making it a primary target for Napoleon. The country became a literal battleground where French and British forces jockeyed for control of the Portuguese court, so Lord Leominster’s diplomatic skills were much needed but don’t seem to have been very effective! The reappearance of Camilla’s long lost brother as a French spy adds more strain to her marriage. Of course, the more secrets she keeps from her husband, the warier he will be and he has major trust issues to begin with, so she despairs of actually winning his heart. When the French invade, Camilla and Chloe have to make a dangerous escape to England, making this book a satisfying mixture of romance, adventure, and political intrigue and, yes, all the relationships work out in the end.
This review is for the #1961Club, hosted by StuckinaBook and Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings, in which bloggers are invited to read and review books that were published in a chosen year. It is also my fifth book for the Intrepid Reader’s 2026 Historical Fiction Challenge. For those who did not know, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure” is a proverb warning against rushing into marriage. It derives from William Congreve's 1693 play, The Old Batchelour, specifically in the lines: “Thus grief still treads upon the heels of pleasure: Married in haste, we may repent at leisure.”
I bought a pristine hardcover copy of this book online years ago and was astonished/delighted to find it was autographed! Apart from the 15th and 16th century Portuguese explorers, most of what I know about Portugal is from Jane Aiken Hodge (not to be confused with her younger sister Joan!) or Elizabeth Cadell. However, several friends have moved there in the last few years and I would like to plan a trip.
Title: Marry in Haste
Author: Jane Aiken Hodge
Publication: Doubleday, hardcover, originally serialized in 1961
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Personal copy
“You will pardon me if I ask what your parents are thinking of to let you be wandering around the countryside like this.”He is Lord Leominster, known to some as the haughty earl, but is kind to Camilla. He knows where she was working and guesses accurately that the son of the house made unwelcome sexual advances, resulting in her abrupt departure. He insists she accompany him to his home, promising she will be chaperoned by a very proper housekeeper. Over dinner, he explains that he is about to take up a diplomatic post in Portugal and that his grandmother, who holds the family purse strings, insists he get married before he leaves. Camilla reveals that although she considers herself English, she and her father, the Comte de Forêt, escaped the French Revolution when she was just three. It is clear her father lives on his wits and while he hopes to regain his estates one day, he can provide no financial assistance to his daughter.
She gave a little laugh, half amusement, half bitterness. “I fear I owe you an apology for trespassing on your good nature under what you may think are false pretenses. I am not a young lady , sir, but a governess.”
His reaction to this tragic pronouncement was, surprisingly, a laugh.
The book is set in 1807 during the Peninsular War. Portugal was an ally of Britain, making it a primary target for Napoleon. The country became a literal battleground where French and British forces jockeyed for control of the Portuguese court, so Lord Leominster’s diplomatic skills were much needed but don’t seem to have been very effective! The reappearance of Camilla’s long lost brother as a French spy adds more strain to her marriage. Of course, the more secrets she keeps from her husband, the warier he will be and he has major trust issues to begin with, so she despairs of actually winning his heart. When the French invade, Camilla and Chloe have to make a dangerous escape to England, making this book a satisfying mixture of romance, adventure, and political intrigue and, yes, all the relationships work out in the end.
I bought a pristine hardcover copy of this book online years ago and was astonished/delighted to find it was autographed! Apart from the 15th and 16th century Portuguese explorers, most of what I know about Portugal is from Jane Aiken Hodge (not to be confused with her younger sister Joan!) or Elizabeth Cadell. However, several friends have moved there in the last few years and I would like to plan a trip.
Author: Jane Aiken Hodge
Publication: Doubleday, hardcover, originally serialized in 1961
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Personal copy
2 comments:
This sounds like a fun book. It reminds me in some ways of a favorite Heyer novel, The Reluctant Widow, certainly another for your Governesses in Peril set. I suppose we can add the Mary Stewart novel Nine Coaches Waiting.
I've been enjoying your posts about your 1961 books reading. Some I've read and some not. I know I've read this one, but think it was before I started keeping my 'reading list'. That goes back to 1993 for me. The only Hodge book I have noted is Strangers in Company. Jane Aiken Hodge was a favorite author of mine way back, along with others like Mary Stewart. Looking forward to seeing what else you'll read for this club.
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