REVIEW: A Westminster Wedding by Kathleen Buckley
The Barding earldom may be doomed. A shocking suggestion may provide another potential heir.
Miles Halliwell, Barding’s man of business, owes everything to the earl. Does loyalty to his employer require him to deal with a known criminal and incite forgery? Unfortunately for Miles’s peace of mind, it may.
To protect her family’s reputation, Julia St. John, daughter of a baron, has given up her comfortable life to live in obscurity with an illegitimate child. She has no better future in sight, until Barding’s man of business offers a possible solution and a new life.
CW/TW – There is a very ill young child, there is a titled wife having trouble conceiving
Dear Ms. Buckley,
I’m now going back and trying to catch up on your past releases before your next one comes out. I read the blurb for this and it conjured a totally different book in my head then what I ended up reading. But that’s good! I enjoyed this one although I feel the need to point out to readers a couple of things. At first neither Julia nor Miles might come off well. They have reasons, very good reasons, to act and think the way they do so don’t despair readers and give ’em a chance.
The plot is actually much more complicated than it would at first appear in the blurb. I also don’t want to spoil some delicious things. But let me again point out the warning above. No child dies in this book but one is very sick and the odds are against him but he doesn’t actually appear in many scenes though he is mentioned quite a bit.
This is probably more of a historical fiction book with a romance than a true romance. There is a romance but it will take the whole book to unfold. Historical details are important here. The Stretton family are prominent in Society having not only an Earldom (Earl of Barding) but being wealthy as well. They do not allow mushrooms to encroach and as the dowager Countess tells someone, if need be, pretensions will be depressed. Their household is run like clockwork, their servants are utterly trustworthy, and as will be seen, they take care of their own and that includes their servants, their tenants, and distant relatives.
At first when she meets him, Julia is angry at the way Miles questions her although she acknowledges his need to do so. Miles is puzzled and suspicious of Julia but again, he would be given the circumstances. It will take a while for them to begin to see the other for who they are and feelings must be put aside for a while as there are wheels within wheels worth of plot threads being woven (I know that doesn’t really make sense but there it is).
Quiet and intelligent Julia has understandable reasons to do what she did and has expected something from her family in return. When she gets nothing, not even a ‘thank you,’ she begins to watch the Strettons and how they treat each other and those in their household. It’s said many times that they take care of their own and their view of ‘their own’ is flexible and expansive. Julia begins to see a possible new life for herself where she might find someone who wants her for herself.
Intelligent Miles also has a reason to do the bidding of the Strettons as they have treated him well and set him up in business for life. They ask a lot but they are generous about it however they’re not perfect. When they ask for something that astonishes him, he feels duty bound to point out the issues – and there are acknowledged issues – but will try his best to pull things off.
Delicate feelings are laid lightly over several deeper issues but they are there and dealt with all the same. A younger son, long estranged from his family, is called home. The reasons for his estrangement are understandable given the feeling among aristocrats at the time about two things. A middle son, the one who charmed his way out of any repercussions for actions of his or need to deal with any problem he caused has left the family with a whopper and parents must come to terms with how they brought him up. Miles and Julia have to think about how their families have treated them and about their own true worth.
The character who I ended up loving the best is the intimidating dowager. Lavinia sees everything, is smart as a whip, deeply cares though she’ll hide most of this except from people who know how to closely read her face, and along with her daughter-in-law (whom I also loved though Caroline has some flaws, too) runs the household and family shipshape and Bristol fashion. Seriously, do not mess with Lavinia.
As the story headed towards the end, several things occurred which might upend everything and undo all the efforts of several people. How was this all going to work out? I was on pins and needles feeling as if I was reading the equivalent of ten plates being kept spinning at one time. The resolution was both startling as well as satisfying. This is a book I will happily read again, though remember some warning issues are here, just to watch the plan come together again. B+
~Jayne
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Once again Jayne you have introduced me to a relatively obscure book that I would otherwise not have read. I really enjoyed this story and I kept thinking about ‘oh what a tangled web we weave’! So thanks for the heads up about a very good read.
@MEB: Glad you enjoyed it. Kathleen Buckley’s books have not let me down yet.