REVIEW: The Country Cousins (Woodham Book 2) by Dinah Dean
She dislikes handsome and arrogant Mr Hartwell, but is he an enemy?
Miss Caroline Barnes is shocked to discover she has a secret family she’s never met! Aristocratic Mr Hartwell tells her of her cousin’s lonely plight, and Caroline reluctantly agrees to visit Julia at the gothic sounding Canons Grange.Her stay in the English countryside is more intriguing than she expected, with smugglers, secrets, and the dashing but mysterious Mr Bell, as well as delightful walks and a faithful if naughty dog! It would be perfect if not for the vexing Robert Hartwell, with his cryptic knowledge of details about the war and furtive nighttime activity.
Could the man who, for all his sarcastic ways, she’s coming to admire and even love be a traitor working for the enemy? Who should Caroline trust?
Review
From the title, it should be obvious that “The Country Cousins” is a follow up to “The Country Gentleman” but if you haven’t read that one, don’t worry as this one can stand on its own very well. There are some references, characters, and the happiness of the HEA couple from that book which are delightful to see but you don’t need them to enjoy this one. And since I’ve already read them (though again don’t worry as these books are being re-released soon) I was psyched to read the call outs for “The Briar Rose” and to revisit the scene of “The Maid of Honour.”
In this book, Dean tackles Cits and Trade vs gentry/aristocrats, Game Laws, Spies, Noblesse Oblige, and a sullen sister.
Miss Barnes is astonished at her mother’s reaction to the unknown man standing in their Stepney (district in East London) parlour. She herself has never heard of “Mr. Hartwell” but her mother is practically spitting nails – coolly, yes but still spitting nails. There is, of course, a reason which is quickly spelled out. Mrs. Barnes’s elder sister made a match slightly above their station as the daughters of a country gentleman while Mrs. Barnes married Trade. Elder sister railed against and snubbed her younger sister’s choice but Mr. Hartwell has come to beg the aid of his not-quite relations. Mr. Hartwell is the son of his father’s first marriage while the reason for his appearance in the Barnes’s house is his younger sister – the daughter of his father’s second marriage to Mrs. Barnes’s sister.
The Baron and his wife plus their youngest daughter had taken advantage of the (brief) Peace of Amiens in 1802 (also the cause of the events in “That Sweet Enemy”) to travel to France before being caught in the sudden collapse of that peace and have now been interred in France for years. Mr. Hartwell’s other sister has been without the presence of her mother and steadying influence of her father for years and her behavior shows the lack. A desperate Robert Hartwell has come to implore that Miss Barnes come and stay with them for a month in the country. Perhaps a female relation of Julia’s own age will help.
Intelligent Caroline Barnes astonishes herself by agreeing to a one week trial – once Robert shows up with the servant who will act as her maid. Mrs. Barnes knows how to observe the proprieties. After her father’s cloth warehouse has been thrown open to outfit her (plus a nice purse of money for her needs is handed over) Caroline, Robert Hartwell, and her new maid arrive at Canons Grange. Julia Hartwell is … a piece of work. She’s seventeen and full of romantic twaddle that has already led her to one impetuous action which Robert managed to avert. Now she’s full of frustration, anger, and ready to bait her brother about anything. Petulant and sullen barely begin to cover it.
Caroline hardly knows who to believe as she hears conflicting accounts from Julia of how horrible brother Robert has been to thwart her One True Love while Robert matter-of-factly tells Caroline that he put a spanner in his sister’s attempts to elope with a scoundrel. Caroline does know that Julia is more than slightly spoiled (something with which Caroline’s mother concurs during her brief visit to check that All is Well with her daughter), bored, and in need of a better role model than she’s had.
Soon Caroline is attempting to cajole Julia into all those Regency Things with which young unmarried women of position and or wealth occupy their days – long walks, needlepoint, sketching, and watercolors. Julia’s fine when her brother isn’t around but the sparks fly when he is there. But where does he go so often and why does he meet with smuggl — no, don’t complete that word, Caroline is warned nor show too much interest in what the nighthawks get up to. Then there is the stranger Caroline meets on her solitary walks who, during a dinner at the Rector’s vicarage, the gossipy Miss Enstone announces is a gentleman recuperating from some illness. Caroline can’t quite make up her mind. Does she like Mr. Hartwell who shows interest in her mind or does she dislike the man she thinks is being arrogant when he says droll things with a straight face?
Sigh, I only have one more unread Dinah Dean book to look forward to *but* it’s a book I never thought I’d be able to read so – yay. “The Country Cousins” continues the efforts of the Hartwell men to woo the women who immediately catch their attention and of whom those men often despair of winning. They’re just so well mannered and willing to abide by the dictates of said women when readers want to yell, “Just kiss her!” But no, Hartwell men wouldn’t do that so despite this being the age of Gothic novels Robert is patient about Caroline. His sister, on the other hand, he verbally stings back at when she snipes at him and sulks. I will admit that I didn’t care for Julia much either. Yes, she’s seventeen and Used to Getting Her Way but ye Gods, I wanted to jerk a knot into her more than once.
Caroline is more worthy of our attention and certainly impresses Robert once he’s gotten over the shock of a woman who reads news sheets and can converse about important events of the day. Her father discusses news with his family. She might be the daughter of Trade but Caroline pays attention, listens, and uses her brain. When Julia makes some slightly disparaging comment, Caroline smartly tells her that her father is a Freeman of the City and equal to any man in England.
Dinah Dean works the effects of the Game Laws into the story again when Caroline has the presence of mind and gumption to help save a young lad she discovers struggling in the stream of one of the big houses. Two characters who were also in “Gentleman” – a warrener and the local blacksmith – astound Caroline by speaking to Mr. Hartwell as equals but then she remembers that those men are trained tradesmen. I enjoyed the Harvest Supper held in the great barn that used to hold the tithes of the community before the dissolution of the monasteries. Robert Hartwell makes sure to thank everyone for helping with the decorations, bringing food, and dances with all.
Robert might know how to mingle easily with the tenants and workers but Caroline takes a while to catch on to the fact that he might hide his unsurety about her feelings for him with a manner of speaking that confuses her. I like that Caroline takes her time in making up her mind about Robert and is willing to listen to what people say but this aspect of the plot does take its time playing out. But then a deus ex machina arrived and I squealed out loud with delight. It’s so perfect and fits in so neatly with other Dean books and yes, it’s mentioned in more than one of them. Then said deus ex machina tells Caroline about how he got his coloration and I sat up thinking, “I want to read that book and I want it now!” Alas, sadly as Dean died fourteen years ago, that will never happen. /sob/
I’ve prattled on about cats in many of her books (and Fred, that paean of judging character, makes a few appearances here) but the hero of this one is a dog named Horatio who had never met a boot he didn’t want to add toothmarks to. Horatio helps Save the Day and also helps Robert Seal the Deal as it will now be up to Caroline to help train him. I hope they will be as happy as Robert’s many forebears have been. I’m delighted that this book is now being reissued because wow, it’s needed a better cover than it’s had for 35 years and it’s finally got one. B
~Jayne
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Ooh. I got book-distracted by your review of Sally-Ann then completing a Regency series and forgot to look for this title. The Country Gentleman, in addition to good plot and characters, had a certain sly humor – (I’ve just unsuccessfully tired to find a more precise word, it isn’t mean humor) – that tickled me. The humor reminded me of Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury books, except Grimes’ humor was stealthy. I was forever halfway through the next sentence before it smacked into my brain. Ah, books.
@LML: Understated humor? You’ll enjoy Robert Hartwell then.
What Regency series did you finish?
Loretta Chase’s Scoundrels. I have one more to read. I enjoyed all but Lord of Scoundrels. That was …unexpected. Although if I recall (I read it in 2015), The Lions Daughter was also unusual for the genre.
@LML: It’s been years since I read some of the books in this series. It would probably take a year or so for me to hunt down the paperback copies I know I still have. ☺