The Headstrong Ward

Lady Anne Tremayne is coming to Town...

Anne was not best pleased when her godmother's family dealt with their troublesome ward by shipping her off to school. After years of being ignored by the aristocratic young Debenham brothers, a bit of revenge may be in order. Especially that arrogant, overbearing, insufferable Charles needs a lesson, and Anne is determined to teach it to him.

And London may never be the same...

Charles, Laurence, and Edward Debenham are steeling themselves to do their duty and guide the rebellious young miss through her first London season. They are completely unprepared for the fact that the wild, gawky girl has grown into a dazzling beauty - and she's about to turn all of their lives upside down.

Title: The Headstrong Ward
Author: Jane Ashford
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1983
Page Count: 220

I really enjoyed this book, much more than I expected to. Ms. Ashford's old school novels have been a bit hit or miss for me, but it seems when I love them, I absolutely adore them, and when I hate them, I really hate them :P Luckily for me, this one falls firmly in the former category.

Lady Anne Tremayne has finally been released from the Millington Seminary for Girls, and she is determined to go back to the only home she's ever known, and let the boys she grew up with, who cared not a whit for her, absolutely have it. It seems her time away - during which none of them visited her - has only heightened her bitterness, especially when she contrasts her home life to that of her best friend, Arabella Castleton.

Of course, these not-quite brothers were not terribly older than her when she arrived on their doorstep, so they basically acted like any other mulish, bratty boys would - they teased her and mocked her and left her out of their playtime. Things only got worse when the viscount suddenly died, and the eldest brother, Charles, was thrust into his place at the tender age of sixteen. He was forced to grow up quickly, and take the world on his shoulders, and the only way he could deal with the overwhelming responsibilities was to become cold, distant, and detached. He treats his family - both his brothers and Anne, now legally his ward - as a duty to be labored over. He seems that they are cared for, at least materially, and feels it is not his place to guide (or meddle) in any of their affairs.

Anne wants nothing more than to spark a bit of emotion in him, which he infuriatingly doesn't allow upon their first meeting upon her return from school. She stopped along the way and picked up a colorful, foul-mouthed parrot specifically for the purpose of goading Charles, but he rises above such obvious bait.

The other brothers are much more willing to engage with Anne. Laurence, the middle brother, is a clergyman and his engaged to be married to the daughter of the local bishop. Edward, the youngest son, is a twenty-four-year-old rakehell and officer in the Horse Guards. Both brothers chose their professions, and are mystified when Anne asks if Charles has any involvement in their lives at all.

Charles leaves Anne in Laurence and Edward's hands to be squired about during her debut Season, and Anne takes an interest in them, as they are much nicer to her than the distant Charles. Anne meets Laurence's fiancee, Lydia Branwell, and is immediately unimpressed with her. Lydia is syrupy sweet but totally fake, and Anne feels that Laurence deserves someone who will actually love him, not just someone who wants to manage him.

Edward is far more a gad about town, and Anne teases him about finding him a wife, to which he strenuously objects. This becomes a running gag between them, and it brings a bit of levity to the plot.

When Anne notices that Laurence and her best friend Arabella are taking a shine to each other, she hatches a plot - and is only more determined than ever to break up Laurence and Lydia when Lydia makes it quite clear she sees Arabella as a rival, and is not afraid to stoop low to be rid of her. In fact, Lydia begins to spread malicious gossip about Arabella, and it's up to Anne - and Charles - to turn the tides and save their loved ones from heartache and grief.

Anne strongly reminded me of Anne Shirley - she even has red hair, haha! She is impetuous and earnest and has a big heart, just like Anne Shirley, and she draws other people into her world just as easily. Arabella and Diana Barry match up nicely as well, not only in appearance, but in their friendships with their respective Annes. It was a delight to read this story and think about Anne Shirley romping through regency England, having herself declared an Original and deftly maneuvering to see her friends and loved ones find happiness.

The Bella/Laurence/Lydia plot is the main plotline; Charles and Anne's romance is so opaque that it barely exists, even for a trad romance. Charles feels like a peripheral character, mostly because he is - he stays out of his brothers' lives, and everyone is astonished when he steps in to help. With good reason, mind - his brothers come to realize just how much he does care for them in his own way, even if they don't have a stereotypically warm, close-knit sibling relationship. By the end they are all great friends, but they certainly don't start out that way.

Charles is quite a Sesshoumaru character - he's even blonde and gray-eyed - but when he warms up to Anne, he does so in a big way. He definitely cares about his family, and it becomes clearer to him that he actually likes them after Anne asks him why he doesn't act like he does. He's fiercely protective of them, and spearheads the brilliant plan to break up Laurence and Lydia, and get back at her for spreading lies about Arabella.

I didn't buy his attraction to Anne, mostly because the story is told from her POV and she has not a clue that he cares for her in that way until he literally pulls her into his arms and kisses her. She doesn't spend much time ruminating on it, either, so their romance left me flat. But this book is worth the read for the main storyline.

As usual, this book has an assortment of interesting side characters - Laurence and Edward, along with Mariah, Anne's chaperone who'd much rather be gardening, and the aforementioned Augustus the parrot, who gleefully wreaks havoc on the Debenham household. There are definitely some laugh out loud moments, but none are distracting from their main thrust of the plot.

⭐⭐⭐⭐