Bonus Post: The Widower's Folly (The Magic Locket #2)

The Abashed Authoress

William, Lord Rivendale, is at his wit's end. His young daughter has steadfastly refused to speak since she witnessed her mother's unfortunate death. But she loves to read - especially a series of books written by an anonymous "lady of quality." Desperate for a way to reach his mute child, William seeks out the author - only to discover that she is just as enthralling and delightful as her stories.

A shy, sweet-natured young lady, Theresa Barlow prefers the make-believe worlds she creates in her books to the tumultuous trials of real life. After surviving a disastrous Season, she has vowed never to marry - the last thing she needs is a man in her life. She sees William as a clever, charming companion - but most definitely not as a suitor. That is, until scandal surrounds her - and he resolves to stand by her...

Original Publisher: Signet
Original Year of Publication: 2001
Page Count: 216

This story certainly hit the spot for me - a wonderful escape into a gentle story about two people who, for their own reasons, don't trust their ability to love, at least not romantically. I found this story to be utterly charming and exactly what I was looking for.

The first thing to mention is that this is the second book of a trilogy called The Magic Locket, which I didn't discover until I registered this book on Goodreads. The conceit shows itself in the very first chapter. There is a locket that has been handed down to the girls in the Barlow family that is accompanied by a legend: "The legend says that when the locket is yours and you hold it, as yours, for the first time and wish, when you open it you will see the face of the man you are to marry." Theresa is skeptical, but curious. She holds the locket and makes a rather wistful wish, and when she opens it, she sees the flash of a beautiful face. It's gone so fast that she thinks she may have dreamed it, but her aunt, the eccentric Miss Winsham, tells her that it does happen: Tessa's older sister saw her husband's face in the locket (aka, the plot of the first book in the trilogy).

Still, Tessa dismisses it. She's on her way to her publisher to drop of the latest manuscript for a children's novel. These novels are published anonymously and her publisher does not give out her identity to anyone who asks - no matter how desperate they are. And William, Lord Riverdale, is pretty darn desperate. His wife died in a traumatic carriage accent a year before, and his six-year-old daughter, Anna, had been present when it happened. She was thrown free from danger, but witnessed her mother's death, and has been mute ever since. The only thing she shows any interest in are stories by an anonymous Lady of Quality, and Rivendale tracks down the publisher and demands to know the authoress. The publisher demures but says that she's dropping off a manuscript today.

Rivendale has a certain picture in his mind of who this Lady may be: a titled woman, definitely married, and perhaps a grandmother. Thus he is shocked when he quite literally runs into Tessa and realizes that she - a young, pretty, unmarried woman - is the one he seeks. He begs her to come home with him to visit his daughter, explaining his reasons why, and after much protest, Tessa agrees. She's pragmatic, though - she'll take her own coach, thank you very much, rather than traveling with a complete stranger.

Rivendale can't blame her for being cautious, and indeed is surprised that she agrees to meet his daughter. Everything is just as he said it would be, however, and both are surprised when little Anna seems to take to Tessa right away. She still doesn't speak, but Tessa is the first stranger that Anna hasn't run away from since the accident.

Rivendale knows Tessa's brother-in-law, Sir Robert Stamford, and wrangles a formal introduction at a Society function to quash any potential gossip that might arise when he agrees to bring Anna to visit Tessa at Stamford's home once a week, with the hope of continuing to encourage her to speak. The two commence on a set schedule; nobody knows Tessa's identity as the author of the highly popular children's books aside from her family and Rivendale, so everyone thinks that Rivendale has emerged from mourning and is courting Tessa for marriage.

Both strenuously deny they are developing any sort of affection for each other, but it's obvious that they share a mutual attraction. Tessa's aunt, Miss Winsham, vets Rivendale quite openly, much to his amusement. He's less amused when his mother blows into town and does the same to Tessa. Lady Rivendale is beyond ready for her son to put his life back together and find a mother for Anna, and she's not above sticking her oar in and playing a bit of matchmaking. She's very fond of her son, and does nothing out of malice, which is a rather refreshing change of pace!

Tessa's publisher has decided that her books need to be spiced up, but when she refuses to add allusions to members of the ton, he does it for her without her knowledge. She's shocked and appalled when her next book is published and she finds out what was done about it. She can't say anything without unmasking herself, and speculation falls on her aunt, who has made no secret her sharp wit *or* tongue, especially aimed at members of the Beau Monde. As he sees the noose begin to tighten around her, William impulsively proposes a marriage of convenience. He tells himself it's because he doesn't want his daughter to lose this precious connection that might bring her back to being verbal, but its rather obvious he's quite taken with Tessa himself.

Tessa and her sisters long ago vowed that they would never marry, and Tessa considers herself a spinster at 24 with one disastrous Season long behind her. Their own parents' marriage was horrible, they've never known anyone to be happily wedded in bliss, and they don't wish to depend on a man to survive. William has quite an argument to make for Tessa to accept his proposal, but she eventually does because she, too, has fallen in love with him.

William tells her that he can't offer her love or children, but it's not for the usual reasons. He's the rare hero who fell head over heels for his first wife only to have her rebuff him, and that pain, combined with her horrific death, has made him afraid to open his heart to anyone else, for fear of rejection and hurt all over again. Tessa accepts his terms, but vows to show him that love doesn't have to be painful.

Tessa also understands Anna's upset when William tells her about his betrothal, for she, too, lost her mother at a young age. She's very careful with the young girl, but doesn't push her to accept a "new mother." She struggles to gain both Anna's acceptance and William's desire, but she never gives up hope.

As if this wasn't enough plot for one short novel, there's yet another subplot starring Miss Winsham which drags the final third into needlessly dark places. Miss Winsham and Tessa are kidnapped thanks to Miss Winsham's work rescuing street children traffickers, but the two of them rescue themselves by themselves, which was nice to see! Miss Winsham is quite the character, and her actions throughout this particular section make me wonder more about her backstory, as she can quite easily handle herself in patently dangerous situations. I hope there's a book about her out there somewhere!

This incident sorely tests William's resolve to hold Tessa at arms' length, but he maintains the last little bit of it, even after they start sleeping together. It's not until Anna speaks - and asks to revisit the site of her mother's death - that things come to head for the whole lot of them.

This was a beautifully told story, gentle and easy, with no long bouts of misunderstandings coloring any of the situations. I'm not fond of kidnappings in HR, hence knocking off half a star, but I am sufficiently intrigued enough to want to find the other two books in this series and read about the other Barrows sisters' search for happiness. A definite keeper!

⭐⭐⭐ 1/2