"Let Nothing You Dismay"
In 1810 England, Cecilia Ambrose is an oddity at the Bath academy for young ladies where she teaches. Although gently raised, she is half-Egyptian, and at age twenty-eight believes she will never marry. With Christmas only days away, Cecilia has agreed to escort twelve-year-old Lucinda back to Chase Hall in York. The girl's parents have been delayed, and in their place is Lucinda's uncle, Lord Trevor Chase, who has been charged to chaperone Lucinda and her siblings. The bachelor black sheep of the family, Trevor scandalized his own class by becoming a barrister in London and championing the poor. Cecilia's plan to return to Bath is thwarted when fire breaks out in the mansion, and she reluctantly agrees to stay a while longer. Will her delay prove to be Trevor Chase's salvation? First published in 2003.
Fantastic story, short but full of terrific characters and deep emotion. Cecilia is a teacher at a girls' school in Bath. She is the half-English, half-Egyptian foster daughter of a pair of English missionaries who are currently in India. Accepted but not embraced, Cecilia doesn't expect to marry, but to remain a teacher. She is asked to escort one of her pupil's home to York for the holidays, only to discover that Lucinda's parents have been called away. Instead, Lucinda's Uncle Trevor has been tasked to watch over Lucinda, her younger brother, and older sister. When a fire makes the house uninhabitable, they move to the smaller dower house, where Trevor begs Cecilia to remain and help until the parents return.
I loved both Cecilia and Trevor. Cecilia is a caring, sweet, and practical woman. She is aware of her disadvantages according to society but has not let them make her bitter. From the very start, she has a way of connecting with each of the young people, helping them through their individual concerns over the holiday. Trevor is a very unusual man for his period. Instead of wasting away his time, he studied for the law. A traumatizing event set him on the path of advocating for poor children, something that has turned many of his own class against him.
I loved the development of the relationship between Cecilia and Trevor. I loved how comfortable they were with each other from the moment they met. Both of them are sort of outcasts, which adds to the empathy between them. Cecilia was surprised by Trevor's acceptance of her story and the lack of judgment. I loved how Trevor was able to tell Cecilia about Jimmy Daw, something he has never told anyone else. It was sweet to see how they worked together to take care of the kids, and how that brought them closer together. Their conversations with each other were honest and thoughtful, with a fair amount of humor involved. But Trevor was still haunted by what he saw as his failure, and as Christmas Eve drew closer, his mood darkened. I loved how young Davy took his concern about Trevor to Cecilia. My heart broke for Trevor as Cecilia helped him fight his demons. The ending was fantastic, leaving me with a vivid picture of what their future could be like.
I also enjoyed the three siblings. Each of them was unique and had their own place in the story. Davy is caring and sensitive. I enjoyed how he looked up to his uncle and wanted to be with him. His worry over Trevor brought the others together to help him. Lucinda is the middle child, younger than her sister by several years. She has started to feel invisible thanks to Janet's upcoming wedding. Lucinda adores Cecilia. Janet comes across as very spoiled at the beginning. She isn't very nice to Cecilia or her siblings. But she is also young, and in an emotional scene with Cecilia shows that she's not as bad as she appears. I thought she redeemed herself quite nicely by the end.
"No Room at the Inn"
With Christmas, 1815, around the corner, Lady Mary is told that she is not the daughter of an earl, but simply Mary McIntyre, the base-born orphan Lord and Lady Davy reared as their own. After her true parentage is revealed, Mary must leave Coventry for Yorkshire and the farm of her new-found grandmother. Her travel companions are the snobbish son of Lord Davy's estate steward, Thomas Shepard, and his family. Heavy snowfall soon blocks the roads, and there is no room at the inn, so the little group is forced to seek shelter in the home of Joseph Shepard, Thomas' estranged brother, a handsome man Mary remembers fondly from childhood. In this "vulgar" mansion belonging to a common businessman, Mary will discover that happiness has little to do with titles or income, and that Christmas works its own magic. First published in 2002.
Another emotional story. Mary's life has been turned upside down. She has just been told that she is not her parents' daughter at all, but an orphan they reared as their own. Upon finding out that her true grandmother is looking for her, she is disowned and sent to Yorkshire. She is stuck in the carriage with the stuck-up son of the estate steward and his family. Caught in a snowstorm, they take refuge with Thomas's brother Joseph.
I ached for Mary, who has been sent off to a woman she doesn't know, away from the only family and life she has ever known. It doesn't help her feelings that Thomas won't let her forget that she's no longer "Quality." Thomas was a first class pain in the butt. His wife wasn't as bad, and his two children were pretty sweet. When weather forced them to take refuge with Thomas's brother Joseph, I was inclined to like Joe from the beginning, just because of Thomas's attitude. Fortunately, Joe lived up to my expectations and more. Joe is a successful businessman who married a woman with a young son. After his wife's death, Joe and Joshua have been doing their best with each other.
Joe welcomed his unexpected guests with open arms. Things are a bit casual at his house because he gave all his servants the holidays off. The house itself is under renovation, as Joe bought it cheap from the previous owner. Thomas is predictably surly, but the others settle in quite easily. Joe and Mary remember each other as children and happily renew their acquaintance. More stranded travelers arrived, adding to their merry crew, and (except for Thomas) the holidays looked a bit brighter.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Mary and Joe. He has a very positive outlook on life, which helped Mary come to grips with her changed circumstances. I loved their evening swilling the last of Joe's smuggled French brandy and how that made it so much easier for them to share their stories. I especially liked the fact that Joe's opinion of Mary didn't change when he found out what had happened. I loved Joe's surprise when Mary confessed that she and her foster sister had had huge crushes on him when they were younger. It quickly becomes clear that there is something developing between them, but Mary is waiting to hear from her suitor after she wrote to him about her changed life.
The miracles of the Christmas season were out in full force as the story reached its end. I loved the bit with Mr. and Mrs. King and the scullery maid, and the healing of Mrs. King's heart. There were a couple of good scenes with Thomas's wife, and I want to believe she will find a way to improve his attitude, though he may be beyond hope. The meeting between Mary and her grandmother was fantastic, and I had to laugh at Joe and his antics. The big moment between Joe and Mary was sweet.
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