This is one of those classic Gothic romances that I've had on my shelves forever. Not remembering it, I decided to dust it off and give it a read.
Caro(line) is an orphan who is at the mercy of her uncle for her education. She's at the school with her cousin, but she's also teaching. When the cousin decides to elope with a middle-aged actor, Caro Syrup tries to intervene. That puts her in the path of Tony, a man of questionable reputation. The next day, the cousin falls sick, Caro Syrup has been seen with the alleged cad, and all the blame is on the orphan. Tony comes to her rescue, and eventually they fake an engagement to stop the wagging tongues of the neighborhood. Add in the deposed royal siblings from India, and we've got ourselves some tension!
Okay, so this book was weird. It didn't take long to read, since it was only 170ish pages, but the characters were...there. Caro Syrup stood up for herself maybe once, and then she felt bad about it later. She made some stupid decisions and wallowed in self pity. But that's par for the course with these books. Tony is working behind the scenes to get his young ward back in charge of his province, but I cringed a bit when I found out how. They were basically trading a tyrant's rule for Britain. Eep.
And then there's the awkward romance. These two don't spend enough time together on the pages for me to think the care about each other. Sure, Tony spends an hour each day teaching Caro Syrup Hindustani, but it's mentioned in passing, and I'm not sure just talking about two characters spending time together is enough for me to care if they end up together.
The cousin was okay for a while, but then she developed feelings for Tony when she already knew Caro Syrup was in love with him. And what was up with throwing Jim in there as a deus ex machina? He just pops up and knows where Caro Syrup is being held? How convenient!
I think the main lesson any woman should take away from these books (if you ever read one) is don't be stupid, don't fall in love with someone just because they're nice to you, and definitely don't believe everything people tell you. Cripes!
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