One of the best known tropes in historical romance is the
arranged marriage. Two people are thrown
together, often by their parents’ wishes, and made to marry even though they
don’t know--much less love--one another at all.
The reader is then afforded the pleasure of watching them find their
way, albeit often bumpy, to falling in love.
This is one of my favorite tropes in romance, which is why you find
elements of it in my new historical romance, Only Scandal Will Do.
The situation is founded on reality--for the upper classes
and nobility up until the late 19th century, arranged marriages were the rule
rather than the exception. Marriage was
seen not as a joining of two individuals who loved one another, but rather as a
merger and acquisition deal. Money, land
and station were the critical factors.
Great houses sought connections to gain wealth, political clout, and
family ties through the marriage of their offspring, quite often with no regard
for the feelings of the parties involved.
Some times the husband and wife were able to reach an accord, even an
affection for one another. Many more did
not. And during this period infidelity
on both sides was extremely common.
Because love rarely entered into marriage, people sought it elsewhere.
Hardly the stuff romance novels are made of.
However, romance writers have taken the real life
situation--two people who don’t know each other, don’t like each other, don’t
have anything in common--as the major conflict for their novel. Circumstances vary--the arrangement may be
made by parents, it may stem from some financial need, it may arise from some
indiscretion or scandal that forces the couple to wed. But the romance writer is bound by the unwritten
(and sometimes written) rule that there must be a Happy Ever After ending. To that end, the arranged marriage serves as
an inciting incident to the action of the novel, which is to create conditions
through which the couple is able to fall in love.
As noted above, this is a very popular plot, especially for
historical romances. And depending on
the way the complications are managed and the set-up of the book is handled,
these can be some of the most rewarding reads in romance. Two of my favorites are from multiple-RITA
winner, Jo Beverley. Her first two
Company of Rogues Regency titles have arranged marriages at their hearts. The first, An Arranged Marriage, has
hero Nick Delaney marry the woman his brother raped to save her
reputation. The second, An Unwilling
Bride, has a father arrange a marriage between his son (who is actually not
his blood relation) and his illegitimate daughter so the family bloodline will
remain intact even though it will be through the female line. The challenges to the couples in both books
are great, but watching them slowly learn to know, trust, and eventually love
one another is romance at its best.
My own novel, Only Scandal Will Do, uses this trope
to an extent. The Marquess of Dalbury
compromises the daughter of a peer and has to convince her to marry him to
avoid the ensuing scandal. Lady Katarina
fights against the marriage because she fears the marquess’s reputation as a
rake will prohibit any happiness for her.
The Marquess has to use every ounce of his charm to persuade the lady
that he is, in fact, the perfect match for her.
Excerpt from Only Scandal Will Do:
“I assure you,
there was never a night like that before.” Lord Dalbury spoke quietly, and
Katarina sensed a tension in him. “I had never done such a thing before. Never
participated in such an auction. Never tried to take a woman unwillingly to my
bed.” He stopped speaking. Just stopped. Then his breath hissed as though he’d
slowly released it.
“I cannot find the
words to tell you how deeply I regret I was not a better man that night.” He paused,
and she held still and waited. “What I tried to do was madness, without
thought, without honor. I do not even have an excuse other than my base
desires, and that your abundant charms overwhelmed me.” His face was shadowy in
the scarce light of the sickle moon, but he sounded contrite. “I have no right
to ask for your forgiveness. I have no right to expect it. But I would ask you
to allow me to attempt to remedy the situation.”
Kat shook her head
slowly. “What on earth do you believe you could do, Lord Dalbury, that could
even come close to a remedy for the terror and humiliation you put me through?
Do you think now that I have met you, heard your feeble attempts at an apology,
and rejected them, the memory of that night will magically disappear?” She fought
to control her anger, though she yearned to blast him with it. “What magic
potion would you have me take that would erase the memory of you pinning me to
the bed? Because if you have such an elixir, then yes, I will gladly take it
from you and obliterate you absolutely and irrevocably.”
He stood silent at
her words, then said simply, “I have only myself to offer, my lady.”
“You would have me
kill you, my lord? In that, too, I agree I would oblige you, but not at the
cost of my own life. I understand the English law punishes those who do murder
quite severely.” Kat was astonished when he lurched backward, as from a blow.
“No, my lady, I would not have you
kill me,” he said, sounding grimly amused. “Though indeed that would probably
give you most satisfaction. I meant I would have you marry me.”
His words
surprised a laugh out of her. “Marry you?” The laughter grew. “I see, my lord,
you think me both a whore and a fool.”
“I think you are
neither, Lady Katarina.”
“Then you are the fool to
believe I would put such a man as you in control of every aspect of my life.”
That he thought she would even entertain the suggestion was insulting.
The pale moonlight
shadowed his face, but she could read displeasure there just the same. “You
judge me solely on one act that, I assure you, was grossly out of character for
me. You cannot possibly know what kind of husband I would be.”
“And never will,
Lord Dalbury. I can swear to you that I would not marry you if I were in Hell
and you were my only hope of Heaven.”
He inclined his
head toward her, a faint smile touching his lips. “I believe you made a similar
claim about dancing with me, Lady Katarina. Yet we have indeed enjoyed a dance
together despite your words.” His tone was soft, the sensuous, cajoling one he
had used to seduce her that night in the House of Pleasure.
Kat trembled,
recalling the incredible sensations of his hands, his mouth on her body. Damn.
He could not do this to her again. Not just with his voice.
“Is there nothing
that would entice you to leave your Hell for my Heaven?”
She struggled to
answer, opened her lips to deny it, only to find her mouth completely sealed by
his.
Aurthor Bio
Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance who has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own writing.
Jenna lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets. When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director. She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage.
She has equated her writing to an addiction to chocolate because once she starts she just can’t stop.
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Kidnapped
and sold at auction in a London brothel, Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam
squelches an undeniable attraction to the masked stranger who purchased
her, pits her wits against him, and escapes him and the scandal that
would ruin her life.
Unable
to resist temptation in a London brothel, Duncan Ferrers, Marquess of
Dalbury, purchases a fiery beauty. She claims she's a lady, but how can
she be? No lady of his acquaintance in polite society is anything like
her.
Then
he discovers she is who she says, and that this latest romp has
compromised her reputation. He knows how that is. One more scandal and
he'll be cast out of London society, but he needs a wife who'll provide
an heir to carry on his illustrious family's name. He seeks out
Katarina, intending only to scotch the scandal, but instead finds his
heart ensnared.
He's betting their future he'll capture her heart, but does he have what it takes to win the wager?
WARNING: A blade-wielding heroine who crosses swords with a master of sensuality.
