REVIEW: Wed at Leisure by Sabrina Darby

Wed at Leisure by Sabrina Darby is the companion novella to Woo’d in Haste and both shows the other side of the relationship between the two sisters (Catherine and Bianca) and completes the story. This is Catherine’s story, and she turns out to be much more involved and complex than you would have thought.

Catherine (Kate) Mansfield grew up next door to Peter Colburn, the Earl of Bonhill, and later the Duke of Orland. As child they have a few encounters at the stream that separates their properties, one where she tell him about her mother and the unfair way her mother favors her younger sister, and another when they are older and Peter, just returned from the war, is drunk and upset about how his father does not respect him. Years later, as adults, they frequently encounter each other at society events. Kate has grown up to be beautiful, yet difficult, and even though Kate more or less spurns him in public Peter finds himself drawn to the dark, vivacious beauty. And Kate, while wary of him because he knows the “real” Kate, finds him unforgettable as well.

Perhaps it was the use of his Christian name, so rarely said, but for one instant he was reminded clearly of why he was drawn to her again and again, acrimony aside. She was a part of his youth, a part of the green earth and the rolling hills. Yes, she had acquired that town bronze, but she was still the Kate he’d long to kiss for more years that he could remember.

Kate’s stepmother Henrietta, who travels with Kate instead of staying home at Hopford Manor with her husband and son (Kate and Bianca have a younger half-brother Thomas), has the idea of having a house party, in order to get to know her suiters better and with less competition. Kate is reluctant, since she knows going home reduces her back to “childish Kate, forever caught in the patterns set during the earliest years,” where she is angry and resentful of her “perfect English beauty” of a sister. Peter is also heading home to the Orland seat, where he meets with his wastrel of a brother Reggie and Reggie’s friend Lucian Dorlingsley, Viscount Asquith. Peter discovers that Lucian is carrying on a secret affair with Kate’s sister Bianca, disguised as Thomas’ tutor “Mr. Dore.” Now, with the upcoming house party, Luc is very worried about what will happen when the truth comes out, and how Bianca and her family will handle his deceit. Reggie, always scheming, comes up with the idea that Peter should woo Kate in order to both sweeten her up and to give time for Luc to tell Bianca who he is, and try to secure an engagement to her without her sister’s interference, because Kate has proclaimed to her family that Bianca cannot marry before she does. However, what is supposed to be an underhanded scheme does not feel that way to Peter. In fact “wooing Kate” seems to be right thing to do, and he sets out to do so.

Although shorter than its companion book, Wed at Leisure seems to be more complete than Woo’d in Haste. The main characters, Peter and Kate, are very full and realized, and interesting, because they have internal conflicts and emotional pain. It’s also neat to see the other side of Luc and Bianca’s relationship, and the scandal that inevitably erupts, from a different viewpoint. Since these are novellas, there are secondary characters you don’t learn much about, or why, and I am left with many questions about some of the them, such as WHY does Henrietta travel so much and abandon her family, and what is up about Reggie? I’d like to read more about him!

Much of what I think the difference between who Kate really is, and who Bianca perceives Kate to be is tied in the psychology of the situation. To Bianca, Kate is a bully, an older sister who, for no explanation, has locked her out of her life and who has kept her from adventure and happiness. To herself, Kate is the victim, resentment towards her (late) mother and her sunny and blond sister who her mother favored growing in her heart to huge proportions, making her feel insecure, angry and powerless. Kate is not a wholly likable heroine. She is selfish and irrational, and she has to learn to get over herself to grow as a person. The love of a good man who had a similar relationship with his parent, in this case his father, makes her realize that she is not alone in her feelings, and gives her the security she needs to become a more realized person. However, the thing that redeems Kate is that she knows that her feelings are irrational and she want to be better, she wants to have a better relationship with her sister and others.

This is a good little book. It’s better when you read the two books in succession, as I think is the intention of the author, but it’s pretty good on its own too. There’s less overt Shakespeare references (some pretty quotes and paraphrasing at the end) and definitely because of the current popularity of the movie, but I was getting a nice “Frozen” vibe out of it too, although I’m sure that was never an intent. Read the book, and see if you do too!

Book Info:

Published May 27th 2014 by Avon Impulse

In all of Sussex—scratch that—in all of England, there is no one prettier than Kate Mansfield, and Peter Colburn, heir to the Duke of Orland, has known that since the age of 15. But since her vivacious nature comes with a temper to match, Peter has always masked his hunger for her behind ruthless teasing.

As far as Kate is concerned, there is no one as annoying or as incredibly handsome as Peter. So when he surprises her with a sudden and romantic courtship, Kate is sure this must be his idea of a sick joke. After all, he’s the one man who knows how flawed she really is. And the only man to whom she has ever been so attracted. It’s only after she rejects him that she realizes he might actually have been serious. And she just might be regretting her hasty decision.

As Kate’s determination wars with her traitorous heart, it may be too late. Now she’s putting everything, including her reputation, on the line to give this accidental tragedy a happy ending.