One aspect of reading romance that I find incredibly fascinating is the way in which character traits allow me, the reader, to explore and consider different personal strengths. And because, as I recently realized about myself, I focus very much on internal conflict, I’m particularly curious about elements of a story that may appear initially to be minor and external, but reveal a considerable amount about the inner landscape of the individuals in the story.
There’s a small moment in Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens that will pop into my mind without fail when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks I’m facing. To me, this scene reads a little like casual porn – organizational porn, specifically. I’ve written about it before, partly because this tiny moment really has stuck with me for years.
Honoria, the heroine, meets the hero (the “Devil” in the title) after she comes across a dying man in a lane near her new post as a governess. (Now I’m wondering if this book has also fueled my love of historical mysteries within romances, and vice versa. Anyway.) The young man dies, and Honoria finds herself in Devil’s massive estate helping his mother to plan a funeral, which is like the worst house party ever, as family (and there are a lot of them) arrives from every damn where, and everyone must be housed, fed, and managed on top of the process of burying the deceased.
Devil thinks, and he’s not wrong, that the circumstances surrounding the death have compromised Honoria’s reputation, and he’s declared that they’ll be married. She is disinclined to agree with his pronouncement. That’s the set up of the book in a nutshell.
If you’ve read this book, you might remember this scene from early in the story:
Despite her firm intention to remain aloof from Devil’s family, Honoria simply could not stand by and allow such a weight to descend on the Dowager’s fragile shoulders. Especially not when she was more than well qualified to lighten the load….
[T]here was no reason not to offer her aid. Besides which, to sit idly in her room while about her the household ran frantic, would be entirely beyond her.
Within minutes, she was immersed in lists—initial lists, then derived lists and eventually lists for cross-checking. (Emphasis mine.)
There’s a lot within Devil’s Bride that identifies the period in which it was published. I just looked it up – this book was published in 1998, and it shows, especially in the trends, styles, and types of characters that appear within it (to say nothing of some of the prose). There are also a number of things about it that don’t hold up to my current-day reader’s brain. But it is more than twenty years old, after all. There is a lot to examine in the roles of the characters, how they develop in the story, and what they potentially mean. Still, I have a deep, wide, and squishy amount of emotional nostalgia for this story, and for this scene.
Initially, when re-reading it a moment ago (and refusing to allow myself to read the entire book, because I have Things to Do and also Things to Read) I thought it was the “lists, initial list, derived lists, and lists for cross-checking” that hooked me.
Oh, yeaaaaah, tell me more about those derived lists.
And it is that part – I mean, I love a good list, especially because my brain, as it ages, is definitely not a keeping place. It’s an idea generation galaxy, and a fun place to hang out, but it’s not a realm in which any kind of “mental note” can become permanently affixed in a meaningful way. Any time a character in a book makes a “mental note,” I feel a measurable amount of stress, because mental notes are not a valid option for me. I start to think that mental notes are plot points for things that should have been remembered but were forgotten, because that’s what they are in my life story.
So lists, derived lists, and lists for cross checking?
But there’s also another aspect to this scene which I find soothing and interesting now that I’m much older and in charge of many more things (and, naturally, many more lists). Honoria gets involved in the planning and the family business because she knows how. She knows to run a household. It’s one of the foundational elements to her character and a cause of conflict for her, too: she was raised to be married to a titled nobleman, and to run the households and manage all the details that come with that set of responsibilities. She’s done what she could to avoid that marital destination after a family tragedy cancelled her debut season.
One of the challenges for Honoria in accepting Devil’s proposal (or, assumption, really) that they be married is that she is afraid of having children after witnessing the deaths of her parents and her younger siblings, whom she had partially raised.
Honoria doesn’t fear marriage so much as she fears emotional vulnerability. Honoria is afraid of close emotional connections to pretty much anyone and everyone at the start of the book, so she’s created a life for herself wherein she stays with a family as a ‘finishing governess,’ helping a young lady with her debut before she moves on to another family. She doesn’t see her brother very often, and she’s frequently alone, in an in-between status in a household, hiding her full surname and key pieces of her identity because of the attention and awkwardness that knowledge would create.
When she’s easily and thoroughly welcomed into the exceptionally large and sequel-populated Cynster collective, it’s quite a lot for her to handle. But the way in which she begins interacting with Devil’s very-extended family is by helping to plan a funeral for a young man, and by assisting in the preparations for the household to welcome, house, feed, and entertain the dozens of expected guests with little warning or preparation time. It’s a miserable time – something she’s familiar with, personally. And it’s a lot of work – something else she’s understands. Honoria helps organize the myriad forms labor that often fall on the shoulders of women, then and now, to make sure everyone is fed and comfortable while the business of family and grieving is being conducted.
Honoria greets Devil’s twin girl cousins (who are also, yes, future heroines) when they arrive by sharing her own experience with grief, and caring for them in subtle ways from the moment they step out of the carriage to the time when they leave. There’s another scene, also a favorite of mine, wherein the butler enters the room to signal to the Dowager that he needs to speak with her. She’s occupied with a grieving relative and can’t excuse herself, so she catches Honoria’s attention and wordlessly asks her to find out what’s wrong:
Honoria looked back at the Dowager-she understood what was being asked of her, and that a positive response would be interpreted as a confirmation of another understanding-a matrimonial understanding between Devil and herself. But the appeal in the Dowager’s eyes was very real, and of all the ladies present, she was unquestionably in the best state to deal with whatever disaster had befallen.
Torn, Honoria hesitated, then inwardly grimaced and nodded….
In the hall, Honoria found Mrs. Hull waiting. “What’s happened?”
Mrs. Hull’s gaze flicked to Webster’s face, then returned to Honoria’s. The significance of that glance was not lost on Honoria; Webster had confirmed that she’d been deputed by the Dowager.
If you’re curious what happens, it seems Devil’s horse ate the cakes meant for tea, which means there’s no food for the tea service. Honoria thinks very quickly, reschedules dinner, asks Mrs. Hull to notify the valets and lady’s maids of the change in schedule so they have time to adjust, figures out a food solution that’s fast and possible in the time they have, and then asks the two cousins, Amanda and Amelia, to play music to give everyone behind the scenes time to manage the new last-minute tasks.
To the rest of the people in the family, everything seems normal. Crisis averted. Afternoon schedule proceeds as expected. But while the assembled family likely noted that she’d taken the Dowager’s authority in the house for a moment, the Dowager herself and Devil notice specifically what she’s done:
From her position by the open terrace door, Honoria watched her distraction take hold. Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence behind her.
“This was inspired.”
Glancing back, she met Devil’s green eyes; they scanned her face.
“What was wrong?”
Honoria wondered if there was anyone in the entire assembly who had missed her assumption of the Dowager’s authority….
To Honoria’s relief, her strategem worked…The tea, when it arrived, was perfect.
Even when she doesn’t want to be in the position she’s in (she doesn’t want to get married; at the start of the story, she plans to travel abroad and explore) she chooses to assist the people around her with large and small problems, creating solutions that are easily unnoticed. Devil notices, in part he also takes his role as head of the family (and, to be fair, himself) very seriously. So he admires and is drawn to the ways in which Honoria takes the tasks in front of her seriously.
It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. She moves tea time and replaces cakes with another option, and directs an team of people to make this new plan work. But her quick thinking, resilience, organizational aptitude, and her ability to adjust around any emergency, whether it’s a bleeding man or lost cakes, are some of my favorite things about her, because they are traits which I value in myself and in my own life.
Honoria’s confidence in herself and in her own strengths is part of why I love re-reading this book: she knows she’s good – exceptional, even – at the often-invisible, frequently under-appreciated labor of creating and maintaining a home, welcoming guests, and managing family events, large and small. She is fluent in the silent language of managing unexpected changes and working within authority structures.
And it’s often a managerial or directing role she occupies. A household of that size is a massive undertaking on a monstrous scale, and she and the rest of family are undeniably wealthy, with a household of servants who do the actual physical labor. There’s a lot of wealth, comfort, advantage, and benefit in Honoria’s temporary-but-not-really position. She’s not actually baking scones or doing the physical work herself. But she is seeing to the emotional needs of a bunch of mostly-strangers through logistical arrangement and management. It’s a real skill set in a tremendously unreal, fantasy setting.
In the real world, the organization (mmmm, lists) the scheduling, the preparation, the cooking, the management, and the rest, then on to the next thing, is often performed by one person, or a small group. It might be a parent in a household, or a small group of constant volunteers in an organization, or the people who always serve food after services and clean up when everyone’s gone. In most cases, their work may remain invisible because there were no problems or interruptions to call attention to it not having been done. As God says in an episode of Futurama, “…when you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.”
There’s a lot of plot and detail (and some outstanding purple prose) in Devil’s Bride, and when I re-read it (which I might, for the sixty-fourteen-thousanth time) I don’t notice the major story elements as much anymore. I notice the ways my perspective on historical romances has changed, for certain. But I always notice a few more subtle ways in which Honoria manages her environment, notices when something needs attention, and cares for the individuals around her. It’s a lot of work, work that she does without hesitation, and work for which she is appreciated, particularly by Devil. She is why this is one of my favorite comfort reads.
Are there characters in books you love, old or new, whom you admire? Which ones, and why?
Thank you, this is a beautiful perspective! I think often what keeps a book in our hearts and minds are these moments of recognition, of seeing something in the characters that we have, or hope we have or even wish we had, and seeing it appreciated in the story. It’s wonderful that this author could not only appreciate Honoria this way, but also actually write her so that the reader can see her traits in action. I hate when I go back to a book where I loved the characters only to realize their actions don’t match up to their description…
I also have the ‘vampire’ edition of Devil’s Bride. I always have to stop for a moment and try to decide if he’s about to suck her blood. The moment that alawys makes me laugh in that book is actually several books later, when Devil turns to her at the end of the story and says “you do know that I love you, right? I have told you? ” and she just smiles at him and says “I worked it out”.
My favourite characters are those who understand that their work behind the scenes may not be acknowledged, or even noticed, but that it is still vital to the running of the business/household/country. I think it’s the confidence that they have to just carry on.
I love this book. I do agree about the purple prose but to me it was one of the first stories where the hero focused on the heroine from the beginning. There was no big misunderstanding. Honoria had to work through her misgivings about marriage.
I’m so pleased that you all get what I was trying to say here. I wrote and rewrote this a few times trying to explain how and why I love reading about Honoria so much.
@Be – I’ve never read that one – what book is it?
So I have often pointed to this book as one of the best historicals about women and career. Which seems odd, unless you think about running a household as Honoria’s job. We typically don’t – we dismiss that type of labor (emotional and otherwise) as insignificant. But I thought Laurens did a great job in this book of portraying the degree of lifelong training that was involved in managing the logistics, social and otherwise, of a large house that employed dozens (at least) of people. In my view, Honoria was resisting emotional vulnerability not just romantically but (essentially) professionally – what if falls in love and it doesn’t work out? What if she accepts this role and she fails at it?
I also thought Laurens did a really good job at portraying the degree to which Honoria’s “I’ll go to Egypt” plan was escapism and not a real desire. It doesn’t even occupy that much real estate in Honoria’s own mind. It’s a story she’s told herself, but not one that even she truly believes.
I can eyeroll at Lauren’s endless masterful Cynsters striding across ballrooms and moors, but this is a beautifully done book in many respects, despite its age.
SBSarah- I think this plays into the idea of “competence porn”, which you’ve brought up a few times recently. It’s deeply satisfying to see a heroine understand what she is brining to the table *and* confidently go about her business (whatever that may be).
It’s doubly satisfying in a historical novel, where the “rules” are much more rigid for what a woman can or can’t do. It would be so easy to make the conflict about a woman who is *insert trait* and needs to *insert solution* to solve *insert dilemma* and then have an HEA.
This is exactly, exactly, exactly the book I need to read right now. Bought and even the first few pages have soothed me! If you have any other recs in this vein, I’m here for them!!
This was a beautiful essay. Thank you!
Honoria and Devil have endured as one of my favorite romance couples and, in my mind’s eye, the back cover couple is not them. 🙂 Devil’s Bride is a favorite re-read. I loved how their continuing romance is mentioned years later in By Winter’s Light.
Honoria is the perfect example of “…when you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.”
Thanks, SB Sarah, for a bright spot in my day!
I am also here for competence porn of the ‘getting things done’ variety, so this is now on my wishlist. I need to get off this website.
If you haven’t read any of the Cynsters, please be aware going in that there are some very purple moments, and really that it’s quite different from historical romances you may read that were published more recently. I hope you enjoy it, though.
Devil knew the Bar Cynster would see them in the lit up room.
@SB Sarah: I, too, have pondered the “diversionary tactics” candles, and I think its because he knew they’d be out there watching the window (um, gross) but he wanted them watching the wrong window.
I love Honoria but I’m with you, a reread of this book generally involves the beginning and then I lose interest during the extended “he is her sex sensei and must teach her everything but for now he must leash his demon or corral his salamander or whatever he calls his penis” scenes.
I bought the audiobook of this a few years ago, and never finished it. I think the narrator + purple prose had me very uncomfortable. Love competence in books though, so I might try it in print.
I need to read this book!!
One of my favorite characters is Penelope Keeling from Rosamunde Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers. So much so that in certain situations I think “what would Penelope do?” and that mantra helps calm me down and focus on what needs to be done. Her character is strong, loving, and very much herself. She doesn’t waste time seconded guessing herself. She loves to cook and garden, and Pilcher’s descriptive scenes of meals and gardens are beautiful to me.
It is actually hard for me to put into words why I love her character so much!! The feeling the whole book gives me when I read it, such comfort-having a difficult time describing it. Yet when in the last line Sarah asked what character in a book you most love and admire, she is the one that popped right into my head.
Maureen- YES! Penelope Keeling is wonderful.
Honoria is also one of my favourite Historical Romance Heroines for all the reasons you mentioned. Another favourite of mine demonstrating competence porn in a Historical Romance is in Stephanie Laurens novel called A Fine Passion #4 in the Bastion Club Series. Heroine Lady Clarice Altwood also has the most wonderfully competent and capable managing ways. She is a very strong Heroine who is aided by her partner and he understands and admires and loves how strong she is:
“…At no stage had he imagined winning her would be easy. Unlike with other females, he couldn’t ride up and slay her dragons for her and claim her hand as his reward. With her, he could only clear the way, at most empower her so she could slay said dragons herself. She was that sort of woman. He could stand by her side, his hand over hers on her sword and help her, but as with vanquishing Moira, it was she who had to perform the crucial act. Being self-determining was a part of who she was; he couldn’t in any way take
that from her. Not if he wanted her, and he did…”
“List making organization porn”. Yes. Give me all the lists and color-coded spreadsheets.
Honoria is one of my favorite heroines because she is so organized and competent. I feel like she would get my need to plan sleeping arrangements and menus for in-law visits weeks ahead of time (months ahead if said visit involves a holiday).
To continue in the Stephanie Laurens vein, I really like Phoebe from “To Distraction.” Spoilers for the unfamiliar…….she runs a sort of underground railroad for female servants at risk of sexual exploitation, helping them disappear from their households and stashing them at an employment agency, which also helps them find new jobs. She was almost raped when she was a teenager, and the experience inspired her crusade. It was great to read about someone who used her wealth and privilege to help women who were preyed on by men of wealth and privilege.
Laurens does have SO much purple prose, and there are times when I trip hard over that and other things, but she always seems to write about competent women who recognize the restrictions placed on them because of their gender as bullshit and have no patience for the sexist conventions of their time period. Which is my catnip. So if I’m in the mood for that, I deal with the rest, usually by skimming.
Dammit! This remains my favorite of the Cynster books – in large part because of the lists, I’m also a huge list-maker – & now I’ve got to go reread it!
@Edwina: I hear you on the weeks-ahead planning! A group of my friends spends a week at my in-laws’ mountain cabin every October, & I start planning it in June. They all look at me like I’m crazy, but seriously – a full day’s drive to get there, 7 people, 1 dog, 3 cars, a week’s worth of hiking, sightseeing, shopping, etc. REQUIRES organization!
@Deianira: Yes. They look at you like you’re crazy BUT if you didn’t do it? They would sure notice that.
This is such a great post. Scandal’s Bride was my first Laurens and I was shocked by the pages and pages and pages of sex scenes. I’m not a fan of the Cynsters, but I agree that Honoria is one of the best heroines I’ve ever read.
Fabulous post Sarah, it amazes me how Devils Bride pops up every few years, it will always be remembered.
I think I’m one of the few who didn’t care for this book and later realized, after attempting a few more of her books, that Laurens wasn’t an author for me. This essay, however, makes me understand why others feel totally differently about her. For me, Devil’s dismissal of Honoria’s desire to travel made him less than a hero – I kept hoping he’d take her to Egypt on their honeymoon. If she then realized that her desire to travel represented a desire to escape the tragedies of her past that would have been so much more romantic and representative of his respect for her. Also, the villain was so apparent it was as if he carried a sign on his back that said “I did it”. As a reader of many mysteries as well as romances, this was less than satisfying.
@Deianira Competence and planning are underappreciated in the world. I ALWAYS wind up booking the flight, the room, packing, booking the restaurant, reading the guidebooks, getting the theatre tickets, etc. Once, instead of planning my own birthday getaway as I always have to, I decided to warn my husband I was leaving it all up to him (except for the hotel reservations). Did he manage to reserve a table, buy tickets, etc.? Mid-week before the weekend holiday it suddenly dawned on him that “something had to be planned”. Sigh! no special dinner, no theatre, nothing.
@SB Sarah That scene is about halfway through On a Wicked Dawn (Amelia’s book). Yes, I turned down the corner of that page in my paperback version.
Laurens definitely has some purple prose that I skim over but when I started reading romance there weren’t a ton of books whose female characters had clear agency. While the mysteries weren’t especially challenging to figure out, these books had a plot that didn’t just hinge on lack of communication and I found that very appealing.
@ Vicki
Thanks for that. I knew it wasn’t in any of the SLs that I own, and I even took a trip to the library specially to skim the epilogues. Of course, since it was half way through I had no hope of finding it.
This is one of my favorite romances, mainly because the author made Honoria a pretty fully realized character who is restricted by the time she’s in. Are there errors? Sure. But even with Honoria having to bend to Devil (which, let’s face it, was realistic at that time — she was never going to win that battle), she never lost herself or who she was. And Devil, once she did bend, realized it for the incredible privilege it was and “was not about to try for twice.” It’s one of the few romances I’ve read where the protagonists are equals in terms of strength and character and one doesn’t concede permanently to the other (see, for example, the movie Grease, where that does occur). Yes, the power dynamic wasn’t equal, but that was the early 19th century. But within that structure, Devil gives her the full power that he can and backs her up.