English Rose

by Jacqueline Marten

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671496557
• ISBN13: 9780671496555
• Release Date: October 1983
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.

Customer Reviews

a book that will make you cry

It's 1815 somewhere near Belgium and playboy Major Lord Jason Woodleigh espies a beautiful serving maid who is singing while swimming in the river. He hopes to have his way with her, but sensing a wolf in sheep's clothing, she rebuffs him and doesn't give him her real name nor status---she leads him to believe she actually IS a simple servant until later on when he goes in pursuit of her at a local camping get together party. The girl is a generous, pretty, a free spirit, feisty independent Spanish-English girl named Primrose Darcourt (her father English but disowned by his English family because of marrying a spanish flamenco dancer). Primrose and her elder sister have been raised primarily the Spanish way(their mother). Primrose's parents are now deceased so Primrose follows her elder sister and her elder sister's English soldier husband from one battle to another. The rest of the soldiers look upon Primrose as their "English rose" --- beautiful, prickly(with her feelings if hurt) but very much a lady even though she has a spanish background. Primrose is a Spanish, Catholic, has a dancer mother, a noble father who turned to selling wine to earn money, and a Jewish ancestor. Primrose even earns money with her excellent diary-like writings of the war. All of these details would make Primrose ineligible as a bride for the Woodleigh name in proper English society. Jason is a second son and was given a commission in the army and so never expected to ever inherit the title and so was happy living fully in military life. Jason feels love for Primrose but (especially in the beginning of the book) also is conscious of the "properness" of what an English bride should be based on English society strictures and even HE is ashamed of her heritage and tries to stifle Primrose's discussion of it. One could just about describe him as a cultured English class snob, even though he doesn't see himself as one. However, since he's a second son, he's happy enough to know that since he doesn't have the title and duties of an earl, if he ever marries, he feels free with relief to marry wherever he wishes, even if it's with Primrose. He'd rather have a warm wife rather than a cold, proper wife. After her sister and brother-in-law are shot dead during the next battle, Primrose locates Jason in the battlefield and nurses him to health. She accepts Jason's proposal of marriage because she loves him even while she's skeptical she can be a great English Lady if ever he should inherit the title. Unfortunately, his eldest brother(who would have had the title after their father's death) dies and then Jason's father dies and so Jason & Primrose must go to Jason's family's Manor in England to take up their positions as Lord and Lady of the Manor. Unfortunately, Jason's mother is a jealous old bat who makes Primrose's life difficult. She runs to Jason every time to back up the fact that she and not Primrose is still in charge of the manor. She always tries t