Lord St. Claire's Angel [Paperback]

This book features Celestine Simons, a governess with arthritis (since she had rheumatic fever as a child) who has been hired by Lord and Lady St Claire (actually the Marquess and Marchioness of Ladymead) precisely because she is plain, arthritic and otherwise unlikely to attract attention. The Marchioness has been plagued by her brother-in-law Lord Justin St Claire (the Lord St Claire of the title), who has fallen into the habit of flirting with the pretty governesses of her two daughters. This, the Marchioness (Lady Elizabeth St Claire or Lady St Claire in the book) does not like, both from the point of view of what is considered proper and also from the point of preserving class differences.

To spite his sister-in-law, Lord Justin St Claire decides to flirt with Miss Simons. She will not respond to him, even though she is attracted by him. Then, he hears her sing in the village choir, and the two experience a rare moment of epiphany in the journey back to the house. Nevertheless, although our hero's feelings have changed about Miss Simons, his casual attitude towards flirtation and governesses have not changed (or he has not realized it). Celestine's well-married aunt Lady Sedgely (Lady Emily Delafont or Lady Delafont in the book) arrives and this precipitates a number of changes.

I liked many many things about this book, even though it was far too short to flesh out all the characters. We had the high-minded Marquess, in love with his extremely snobbish wife (whose behavior and attitudes were normal for her era and station). We had the vicar's calculating attitudes. We have the charming but imperfect (in many ways) children of the Marquess and Marchioness. We have Lady Sedgley/Delafont, whose own history is explored in Simpson's second book (LADY DELAFONT'S DILEMMA). We are also introduced to Lady Grishelda May von Hoffen (heroine of Simpson's third book LADY MAY'S FOLLY).

Since I am a lover of good secondary characterization, this book was a delight in many ways. For example, I kept worrying about the mildly retarded younger daughter after I finished the book - and someday I would like to read a book about these two sisters. Not all the secondary characters were well-rounded of course, but that is more a problem associated with the book length and its necessary constraints.

I did have one major problem with this book - the titles issue. Simpson's first book showed off her strengths (great writing ability, marvellous primary and secondary characterization, an ability to write with emotion and yet restraint about sensitive issues), and they also showed her weakness for her early books - her lack of understanding of British titles and how they work. [In fairness to the author, she has corrected her mistakes in subsequent books]. The problem with this book is that there are two Lord St Claires - the Marquess and his brother (the hero) - in this book, which leads to a misunderstanding at one point. This was a slight flaw in an otherwise nearly-perfect book, because it was completely unbelievable that the housemaids would be calling both the Marquess and his brother by the same title.
I should also add that the British did not recognize foreign titles, and Lady May von Hoffen would not be a real "Lady". At best, she might be called Countess or Baroness socially but legally she would be a mere Miss in the UK.

I have tried not to write too many spoilers, but Celestine's arthritis and her love for her pupils - the two daughters of the Marquess and Marchioness - form the cornerstone of this story. You might disagree with Celestine's actions which jeopardize her health, but they are understandable given the kind of person she was. I hope that in later books, I come across this couple again and find out how they are doing and how well "Lady Elizabeth" is reconciled to their marriage. I would also like to hear more about Celestine's background and that of her aunt.

Recommended, despite a minor flaw.
Grade = 4.4 (A-)
Breakdown = romance element graded at 4.8 (A+; 25%), writing at 4.7 (A; 25%), characterization (of protagonists and secondary characters) at 4.5 (A-; 25%), plot development at 4.2 (B+; 25%). Average = 4.6. Deduction of 0.2 for title confusion which affects the plot.