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The Bad Baron's Daughter by Laura London
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The Bad Baron's Daughter Laura London (Sharon and Tom Curtis) Romance novel 1978 Rating: B- |
The Bad Baron's Daughter was perhaps the second or third book I read by the Curtises, and everything they wrote sort of pales next to the brilliance of The Windflower, so it's a difficult task to rate their books objectively and not as a comparison. The best I can do is say this is a pretty good Regency romance; it has some funny moments, an interestingly complex hero, and a good secondary cast. If it feels like an early trial run for Windflower, well, I suppose in a way it was.
Katie Kendricks, the wayward, irresponsible gambler Baron Kendrick's daughter, has had a less than sheltered childhood. Her father has taken care of her only when he noticed her and wasn't otherwise preoccupied. There was food on the table and horses in the stable when the cards were good. However, currently young Katie doesn't even know where her father is. The money's all gone. She's being dunned by scary creditors, and the only work she can find is serving booze in the Merry Maidenhead, a gin joint run by Zack, a sort of ex-step-brother of hers. And she's posing as a boy so she isn't impressed into the oldest profession by one of her customers. Unfortunately Nasty Ned, one of the area's brawler's takes it into his head he must have Katie, and he's not too particular about her gender.
Enter Lesley Byrne, Lord Linden. Linden is a notorious rakehell, ex-military, as highly connected as they come. He's also gorgeous and rich. Slumming in the Merry Maidenhead is just a temporary diversion for him, and he has no intention in interfering when Ned makes his moves on Katie - until she clutches at him and begs him with her big blue eyes and frightened face to...do something. Against his character and his better judgment, Linden helps her. He saves her from Ned and then a day later saves her again. At which time Zack propositions him, then sells Katie to him for 50 pounds, delivered. Katie knows nothing of these arrangements and arrives on his doorstep, slightly drugged knowing only that this is a safe place Zack has found for her to stay until Ned calms down. Things get interesting from there.
On the surface The Bad Baron's Daughter isn't too terribly similar to The Windflower. There are no pirates, for one. Linden is helping, not kidnapping Katie. But books books exist in the same gritty historical period, one filled with gin addicts, cheap and dirty prostitutes, everyday violence, and class hierarchy. Like Devon, Linden has a duchess for a grandmother, an opinionated older woman who isn't above trying to manipulate events for her own satisfaction. The villain of this story is also a relative, one who would benefit from a line of inheritance that is, shall we say, smaller. Katie is an innocent miss, like Merry, and she gathers a number of admirers, including a randy young man who is almost as heroic as Linden. Both books have their share of melodramatic elements, including kidnapping and attempted murder. All of this works much, much better in The Windflower, unfortunately.
First of all, the inequality between Linden and Katie is extreme. He is vastly more educated and experienced than she is, wealthier and more connected too. She has her looks and her innocence. That's about it. The only skill he can really admire in her is her ability to ride a horse. So why she brings out his softer side in such a dramatic way is unclear. A spur of the moment rescue is perhaps understandable. But he continues to rescue her (and rescue her and rescue her) despite knowing very little about her. The story is set over a very short period, and the two of them talk little, so by book's end his motivation is still unclear. Besides her looks, she's just not that interesting.
She's also a little too sheltered for a girl with such an unsheltered upbringing. Much of the humor of the book is predicated on Katie's misunderstanding some of the more lascivious elements of Linden's life. But would she be so innocent, this girl whose father was so profligate in every way? Much of dialogue seems less funny than dense.
On the positive side, the Curtises' evocative description and trademark humor are both in force. And Linden is much more complex than many heroes. He is a true rake, one with little softer feelings toward his fellow humans - which makes his bending toward and comforting of Katie that much sweeter. Personally, I like heroes who can be a little nasty, a bit impatient when people around them lag behind or act in exasperating ways. But that's me. If you prefer a kinder, gentler hero, Linden is not your man.
Overall, this is a flawed book, but worth the time I spent on it. If you run across a copy, I'd recommend trying it. Just don't read it right after The Windflower or Sunshine and Shadow; both of those books completely eclipse this one in scope, complexity and characterization.
(For an excellently written, far more glowing review of this same book go here.)
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