The Reckoning

Morland Dynasty #15

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

1816: Napoleon has at last been defeated, but victory brings no peace to the English. The cost of war strikes deep into the country - there is raging inflation, discharged soldiers join the ranks of the unemployed, wages tumble and the bread price soar s- and hungry men are easily stirred to protest. Amid this turbulence, Heloise and James stand guard over Morland Place - for its spirit as much as its fortunes - when a tragic accident strikes at the very heart of the family, taking one person on whom they all depend. On top of this, a devastating scandal brings the Morland name into the glare of public notoriety, so that Sophie and Rosamund are forced to learn the difference between real love and its enticing but dangerous illusion.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Romance

486 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (aka Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett)

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.

She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.

She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.

In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.

Reviews

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great instalment of the Morland dynasty- this had everything! This family is getting more and more interesting with each book.

[gardienne_du_feu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Stimmung in England ist angespannt nach dem Ende der Napoleonischen Kriege. Zwar ist endlich wieder Frieden eingekehrt, doch die erhoffte Erleichterung hat er nicht mit sich gebracht. Im Gegenteil, die Lebensmittelpreise steigen, die Menschen sind unzufrieden, und unter den Fabrikarbeitern regt sich Widerstand gegen die harten Arbeitsbedingungen.

Auch Heloïse und James spüren die Auswirkungen der Krise auf Morland Place und müssen überlegen, wie sie mit dem vorhandenen Vermögen am besten wirtschaften können, um weder den traditionsreichen Familiensitz aufgeben noch treues Personal entlassen zu müssen. Hinzu kommt ein tragischer Unglücksfall, der die Familie aufwühlt.

Die jüngere Generation ist großenteils mit Herzensangelegenheiten beschäftigt. Rosamund ist nun endlich mit Marcus verlobt, beginnt aber daran zu zweifeln, ob sie diese Verbindung überhaupt möchte, während ihre Cousine Sophie von einem flotten jungen Exsoldaten mit leicht zweifelhaftem Ruhm umschwärmt wird. Rosamunds Schwester Minnie hingegen ist auf einem abgelegenen Landsitz schier lebendig begraben, lässt aber alles mit seltsamer Passivität über sich ergehen, bis es zu einem folgenschweren Missverständnis kommt.

Wie immer hat es mir große Freude gemacht, zum nunmehr 15. Mal in die Welt der Morlands einzutauchen. Umfassten die ersten Bände noch ganze Lebensläufe oder zumindest Generationen, erzählt die Autorin mittlerweile kleinteiliger und schildert hier nur wenige Jahre, in denen aber auch viel passiert, sowohl im Makrokosmos von Politik und Gesellschaft als auch im Kleinen, innerhalb der Familie und im Leben der liebgewonnenen Figuren.

In bewährter Weise verflicht Harrod-Eagles saubere Recherche mit fein gezeichneten Charakteren und unterhält ausgezeichnet mit einer schönen Mischung aus Gesellschaftsporträt, Familiensaga, Liebesdingen und kleinen feinen Details über das Leben in jener Zeit. Nach wie vor eine meiner historischen Lieblingsserien.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: Don't read this without reading the earlier books in the series, or you won't understand who is who!

This fifteenth book in the series covers the years 1816 through 1821. The long war with France is finally over, but with peace does not come prosperity. 1816 was to become known as "The Year Without a Summer" as rain and nearly constant grey skies cause an extremely poor harvest. An economic slump leads to many out of work laborers, some of whom riot.

Meanwhile the Morland family has its own problems, despite their status as landed gentry. Both the slump and the weather affect them as well as increasing their charitable giving. But slowly both Rosamund and her cousin Sophie begin to recover from losing their fiances at Waterloo; Rosamund marries her first love, her cousin Marcus, once her childhood hero. But before long she is following in her mother's footsteps (in fact, some of her dialog reads suspiciously like things Lucy said in an earlier book!). Meanwhile Sophie, on a visit to Manchester to see the mill Heloise inherited, becomes very interested in improving the lives of the mill workers. And then scandal rocks not just the family, but the entire country!


This scandal seems to recreate the one that occurred at the death of Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley during the reign of Elizabeth the First. The circumstances are suspiciously similar, but the Robsart affair is never referred to in this book.

Fascinating view of life during this period from the point of the upper classes, including their stance on universal suffrage (against) and the belief that people are born to the station intended for them! Recommended.

[Nicola Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series never lets me down. This is book 15 of a series that I just can't get enough of. In this book peace comes at last following the long Napoleonic wars but with that peace comes turbulent times for trade, taking in the Peterloo Massacre along with increasing changes in the way people want to work. This book also has one of the saddest losses of the series which made me cry. Such a great read, with expert plotting which merges real life events with those of the Morlands and the Chelmsfords.

[Jan Goin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been totally involved with this series and can't wait to get to the next volume. The characters develop over a long story arch and the author creates a world and time that they can live in. The back story of the historical context gives motive and movement to the characters in the various predicaments they find themselves in...some are very unconventional for the times, viz. Lucy Morland who leaves home to become a ship's surgeon disguised as a young man (in another book).

[Justin Neville · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best in the series for a while.
Focused quite evenly on the various members and branches of the family, very satisfactorily. The politics was definitely well there, but didn't overwhelm the family story, which is what one comes to these books for.

[Trudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean ... just to check ... we all think Harvey did it, right? Did Harvey do it?

I hope this got spoiler-tagged -- I certainly meant for it to be.

[Paulette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Morland Dynasty books though lately I am been averaging reading one volume every other year or so, so it takes me awhile to try to remember the last book. No worries though, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles writes so well and so detailed that memories flood back as you read along this English history soap opera. There is a lot of romance and angst and characters you like--and dislike--set against the backdrop of early 19th Century England. This is not a book however you want to jump into without having read the others. This is not like a mystery series with the same main characters, in which you can just read one isolated story. The saga all connects and it is much better to read everything beforehand. Highly recommend this book and the whole series. I have read 14 previous volumes and none have disappointed.

[Winifred · Rating 4 out of 5]

good historical facts. Very good descriptive writing. The continuation of the life of the Morland family. The Napeoleonic wars have ended and the family are now trying to settle in to normal way of life. The ordinary man of the street wants something different. A good detail of the peterloo massacre given. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles gives a very good realistic view of how the people of england lived during this time.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The family has become so big, but Harrod-Eagles focuses on a few choice characters to move the story forward. Lucy's daughter, Rosamund, is tantalized by the marriage market - will she be safe or take a risk like her mother? Meanwhile, Lucy's eldest daughter, Flaminia, is in a loveless marriage and stuck in a bubble that she fears leaving. I do love that the Dowager Duchess finally gets her comeuppance.

[Luci · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was entertaining and focused more on the marriages and loves within the family but sometimes the parts where other characters discuss historical events comes across a little heavy handed -- it seems like she is cramming the details into their mouths. I do enjoy the family drama and watching these characters grow up and cause trouble on their own.

[D.A. Cairns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too long. Again I got involved in a saga which at times I wanted to give up on. Obviously a well crafted novel and well plotted. Not pacy enough for me. Not enough tension between characters and for a long novel not enough catastrophes. Very good characterization.

[HattieB · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book. A good addition to the saga. Read the full review on my blog: https://iwasadisneykid.wordpress.com/...