The Bartered Bride

by Elizabeth Mansfield

A Bride Most Dear

Brokenhearted from a shattered romance, Lord Kittridge agreed to marry Cassandra Chivers for forty thousand pounds of her father's money. But he recalled having seen her exquisite face somewhere before--and he was sure Cassie had planned to ensnare him in marriage. Was his new bride a crafty schemer behind her shy demeanor?

Cassie loved him from the moment their eyes met... Why was he determined to believe the worst about her? All she wanted was his happiness -- and his love -- no matter what the cost might be.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Regency, Clean Romance, Traditional Regency, Historical Fiction

219 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Elizabeth Mansfield is the author of numerous regency romances. She is an intelligent and thoughtful writer, a hidden gem whose novels deserve to be more widely read and enjoyed.

Elizabeth Mansfield is the pen name of the talented Paula Reibel Schwartz. Ms Schwartz also wrote different genres under the pen names Paula Reibel, Paula Reid, and Paula Jonas.

Reviews

[Lyuda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This novel owes much of its plot and characters to Georgette Heyer's "A Civil Contract." It's not a favorite plot of mine. When it's done well, like in Ravishing the Heiress, it's heartbreaking, agonizing and painful to read. Reading the Bartered Bride left me with no such emotions mostly due to the way the story is written - more tell than show.
The author is a hit-and-miss for me. This one is just an average traditional regency offering.

[Ilze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another variation on the theme of "penniless lord marries cit's daughter who secretly loves him to desperation". Georgette Heyer wrote the original, one of her best, in "A Civil Contract", Rose Lerner did a fine job with this theme in her debut novel "In For a Penny" and Sherry Thomas' "Ravishing the Heiress" is excellent. But Elizabeth Mansfield's version has some very nice touches too.

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.65*
This is an old fashioned, traditional HR with old fashioned gestures - both romantic and self-sacrificing - keeping a married couple apart.

The h/H meet at a linendraper's shop where the painfully shy h is accused, by the clerk, of lying about paying for her wares. The H, a returning soldier, defends her and proves her innocence. The h falls in love with him there and then.
The H is a Viscount who comes home to realize that his irresponsible father has gambled away his inheritance and has left him and his family (mother, brother, widowed sister and two nieces) completely destitute. He also has a childhood sweetheart who waiting for him to return. Knowing that he couldn't expect her to live in penury with him, he visits her to break off with her only to get a cool reception from her parents who are taking her away to the continent. The girl, to give her credit, is heartbroken and they vow to not forget each other and she promises to write to him. It's no use for him to write as her parents have already stopped passing his letters to her.

Meanwhile, the h is the daughter of a wealthy cit who knowing of the H's straits asks her father to help him. The father, through the H's man of affairs, advises him of three options. First two include selling off most of his remaining properties and living very simply in the country till he turn profit at his main estate. The third is to marry is daughter for a dowry of 40,000 - enough to pay off his debts and make improvements on farms. The H refuses the last but comes home to an uncooperative and self absorbed family that refuse to moderate their lives. Defeated, he accepts to marry the girl.

The h is shocked to know of what her father has planned on her behalf, as is the H on meeting the girl from the shop. He cynically decides that she wanted to be viscountess and a place in society. They marry after he tells her that it'll only be a moc between them.
They move to his family seat where he gets busy making improvements on the estate and she, in cleaning and brightening up the place. The H's bff and, later, her snobbish sister visit them. The h manages to win the love and admiration of both these initially disapproving people. In fact, she and her SIL become devoted friends.

All this time, the H is friendly but otherwise distant with the h. The h notices that his behavior becomes even more remote whenever he receives square shaped letters forwarded from his mother. By the H's bff admission, she gets to know of her husband's first love and the mystery of the letters is solved for her. She's, of course, heartbroken and wishes she'd never married him. But slowly, she gathers herself and continues on. The H notices a new reserve in his wife that annoys him. His resolve is severely tested as he's determined to honor his love for the ow but he is feeling a growing attraction for his shy wife.

The letters stop coming. The h notices her husband's agitation and decides on a stupid ploy ( quite contrary to her retiring nature, I feel.) The adoring wife forges three letter from the ow to her husband! The part preceding this - where she couldn't stop herself from reading the earlier letters, feeling like Bluebeard's wife, breaks down and is discovered and comforted by her Sil - is heartbreaking.
But later, where the guilty h dreams of the H/Ow meeting and her deceit being discovered is rib tickling funny as is the actual scene when the H breaks down her door to confront her ...
“R-Robert?” she stammered, not sure whether the threatening apparition standing over her was a vision from a nightmare or Bluebeard in the flesh. He shook the letters in her face. “Well, ma’am? Explain, if you can, why you wrote these damned letters!”
But, then he says some very hurtful things to her and the h finally leaves him and goes back to her father. The H tries to grovel but she refuses to meet him.

Till he comes up with a grand gesture for his true love - his wife.
So, to begin with, while he's stupidly hung on the romantic notions of first love and staying loyal to it, the h shows that love is about willing to do anything to make the beloved happy. And then, he demonstrates that he can prove equal and worthy of her love.

I enjoyed this slow burn traditional HR. It is slow but is never boring as things are always happening - if not on the h/H front then her winning over his friend and sister is also very fulfilling and remarkable. It's quite an achievement for a lonely and shy girl who has never achieved 'intimacy' with anyone in her life.

[Megzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first half of the book, I felt I was reading a not as well written copy of A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer. On the second half the story takes a new turn and you come to see some redeeming quality in Robert. Robert emotionally cheats on his wife for majority of the book and blames her existence for his action, putting his family's extravagant lifestyle ahead of selling his future wife's noble title. He had no intention of a real marriage and wanted to remain faithful to his first love Elanor whom by his insistent remained in contact with him by sending him love letters even after she knew he was married.. He didn't even want to consummate his marriage for a long time and after about 4 months...by the time he did, Cassie refused because she knew he didn't and would never love or care for her.

[Vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing Regency MOC.

The hero ruined it for me. He accepts a MOC with a sweet young thang then continues to moon for his long-term fiancee now languishing in Europe.

She's not an idiot, but tries to make him happy by doing something idiotic. She writes him a letter to him pretending to be the ex-fiancee. Let's just say it doesn't go well when he finds out. Mean.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

The MMC is pining after Another Woman for a bit during their marriage so that sets him back a bit. The FMC does a silly thing to try and soothe his feelings. They don't communicate a lot with each other so there is not that much chemistry. But I finished it in an evening so.

[✮ rach ✮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't actually read a lot of historical or regency reads, but this one was recommended to me by a friend, so I thought, why not?

Strangely enough, I actually liked this one :) Apologies for the mild spoilers ahead...

Firstly, I haven't read A Civil Contract before, so I can't make the comparisons other reviewers have. What I can tell you is that this trope is normally one that is often botched up for me. I never seem to be satisfied with the ending. I usually don't feel that the hero (because let's face it...it's always the hero!) ever redeems himself enough for me. But this time, I thought it was written well.

Super shy Cassie ends up meeting Robert when he is the only person who steps up and defends her when she is accused of being a thief. Robert has just recently returned from military service only to find out his late father has squandered away the family fortune and left them pretty much destitute. So much so that the love of his life, Elinor, is taken away by her parents who no longer wish for her to marry Robert. Cassie returns home to tell her father (a rich but untitled man) what happened and how Robert is pretty much a super hero in her eyes, so he ends up arranging marriage between the two in exchange for a large sum of money.
Robert agrees, but his heart is with Elinor. He even goes as far as to beg her to write to him (though he would never write back) and he lives for the letters she sends. Cassie, who has hero-worshipped him from the start, finds out after they're married that he loves another and ends up finding the letters.
Yes, Robert is hung up on Elinor in the beginning, but things start to change between him and Cassie as they slowly get to know each other. Unfortunately, every time he received a letter, he distanced himself from his wife and locked himself away in his study. Normally this would annoy the shit out of me, but I actually liked that their love wasn't instantaneous. I also liked that they hadn't consummated the marriage because I think if they had, and he was still thinking of Elinor, then I would have been disappointed. But months later when he's ready for them to have a 'real' marriage, she doesn't give in, knowing that his heart lies with Elinor. Things happen and he says some really hurtful things and she takes off.
What impressed me - and the reason I liked this - was even though Cassie loved him, a simple apology wasn't going to cut it with her. Even when he shows up every day trying to get her back, she refuses him time and time again. He knows that no amount of telling her he loves her is going to cut it so has to pull out the big guns. Had it not been for the big gesture, I would have though that Cassie would have forgiven Robert too easily, but I liked how Robert was willing to put it all on the line for him to get his wife back.
I don't think this is a theme or era that I would read a lot of, but I thought this story was very well done :)

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shy daughter of a rich merchant is rescued from false accusations at a draper’s shop by a handsome Captain of the Light Dragoons. Her father arranges a marriage to the captain, who’s also Viscount Kittridge, to supply him with money enough to save his family. He thinks Cassie engineered it when he remembers where he’d seen her before. Complications abound—he’s in love, but the engagement is broken by her parents. Cassie sees he’s unhappy without the old flame so writes letters, pretending to be her. He gets angry... But in the end all comes round just fine.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came from the high of reading Elizabeth Mansfield's book The Counterfeit Husband and was expecting a similar experience reading this one. Sadly no. While the book was well written and appropriate to the setting, I disagreed a lot with how the male protagonist treated our heroine and also sadly lamented how she could fall in love with such a guy who treated her so.

The plot of The Bartered Bride is about a Cassie and Lord Kittridge. They contract a marriage that centers on money. Lord Kittridge is in debt due to this father and is using Cassie's money to pay off and support his mother and brother and sister's livelihoods. Cassie, sweet kind-hearted girl, married him out of love and despite knowing he could have any rich girl and made herself the choice. The beginning was enough of a lead to hope the marriage between the two would elicit some feelings of love. Unfortunately on Lord Kittridge's side, he already formed a prejudice against Cassie thinking of her to be a clout chaser, using his lordship's name to get her up on society when her every action (if he had paid any decent attention) was just to appease him and live a quiet life together. He was also still lovesick over a previous fiancée.

This plot point would hinder the relationship to the point of disgust. He has explosive anger, unjust jealousy, and bitter insults towards her. The apologies where not up to par or were swept under the rug. Lord Kittridge for the most part has changed. From what I read at the beginning, I assume him to be understanding, patient and kind but at the end, he's narcissistic, petulant, and irrational. Cassie stayed loyal and true which hurt the plot. She had her moments when she stood up for herself but failed to hold her husband responsible for the hurtful words and actions he said and did to her.

Anyways the book was still enjoyable to read for the drama of it. The sweet moments that passed between them were lovely to read and the explosive parts were a drama of itself. It would have been nice to see him and her have a conversation as they did when they first contracted their marriage about the misunderstandings and fights. That would have made up for the outrageous stunts he pulled earlier in the climax.

[Teresa Traver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third Elizabeth Mansfield novel I've read, and I still have mixed feelings about her books. On the one hand, I love her writing style, and I have enjoyed the variety of characters she creates.

On the other hand, her characters make the WORST decisions. And unlike Georgette Heyer's books, in which the characters' terrible decisions make me laugh, Mansfield's books often make me cringe.

This one was no exception. It started off reminding me a lot of Heyer's A CIVIL CONTRACT, in that it's about a marriage between an impoverished viscount and the daughter of a wealthy businessman. But Mansfield takes the plot in a very different direction. I liked Cassie, but I never quite warmed to Robbie, in part because he didn't seem to take his marriage seriously. Apart from that, though, I enjoyed the book until about the 2/3 mark, when the characters began doing ridiculous things.

I think I need a break from Mansfield now! Love her writing, but her plots don't quite work for me. Too bad!

[Dueep Jyot · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good writer but this is a bad copy of Georgette heyer's A civil contract with bankrupt hero, unattractive heroine blah blah blah.
No thanks. This review is for my reference so that I don't borrow this forgettable book again.

[Patrizia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una versione più frivola di 'A Civil Contract' di Georgette Heyer: i personaggi sono più evanescenti, e l'intreccio non è altrettanto curato.
L'insieme però è divertente e nel complesso ben scritto: mi ha strappato più di una risata, e ne sono infinitamente grata all'autrice.

[Reforming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet romance. Plot twist at the end was a little hard to believe, but prior to that character development was impressive.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really cute book from the first page to the last.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were too many twists and turns and of course, all the misunderstanding.

[HistoricalHussy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shy Cassandra Chivers, meets Robert Rossiter, Lord Kittridge, at a shop where she has been accused of stealing fabric for which she has just paid. He stands up for her and makes them balance the day's take to settle the issue, which verifies her payment. He then becomes her knight in shining armor. When her father hears of the incident he chastises her for going alone and with so little money, especially when he is very rich and she has a companion. He knows how difficult this kind of situation is for her. But he notes how Cassie lights up at her hero's name. When he is later asked to advise Kittridge on how to save his bankrupt family, he includes an option to marry into a wealthy cit family looking for a son-in-law with a title. Then offers his daughter. Both are reluctant to make the bargain, but agree eventually. The story follows 2 people who really want to make the best of the situation and who work hard to make the needed changes. A good Regency romance.

[Nenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely hate the marriage of convenience trope where the H still has the hots for OW and mistreats the h.

I believe we have Georgette Heyer's The Convenient Marriage to thank for that. While TCM wasn't all that explicit, therefore letting the reader imagine things in brighter light, it was, quite honestly, not that great (though better than most GH)... and the same can be said of it's H.

(edit: oopsie. the GH was A Civil Contract, and the end absolutely ruined it.)

The H here turned out to be carved from pretty much the same stone. Where GH redeems herself by not letting the reader in the H's mind, EM actually has the better H.

Still, not happy with this one.

The letters were a nice touch... (reminded me of Yours until dawn, Teresa Medeiros) but the H had to go off and act like a complete jackass!

Rather silly story, but then it is a regency romance.

I guess the ending was wrapped up too fast. Not enough apologizing. I dunno.

[Muriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another lovely entry from Mansfield that reminded me a bit of Heyer's A Civil Contract. I could have done without the convoluted letter scheme near the end but I did think the characters were lovely.

[Delaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep feeling surprised by how nuanced and just well written Mansfield's regencies are. This one actually caused me to sympathize so strongly with Cassie that I kept getting lumps in my throat toward the end.

[Elidanora · Rating 2 out of 5]

A conveniece marriage that then evolve in one of love. To be truthfull I din´t care this kind of plot.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story.

Content: clean- a few mild swear words

[Beeface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite story. Not on my Keepers shelf.

[Mystique · Rating 4 out of 5]

doormat h

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regency