The Merchant's Dilemma, A Meonbridge Chronicles Companion Novel

by Carolyn Hughes

1362. Winchester. Seven months ago, accused of bringing plague and death from Winchester, Bea Ward was hounded out of Meonbridge by her former friends and neighbours. Finding food and shelter where she could, she struggled to make her way back to Winchester again.

Yet, once she arrived, she wondered why she’d come.

For her former lover – the love of her life – Riccardo Marchaunt, had married a year ago. And she no longer had the strength to go back to her old life on the streets. Frail, destitute and homeless, she was reduced to begging. Then, in January, during a tumultuous and destructive storm, she found herself on Riccardo’s doorstep. She had no plan, beyond hoping he might help her, or at least provide a final resting place for her poor body.

When Bea awakes to find she’s lying in Riccardo’s bed once more, she’s thankful, thrilled, but mystified. But she soon learns that his wife died four months ago, along with their newborn son, and finds too that Riccardo loves her now as much as he ever did, and wants to make her his wife. But can he? And, even if he can, could she ever really be a proper merchant’s wife?

Riccardo could not have been more relieved to find Bea still alive, when he thought he had lost her forever. She had been close to death, but is now recovering her health. He adores her and wants her to be his wife. But how? His father would forbid such an “unfitting” match, on pain of denying him his inheritance. And what would his fellow merchants think of it? And their haughty wives?

Yet, Riccardo is determined that Bea will be his wife. He has to find a solution to his dilemma… With the help of his beloved mother, Emilia, and her close friend, Cecily, he hatches a plan to make it happen.

But even the best laid plans sometimes go awry. And the path of love never did run smooth…

The Merchant’s Dilemma is a companion novel to the main series of MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLES, and continues the story of Bea and Riccardo after the end of the fourth Chronicle, Children’s Fate. It is a little more romantic and light-hearted than the other Chronicles but, if you’ve enjoyed reading about the lives of the characters of Meonbridge, you will almost certainly enjoy reading The Merchant’s Dilemma too!

Genres: Historical Fiction

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2023

About the author

Carolyn Hughes was born in London, but has lived most of her life in Hampshire. After a first degree in Classics and English, she started her working life as a computer programmer, in those days a very new profession. It was fun for a few years, but she left to become a school careers officer in Dorset.

But it was when she discovered technical authoring that she knew she had found her vocation. She spent the next few decades writing and editing all sorts of material, some fascinating, some dull, for a wide variety of clients, including an international hotel group, medical instrument manufacturers and the Government.

She has written creatively for most of her adult life, but it was not until her children grew up and flew the nest, several years ago, that creative writing and, especially, writing historical fiction, took centre stage in her life.

She has a Masters in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University, and a PhD from the University of Southampton.

Reviews

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Merchant’s Dilemma is described as a Companion Novel to the author’s evocative medieval fiction series, The Meonbridge Chronicles, which currently features five books. Shorter and simpler than the main books, this follows directly on from Book Four, Children’s Fate, (published in 2020) and focusses entirely on Emma’s daughter, Bea, and her wealthy lover Riccardo. While you could happily read this as a stand-alone, it obviously helps to have read the other books, but be aware that it is quite different, and will appeal more to Romance fans, skipping the mystery, action & drama elements that characterise the main series books in favour of a plot centred on a small cast of characters and their relationships.

After being cast out of her home village, wayward seamstress turned involuntary Lady of the Night Beatrix has been living on the streets of Winchester for months until, starving and near frozen to death, she made her way to Riccardo’s doorstep, in the hope that he would arrange a decent burial for her. Riccardo, having married a gentlewoman to please his father, who then died in childbirth, is overjoyed to be reunited with Bea, his true love, and is determined that now they will be together forever. Unfortunately, he knows his status-obsessed father will never consent to their marriage, and Riccardo risks losing his inheritance if he disobeys, but feisty Bea is none too happy at being kept a secret. Can the star-crossed lovers find happiness despite their different backgrounds and the snobbery of Riccardo’s family?

While romance is decidedly not my genre, I’m invested enough in this series to want to know what happens to the various characters and soft-hearted enough to want happy endings for them. As in Children’s Fate, I didn’t actually like Bea much, even when I felt sorry for her - she’s flighty and immature - which is understandable given she’s still only a teenager, but all the pouting and sulking made me wonder why Riccardo put up with her! I did however love wily pragmatic Emilia and Cecily. The main tension comes from wondering how they can fool the gossipy society of Riccardo’s world into accepting Bea, and hide her shocking past from his shallow family, but the inevitable happy ending is never really in doubt. As ever with these books, fourteenth century life is vividly portrayed and the historical details well researched.

Thanks to Carolyn for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
The Merchant’s Dilemma is published on September 22nd.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carolyn Hughes describes The Merchant’s Dilemma as a ‘companion novel’ to her historical fiction series, ‘The Meonbridge Chronicles’, set in a small village in 14th century Hampshire. For those who’ve read previous books in the series, The Merchant’s Dilemma continues the story of two characters, Beatrix and Riccardo, who featured in the fourth book, Children’s Fate. However, it can easily be read as a standalone as there are plenty of references to prior events in the lives of Beatrix and Riccardo, meaning it would also be the ideal introduction to the author’s books.

As Carolyn admits, The Merchant’s Dilemma is a little more romantic and light-hearted than other books in the series and, being set in Winchester, it doesn’t immerse you in medieval life in quite the same way as the books set in Meonbridge so wonderfully do. In fact, its storyline involving romance between people of different classes could have come right out of Jane Austen.

Although Riccardo’s dilemma is understandable given his position in society and Bea’s past, it was Bea’s patience that I admired most. At every turn a new obstacle seems to be placed in the way of her becoming Riccardo’s wife, and even when one is removed another seemingly takes its place. Enter two brilliant characters: Riccardo’s mother, Emilia, and Emilia’s friend, Cecily. Together they embark on a plan to convince Winchester society that Beatrix is a suitable potential wife for Riccardo, training her on how to behave. With shades of Pygmalion, Beatrix must become Beatrice, learning to appear demure in public and only able to let her hair down – literally – in private.

I never doubted Riccardo’s love for Beatrix, even if he does appear obstinate and overly timid, testing her patience to the limit. The reader’s too, I suspect.

Luckily for Riccardo, Emilia and Cecily take charge of the situation given that he, his brother Giacomo and their former drinking buddies are making a right old mess of things with rumours starting to spread about the true nature of Beatrix’s past. The flames are fanned by Sarah, Giacomo’s harridan of a wife, who likes to think herself superior to everyone else but enjoys nothing better than trading the latest scurrilous gossip. Eventually even Riccardo is the subject of a dangerous slander.

After many trials and tribulations, The Merchant’s Dilemma concludes in the way all romances should, leaving the reader with a smile and a warm feeling inside.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished The Merchant’s Dilemma in 2 days and loved it! I would be excited to read more of these shorter works about peripheral characters while we wait for the longer novels. I found this to be a ‘lighter’ read than the longer ones simply because there were less characters to keep track of. It was good to ‘catch up’ with Bea and Riccardo and I found his mother to be a very interesting character that I would love to see in a short or long story. I really like this idea of side novellas to give us a glimpse of other characters and how they got to the spot in the longer novels or what happens to them after. I would like to see something about Eleanor and the life of Margaret before she met the lord became the manor’s lady. It would be historically interesting to learn how you could move from your humble beginnings up the social hierarchy to another level. Also learning how the daily life of the women unfolds in this time period would be enjoyable the way Ms Hughes writes about this time period. I’m definitely a fan and you should give any of her Meonbridge Chronicles or novellas a try!

[Anne Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something very different from the author this time – not Meonbridge, but a Winchester setting, and a story on a rather smaller scale as we follow the efforts of merchant Riccardo to follow his heart and make Beatrix his wife. So, a romance? Yes, it is – and a really engaging one, set against a particularly authentic 14th century backdrop, when marrying a woman from a different class and with a dubious past proves a considerable challenge.

Having found Bea collapsed on his doorstep, their developing relationship resumes in secret at first – she was formerly his mistress, but circumstances forced them apart, and both are hoping for a happier future now that Riccardo is free to be with her once more. But the barriers are immense – as the eldest son, his ailing father would never accept the possibility of his marrying a former prostitute (despite the coercion that first forced her down that path) and he would lose his inheritance, so they first need to await his death. And that’s only the first hurdle – but help comes from an unexpected direction. His mother Emilia, made aware of their situation, is surprisingly sympathetic – there are parallels in her own story, nicely done – and, with the help of her friend Cecily, sets about establishing the fiction that Beatrix is actually Beatrice, newly arrived from the country and innocent in the ways of the world, suitably demure and a wholly suitable wife for her widowed son.

But her former life proves difficult to escape – a drinking friend recognises her and unwittingly begins to spread rumours, eagerly pounced on by Sarah, the calculating wife of his brother Giacomo, who has ambitions of her own and will go to considerable lengths to achieve them. And from that point, things get even more difficult – not only the likely discovery of their secret, but unfounded accusations about the circumstances of Riccardo’s father’s death that make any possibility of a happy ending increasingly unlikely.

The characterisation in this book is superb, every individual so well developed – and Bea is especially sympathetic, perhaps a tad less naive these days, but her excitement at having refound her lost love and the possibility of a secure and happy future imbued with a joy you can really feel. The romance is very real, and beautifully handled – but although there’s never any doubt about Riccardo’s commitment to their relationship, his hesitation and prevarication might just rather test her patience. Thank goodness for Emilia and Cecily, their united front, and their care in schooling her in the behaviour and appearance that society expects. And then there’s the horrendous Sarah – wonderfully drawn – bitter and twisted, manipulating brother Giacomo’s interventions, and going to such lengths to achieve her own ends.

This is a story that could easily have played out against a Regency backdrop, and it’s sometimes possible to forget that this is the fourteenth century. But although the author’s customary extraordinary attention to detail and meticulous world-building might not be so immediately apparent, the story is very firmly grounded in its era with its familial and societal expectations and conventions. And that’s particularly clever writing – as in the main Chronicles, human nature is the constant, just played out in a different context, and that makes the whole story with its many twists and turns particularly engaging.

Should you share the concerns I initially had about books set in such an unfamiliar historical setting, this might just be a really good place to start – a little more gently than plunging straight into the world of Meonbridge, and with a romance that really was everything I wanted it to be. But do then try the rest of the series – I promise you’ll find it equally accessible, and the author’s writing something you’ll enjoy as much as I always do.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Merchant´s Dilemma” isn´t a “regular” part of the Meonbridge series, but a Meonbridge Chronicles Companion Novel, referring to the fourth installment “Children´s Fate”. It continues the personal history of Bea Ward, who was found weakened and nearly starved on the doorstep of her former lover Riccardo Marchaunt a few months ago. Therefore one should ideally have read “Children´s Fate” before “The Merchant´s Dilemma”.
Riccardo, whose wife has died in childbirth, and his loyal housekeeper take Bea in and nurse her back to health. Riccardo is still in love with her and wants her to become his wife, but in view of Bea´s past that might cause a scandal and it could lead to Riccardo being disinherited by his father. Thus for the present Bea has to live hidden in Riccardo´s house, which causes some quarrels between the young lovers. After Riccardo´s father has died, things seem to brighten up. Still it seems to be necessary to give Bea a new biography, so that she will be accepted into Winchester´s sophisticated society. Riccardo´s mother Emilia, from humble origins herself, supports the young couple but the three conspirators haven´t reckoned with Riccardo´s resentful sister-in-law Sarah, who would have preferred Riccardo to his younger brother Giacomo for a husband.
“The Merchant´s Dilemma” highlights the problems of a successful medieval merchant to make his lover, who formerly was forced into prostitution, his wife, a wish that would hardly be accepted by society. The implementation of Riccardo´s plan is defined by hide and seek, intrigues and betrayal which creates a lot of suspense.
The characters of the protagonists are well defined. Riccardo is a likeable, if somewhat weak man who musters the strength to fight for his happiness only after his father´s death. Bea is a young naïve girl but she is gradually developing more self-assurance. The other characters consist of some female and male(!) gossips and the arch villain Sarah, who has her husband Giacomo under her thumb, she is portrayed in a very negative light.
This novel focusses on the not corny love story and the strategies to help Riccardo and Bea reach their goal. Contrary to the other installments of the Meonbridge Chronicles the political and social background of the era is neglected.
Not quite so sophisticated, but very entertaining; a recommendable supplement to the main series!

[Adriana Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed the Meonbridge Chronicles series, I was delighted to receive a review copy of The Merchant’s Dilemma, a companion piece that follows up on characters introduced in the fourth Chronicle, Children’s Fate. I always appreciate historical fiction that’s well researched and gives a realistic picture of life in the era of its focus.

In her series, Carolyn Hughes has succeeded in highlighting the many consequences of the plague that ravaged England during the reign of Edward III, in the middle 1300s. Across two waves of the pestilence, it is estimated that half the population of England died. Peasant families lost many members – often their chief laborers, their means of earning an income. Noble estates suddenly didn’t have enough workers to bring in the harvest – or to plant the next year’s crops. Parents lost children. Wives lost husbands.

What I hadn’t thought of, though perhaps I should have, is brought to life in The Merchant’s Dilemma. Prostitution may be the world’s “oldest profession,” but in any era, it carries great stigma and is viewed with vast disrespect by most. But what if it wasn’t the woman’s fault? If she had no choice? What if she was forced into selling her body by a ruse, by what looked like an offer to be taught a useful trade, such as embroidery? Is there any route out for such a woman?

Both main characters in this novel are constrained by the strict rules and expectations of the fourteenth century’s social order. A respected merchant can certainly have a mistress on the side – but a former prostitute? And then to marry her? Unthinkable.

Without giving away spoilers, I think readers will be cheering for Bea as she encounters one insurmountable obstacle after another. She’ll need all the help she can get.

A satisfying read. Four Stars.

[V.E.H. Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Merchant’s Dilemma tells the story of Riccardo, a merchant, and his beloved Beatrice – formerly a prostitute – who he now wants to make his wife. And there in a nutshell is the merchant’s dilemma, for how will his family, friends, neighbours and business partners react to his future wife’s former calling?

Riccardo does not waver in his intention to marry Bea however as rumours begin to spread about her previous life, he’s also aware he may lose the contacts very necessary to conduct his business, and then how will he be able to support a wife. And for Bea, saved from near death, how can she convince others of the background story Riccardo and she have concocted especially with Riccardo’s brother’s wife, the marvelously drawn and extremely nasty Sarah, determined to reveal all. But help comes from surprising sources, including her future mother-in-law.

There are some lovely touches in this book, for instance Bea having to learn to cast her eyes down as a lady should when spoken to, but what especially shone through was the kindness of many of the assembled array of characters which draws the reader in and gives an overall sense of the wonderful family of Meonbridge, in spite of the unpleasant few.

I had not come across Riccardo and Bea before and although this is a companion novel to the Meonbridge Chronicles, I had no trouble picking up on the characters and back story so it could equally be read as a standalone.

[Sandra Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bea Ward is hounded out of Meonbridge. Reduced to begging she finds herself on Riccardo's doorstep with no plan beyond hoping he might help her, or at least provide a final resting place for her poor body.
We follow the story of Bea and Riccardo through their ups and downs.
I really enjoyed the storyline and was engrossed right from the start by the way the author sets the scenes and found them very descriptive to the point I didn’t want to put the book down but keep reading to find out what happened next.
The author has brought the characters to life and you feel great empathy with them - especially with Bea and Riccardo.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next book from this author.

[Laura Willyard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Read! The Merchant's Dilemma is a companion novel of the Meonbridge Chronicles by Carolyn Hughes. If you have not read the Chronicles series I encourage you to do so! However, you can read this book independently, but will enjoy it the more if you do. This book explores and expands on some of the other characters you met in the main Chronicle series. I LOVE Carolyn's attention to historical detail and gift of making the everyday lives and the period come alive. Her books are books you can disappear into to another time and place. As always I CANNOT wait to read more! KUDOS again to Carolyn!!!

[Sally Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many obstacles in the way of true love!

Well, Carolyn Hughes has once again captured my heart with yet another chapter about the fine folks of Meonbridge. Such a struggle to find happiness for Bea. It seemed hopeless,and many happenings, enough to make anyone give up but not someone raised in Meonbridge, they proved that even when physical strength does not win the day, determination will out . A good heart proves to beat gossip. I loved this happy ending for these characters that I have come to love.

[Marie Z Johansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Good Read!

I am a fan of “dynasty” books and was delighted to read the entirety Carolyn Hughes Meonbridge series and, as this is a companion of that series I knew I would enjoy it as well - and I did - very much!

Set in the 14th century the Meonbridge world is populated with well drawn characters, myriad, enjoyable, subplots and a well of historically accurate little tidbits.

Hopefully I can look forward to reding more of Ms. Hughes’ books

[Carla Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful story!

I am up-to-date on all of the Meonbridge Chronicles and am eagerly looking forward to the next book. I’ve found it difficult to put these books down! There have been many late night reads!!!

[icelia peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

merchants Dilemma

I loved this book as well as the rest of the Meonbridge Chronicles. I look forward to reading more of your books.

[L.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's impossible for me not to love anything connected to The Meonbridge Chronicles, so being invited to read and review this novella was both a very definite no-brainer and a joyous treat. As expected, the author didn't disappoint.

The Merchant's Dilemma tells the love story of Bea and Riccardo. He's a successful merchant, who having recently lost his son and wife (the latter he married for the sake of the family name), realises that he always loved another - Bea, the woman who lived with him as his mistress before he was obliged to marry. But he has no idea where she might be, only for fortune to intervene when he returns home from searching for his true love to find her on his doorstep, barely alive. As much as he loves Bea, he knows society - primarily, his father - wouldn't accept her as his next wife. So, Bea continues to live with him in secret until his father passes (an issue that will later bring into doubt his personal integrity and risk his liberty).

His mother, however, is on his side (with a fabulous tale of her own to tell that highlights the irony of their situation!) and agrees to help him introduce Bea into society. Bea is frustrated but understanding, and takes on the role with gusto, fooling many of the family's friends and acquaintances. Their future looks promising until some unexpected gossip threatens more than just their possible marriage.

As a companion to the series, this story takes a more romantic and light-hearted path into those times. It's not as gritty or immersive as the main series, but it is utterly charming and definitely not without its drama and tension, all befitting the era, and all making for a wonderful reading experience. Bea's life beyond Meonbridge does not come without its problems; she's not in for an easy ride, not at all. Fortunately, while she faces prejudice and judgement (based on her history) from some, she is also surrounded by love and empathy and destined for a happy ending.

I loved reading this shorter story and picking up with familiar faces, and if the author has any more of these in mind, then I can't wait to read them.