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Tarrington Chase
From the very beginning of her employment as the governess at Tarrington Chase, lovely, young Perdita Frayne was warned to have absolutely nothing to do with Jason Hawkesworth. To disobey this order would mean instant dismissal.
Mere mention of Jason's name evoked intense hatred among every member of the household. Perdita couldn't figure out why this was so, but she intended to keep out of his way.
It was impossible for her to avoid "accidental" meetings with the handsome and mysterious Mr. Hawkesworth. In fact, she began to look forward to seeing him.
Perdita could not deny the powerful attraction she felt for Jason. But she knew that she would have to overcome the strong feelings that stirred inside her everytime they met--or leave Tarrington Chase forever....
Mere mention of Jason's name evoked intense hatred among every member of the household. Perdita couldn't figure out why this was so, but she intended to keep out of his way.
It was impossible for her to avoid "accidental" meetings with the handsome and mysterious Mr. Hawkesworth. In fact, she began to look forward to seeing him.
Perdita could not deny the powerful attraction she felt for Jason. But she knew that she would have to overcome the strong feelings that stirred inside her everytime they met--or leave Tarrington Chase forever....
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
65 people want to read
About the author
Sylvia Thorpe
38 books22 followersJune Sylvia Thimblethorpe was born in 1926 in London, England. Educated in London at a school in Brondesbury, Kilburn High School for Girls, Slade School of Fine Arts, and University College. She worked as secretary from 1949 to 1952 and later she worked as school teacher.
As Sylvia Thorpe, she wrote over 25 historical romance novels from 1950 to 1983. Her novel "The Scapegrace" (1971) won the Elizabeth Goudge Historical Award. She was the third elected Chairman (1965-1967) of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was named a Honor Life Member of the organization.
Sylvia is now a trustee for the Goodrich Village Hall Trust. Goodrich is a village, in south Herefordshire which is very close to Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean situated near the River Wye and is famous for its old red sandstone Norman and medieval castle.
As Sylvia Thorpe, she wrote over 25 historical romance novels from 1950 to 1983. Her novel "The Scapegrace" (1971) won the Elizabeth Goudge Historical Award. She was the third elected Chairman (1965-1967) of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was named a Honor Life Member of the organization.
Sylvia is now a trustee for the Goodrich Village Hall Trust. Goodrich is a village, in south Herefordshire which is very close to Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean situated near the River Wye and is famous for its old red sandstone Norman and medieval castle.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 15, 2015
Predictable fluff, but oh, so good! I'll go so far as to say I think it's Sylvia Thorpe's best, imo.
Perdita Frayne has come to Tarrington Chase to be a governess to two children, Stephen and Melissa. She burned all her bridges to get there and if they won't let her say she'll have nowhere to go. From her first day things go wrong and it becomes increasingly apparent that someone wants Sir Stephen Tarrington dead. Unanimously, the household all blames Mr. Jason Hawkesworth, but Perdita can't help but feel that that's prejudice talking and that the real culprit is someone else...
This wasn't as predictable as it seems at first glance. Yes, we have clues to the true villain liberally sprinkled throughout and coincidences where an attempt at murder is made with the scapegoat close by and the ending scene with the villain telling his plot. But, we also have a secret that isn't known to anyone but an only lady who warns that 'evil begets evil' and a dramatic conclusion as well as what I consider (from what I've read) Thorpe's best romantic couple.
I'd definitely reread this. I thought I had it all figured out, but I was taken by surprise and I enjoyed the ride even when I thought I know what was happening.
PG Mention of mistresses and a family secret. A bit of violence at the end including being shot, clunked over the head and poisoning.
Perdita Frayne has come to Tarrington Chase to be a governess to two children, Stephen and Melissa. She burned all her bridges to get there and if they won't let her say she'll have nowhere to go. From her first day things go wrong and it becomes increasingly apparent that someone wants Sir Stephen Tarrington dead. Unanimously, the household all blames Mr. Jason Hawkesworth, but Perdita can't help but feel that that's prejudice talking and that the real culprit is someone else...
This wasn't as predictable as it seems at first glance. Yes, we have clues to the true villain liberally sprinkled throughout and coincidences where an attempt at murder is made with the scapegoat close by and the ending scene with the villain telling his plot. But, we also have a secret that isn't known to anyone but an only lady who warns that 'evil begets evil' and a dramatic conclusion as well as what I consider (from what I've read) Thorpe's best romantic couple.
I'd definitely reread this. I thought I had it all figured out, but I was taken by surprise and I enjoyed the ride even when I thought I know what was happening.
PG Mention of mistresses and a family secret. A bit of violence at the end including being shot, clunked over the head and poisoning.
August 20, 2010
Another nice foray into Sylvia Thorpe's world of pert and resourceful heroines, chiseled and dark heros, and wicked villians.
This Regency romp finds Perdita Frayne traveling to the stately home Tarrington Chase in Wales, where she will take up her post as governess to 2 young charges. One of them, the son and heir, is being targeted by a murderer. Could it be the despised and feared Jason Hawkesworth? The man who makes her skin tingle and her heart race? The man who continually saves her and the boy from harm? The man whose very own mother was hounded to suicide by the frosty matriarch of Tarrington Chase and the grandmother of the boy?
Survey says: NO...
This Regency romp finds Perdita Frayne traveling to the stately home Tarrington Chase in Wales, where she will take up her post as governess to 2 young charges. One of them, the son and heir, is being targeted by a murderer. Could it be the despised and feared Jason Hawkesworth? The man who makes her skin tingle and her heart race? The man who continually saves her and the boy from harm? The man whose very own mother was hounded to suicide by the frosty matriarch of Tarrington Chase and the grandmother of the boy?
Survey says: NO...
June 7, 2017
4.70 stars - pg13/mild r-lite (adult in nature due to mention of mistresses - no details, and a character who is illegitimate and referred to by the "common" term; everything else is pg13 including the kisses and murder attempts)
Notes made while reading:
Ch. 1 - Oooh! Chills! The descriptions of the desolate, craggy landscape and the ominous storm clouds hovering as the new governess's carriage draws closer to Tarrington Chase, perched high above on the cliffs ---- how wonderfully gothic!!! "She was not afraid of thunderstorms, but, watching the one which had just passed, seeing the whole valley blotted out by a hissing curtain of rain while the thunder crashed and rolled among the hills, she had felt that it's violence was disturbingly at one with the wildness of the country, and with the turbulent undercurrents which already she sensed stirring beneath the surface."
Great writing style. Lovely, vivid descriptions and characters.
Hellooo people?!?! Seriously??!! Nobody suspects _________. "Oh no! It couldn't possibly be ________."
No Way!!! It's February as I read this gothic-like, romance suspense story and instead of snow falling outside, we're having a freak thunderstorm! The wind is gusting, torrents of rain are slashing sideways against my windowpanes, thunder is rumbling and flashes of lightning are cracking across the sky. How absolutely perfect!! (Evidently there were also tornado warnings and I should have been reading in the basement --- but I completely missed those!)
So..... I may have guessed correctly who the villain(s) was (and even why), but I completely guessed the wrong twist at the end!
Loved this story!! Could not stop reading it. Loved the surly, "wounded", powerful, all male, protective, softie-underneath Hero. And the sweet, sensible, non-melodramatic (yay!) heroine. Great romance and just the right amount of suspense for me (not creepy enough to cause nightmares).
Notes made while reading:
Ch. 1 - Oooh! Chills! The descriptions of the desolate, craggy landscape and the ominous storm clouds hovering as the new governess's carriage draws closer to Tarrington Chase, perched high above on the cliffs ---- how wonderfully gothic!!! "She was not afraid of thunderstorms, but, watching the one which had just passed, seeing the whole valley blotted out by a hissing curtain of rain while the thunder crashed and rolled among the hills, she had felt that it's violence was disturbingly at one with the wildness of the country, and with the turbulent undercurrents which already she sensed stirring beneath the surface."
Great writing style. Lovely, vivid descriptions and characters.
Hellooo people?!?! Seriously??!! Nobody suspects _________. "Oh no! It couldn't possibly be ________."
No Way!!! It's February as I read this gothic-like, romance suspense story and instead of snow falling outside, we're having a freak thunderstorm! The wind is gusting, torrents of rain are slashing sideways against my windowpanes, thunder is rumbling and flashes of lightning are cracking across the sky. How absolutely perfect!! (Evidently there were also tornado warnings and I should have been reading in the basement --- but I completely missed those!)
So..... I may have guessed correctly who the villain(s) was (and even why), but I completely guessed the wrong twist at the end!
Loved this story!! Could not stop reading it. Loved the surly, "wounded", powerful, all male, protective, softie-underneath Hero. And the sweet, sensible, non-melodramatic (yay!) heroine. Great romance and just the right amount of suspense for me (not creepy enough to cause nightmares).
May 25, 2020
This is the first regency romance I've read from Sylvia Thorpe and it's rather sombre in tone - certainly, there's not the constant amusing repartee of a Georgette Heyer or Marion Chesney. That said, the story is well-written - even if it's possible to deduce about half way through the novel who the 'real villain' is - and it's certainly atmospheric (some of the descriptions of the grounds at Tarrington Chase reminded me slightly of the menacing chateau surrounds in Mary Stewart's Nine Coaches Waiting).
As 'Tarrington Chase' has been very capably reviewed already, I won't detail the plot-line, suffice to say there is an additional twist (which I didn't see coming) toward the very end of the novel. I'm rating the title a three and a half star vintage regency romance read (I think I probably preferred Lisa Montague's Lady of Darkness-- just).
As 'Tarrington Chase' has been very capably reviewed already, I won't detail the plot-line, suffice to say there is an additional twist (which I didn't see coming) toward the very end of the novel. I'm rating the title a three and a half star vintage regency romance read (I think I probably preferred Lisa Montague's Lady of Darkness-- just).
February 28, 2019
Valutazione 3,5
January 25, 2022
The characters of the H and h are well developed and have good chemistry together. Add to that a very good plot, great writing, high drama, and a mystery to solve. It all adds up to a very good historical romance I really enjoyed.
February 22, 2022
Loved this book. I'm going through a phase of 'comfort reading' and needed something easy and familiar - I have read this before but can't even guess at which year - and this was perfect. The story seems a little trite at first but soon develops into a more interesting 'whodunnit' type of romance, and though fairly predictable was exactly what I needed. The author writes very well, so the story is engaging, and though the language might perhaps seem a little stilted & unfamiliar to younger readers, that in itself makes this book a perfect read to me - I'm in my sixties, and this is the way people wrote in my youth!
July 17, 2022
Sylvia Thorpe reread #14. Another regency story and even better than the previous. Perdita Frayne takes up her position as governess at Torrington Chase in the Welsh marches. A house with many secrets and dangers. Who is Jason Hawkesworth and why is he universally hated? Who is trying to murder ten-year-old Sir Stephen Tarrinton, and why? There are some real twists and turns in this story before all is revealed. A hugely enjoyable read andI could not put it down!
July 21, 2013
Una storia coinvolgente nella quale si mescolano mistero, vecchi rancori, intrighi, tentati omicidi, rivelazioni…
In un susseguirsi di enigmi e pericoli, di timori e speranze la protagonista della vicenda giunge a scoprire i segreti di Tarrington Chase!
Le ambientazioni sono descritte con cura e i personaggi ben delineati…
Lo stile e’ scorrevole e accattivante…
In un susseguirsi di enigmi e pericoli, di timori e speranze la protagonista della vicenda giunge a scoprire i segreti di Tarrington Chase!
Le ambientazioni sono descritte con cura e i personaggi ben delineati…
Lo stile e’ scorrevole e accattivante…
September 6, 2024
Read years ago…
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews