The Gentle Prisoner

by Sara Seale

There was a curious similarity between the fairy tale of "Beauty and the Beast" and Shelley Wynthorpe's relationship with Nicholas Penryn. The Beast lived in a remote house, surrounded by high walls; so did Nicholas. Beauty's father brought her a white rose from the Beast's garden; so did Shelley's father, when he visited Nicholas and they came to their strange arrangement that Shelley should become Nicholas's wife. The Beast was hideously ugly - and Nicholas, badly scarred, was convinced that no woman could ever feel anything but revulsion for him.
But... after a year and a day, Beauty had fallen truly in love with the Beast. Would Shelley, with her gentle ways, be able to bring her own love story to its happy ending?

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Beauty and The Beast, Harlequin Romance, Contemporary

Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Sara Seale was the pseudonym used by Mary Jane MacPherson (d. 11 March 1974) and/or A.D.L. MacPherson (d. 30 October 1978), a British writing team who published over 45 romance novels from 1932 to 1971. Seale was one of the first Mills & Boon's authors published in Germany and the Netherlands, and reached the pinnacle of her career in the 1940s and 1950s, when they earning over £3,000/year. Many of Seale's novels revisited a theme of an orphaned heroine who finds happiness, and also employed blind or disfigured (but still handsome) heroes as standard characters.

Mary Jane MacPherson began writing at an early age while still in her convent school. Besides being a writer, MacPherson was also a leading authority on Alsatian dogs, and was a judge at Crufts.

Reviews

[Aayesha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. If there was a 0-star rating system, I would have used it here. I CANNOT EXPRESS MY INTENSE HATRED FOR THE DUMB BITCH IN THIS NOVEL. I HONESTLY CAN'T.



This is basically what I felt like doing throughout the whole novel.



She was so darned immature!!! Serves the hero right for almost literally robbing the cradle - he wanted her because of her 'innocence' and youth! UGHHH SHE WAS SO AWFUL



Firstly, she was blind. Not in the literal sense, but metaphorically. The hero was so much in love with her, it showed in his every action, every gesture. She couldn't see the goodness in him, couldn't look past his scars (which, I must say, made him ten times hotter in my eyes) and see the wonderful, kind and injured heart beneath. She was too selfish, too caught up in her own loneliness and I'm-all-alone-in-the-world-nobody-loves-me act to see him for what he was.

Secondly, she cheated on her husband. I don't care if it was only kissing, she still cheated. Which leads me to another point. If her relationship with that OM (the guy with whom she cheated on her husband) was purely platonic, only a childish secret, WHY THE HELL DID SHE ALLOW HIM TO KISS HER? AND NOT ONCE, TWICE!!!




I always thought that I would never hate an innocent heroine, a May-December romance. BUT THIS NOVEL CHANGED IT ALL.



Now back to more things I hated about the heroine.
She gave up too easily. When she (finally) realised that she was in love with the hero, she decided that he didn't love her and gave up just like that. What the fuck, woman? You fight for the guy you love, you make him fall in love with you if you think he doesn't, you persist and stay strong and don't give up. But that's exactly what this heroine did. One day she decided she loved the hero, the next day she decided that he doesn't love her and just gave in. SHE HAD NO BACKBONE, THE SLUT.



Another thing I disliked about her (the last one, I promise). When they fought, when he accused her (justly, might I add), she ran away from him. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, YOU DON'T JUST RUN AWAY, YOU BI***!!!! YOU DON'T!!!! You stay, you fight, you don't give up hope. Running away never solves anything. Running away is plain cowardice. OH GOD, I SERIOUSLY, REALLY HATED THIS HEROINE.


Anyways, I'll move onto the hero now. In plain words, I loved him. He was so wonderful so caring, so patient, so good!!! Shelley didn't even deserve the ground he walked on. And that scar...



There was only one thing I didn't like about him - how little attention he gave to Shelley. It was like his work always came first.

But meh, no matter. His imperfections dimmed considerably compared to Shelley's.


Now the writing. Even though I hated the plotline and the heroine, I must say that this book was very well-written. The descriptions were good, and the interaction between the characters was realistic. The author also created a very magic-y feel to the book, so that it really did feel like the reader is transported to a completely different world.
But the lack of passion bothered me. If/when I do read this author again (which I doubt), I will tread very carefully.


And pst. Excuse the language. I get a bit worked up writing reviews about books I hated/loved.

Another thing. My rating reflects my own personal feelings about the book, not the author's writing.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars ~ Shelley's mother died in childbirth and her father unable to cope had sent her to board at the convent. When she grew too old to stay, she returned to her father and they traveled from place to place, always having less than enough to make do. When Nicholas was 26 he'd been in a terrible accident that had left him horribly disfigured. His fiancee jilted him and married his younger brother and Nicholas became bitter and stopped believing in love. Shelley's 18 now and her father has learnt that Nicholas, now 38, often helps those who are physically disabled. He appeals to Nicholas' compassion, claiming he's having trouble looking after his daughter who is wheelchair bound. But Nicholas is sceptical and sent him away, and upon investigation he learns Shelley's father is a con man and that Shelley is not a cripple. When Nick confronts him, he gets to meet Shelley and he's enchanted with her innocence and beauty. Over several weeks, he seeks her out so that she can get used to him, and then he proposes. Unknown to Shelley, he's made a deal with her father to settle a yearly allowance on him if he'd help persuade her to marry him. But on the wedding night when Nick would like to make love to her, she flinches from his hideous scar and he thinks she's repulsed. In her innocence, she asks him to give her time and seeing how very young she is, he agrees. Shelley bonds with Nick's young nephew, Martin, and spends her days with him while Nick is working. Together they play on the moors and there they meet a young man who is member of a troupe of actors working in a town nearby. Collin becomes their daily companion and when boy joins his parents in India, Shelley continues her secret meetings with him. Nicholas is constantly away on business and Shelley is lonely for the friendship Collin offers her. When Collin kisses her passionately Shelley realizes how much she wishes it were Nicholas kissing her, so she ends their secret meetings. But it's too late, Nicholas has learnt of them and he accuses her of taking a lover and being as deceitful as her father.

This story has strong fairy tale tones, with the obvious beauty and the beast taking the prominent theme. Ms. Seale refers to the age difference between Shelley and Nicholas often and while Nicholas desires his young wife he realizes that her sheltered childhood has held back her maturity, so he keeps his feelings bottled up. As a result Shelley misunderstands his chivalry as indifference and she feels as if she's just another beautiful item in his collection of rare and valuable treasures. At first I thought Shelley was the gentle prisoner but it soon became apparent that it was Nicholas who was the gentle prisoner .. a prisoner not of the high walls that surround his home but of the walls he hides his desires and need for affection behind. Though dated, I easily lost myself in this melancholy love story of the ending of innocence and the healing of a bitter heart.

[Romance_reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a historical novel, although, I don't suppose it was meant to be one. The language, the story, and even the dialogues seemed dated (not in a bad way though) and the characters were decidedly Victorian in their mannerisms and their actions. I enjoyed the story nonetheless, especially since it's a 'modern' retelling of my favourite fairytale - The Beauty and the Beast.

The H Nicholas is a scarred, reclusive man who makes a devil's bargain with the h's shady father and marries the waif child/woman Shelley despite the 20 year age gap between them (no, it didn't really bother me here). Their courtship is bland yet interesting even though the H and the h spent most of the book apart (because H had to go on his business trips). h in the meantime meets wannabe OM and surprisingly, it's her interactions with him that cause her to recognise her true feelings for her husband.

Simple storyline, but I really liked the telling of it. Strange, not very exciting story this, but somehow managed to appeal to me - even with the dreadful lack of angst. Would I recommend it? Probably. but only if you're into clean romances with a very 'propah' H and h and a decidedly Victorian atmosphere.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has become rather vintage, and needs to be looked at in that context, so bear that in mind as you read.

I love old romances, mostly because it's kind of pleasant to wander into an era where it was ok to be the damsel in distress who needs a bit of rescuing. Oh don't get me wrong, I love the feisty and capable woman who can stand on her own two feet. But sometimes it's nice to read about the princess in the tower. And this indeed was a princess in a tower story.

Shelley is way too innocent in passive though, even for my tastes. I kind of like the arranged marriage storyline as you don't see much of those anymore, and it's interesting to see how two strangers manage to fall in love, or at least connect. But they don't. They don't interact, they don't have any kind of relationship at all for 98% of the book. They inhabit the same house - sometimes. Have stilted dinners. And experience a whole slew of misunderstandings that would be cleared up if someone just opened their mouth.

OK, we get it. Shelley is a child still. Though even that feels overdone, and truly, can any girl be that innocent, especially as to what an utter slimeball her father is? I wanted to shake her more than once. It's no wonder then, that she is badly taken advantage of, and even falls into what could be termed an affair of friendship that threatens any of the fragile intimacy she has formed with her husband Nick.

What I did like is Colin and the theatre aspect. The Beauty and the Beast parallels feel a bit heavy handed, but Nick is someone I actually found myself feeling for, mostly because he truly is a very good person at heart, even if he made this awful bargain with Shelley's father.

The Shelley I liked best, actually came at the very end of the book, where you see this glimmer of the woman she could become. She's got a bit of pride and even the stirrings of an attitude that shows she won't back down. The childish views of Nick are being laid aside and she's stepping into her own. That said, she returns to him way too soon, and really I do wish she had grown up a whole lot more before the resolution of the story.

Still, I enjoyed reading this one, as it was a quiet way to pass an evening when I was utterly exhausted. It will be interesting to work my way through the rest of the stack of vintage Harlequins I've stumbled across.

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another story I've read multiple times. A beauty and the beast story, it is about scarred and bitter Nicholas Penryn and Shelley, a young woman not long out of a convent school. She has led a very sheltered life and is still very immature.

It takes the friendship of another young man and the jealousy of her husband to wake Shelley up. This is a common theme in Sara Seale stories, the mature embittered man and the innocent who brings healing.

This is a theme that wouldn't fly in the modern era but the stories remain fresh and emotionally engaging in the context of the time they were written, mostly in the 50's.

Interestingly enough, Violet Winspear, one of the later writers in the 70's specifically mentions this book being read by one of her heroine's.

[Melluvsbooks]

DNF @ 46% - this is the 2nd book by this author I’ve tried - I was hoping that maybe some of the stuff I didn’t like the first time would be different here… but no. Her take on age-gaps just isn’t for me. Heros are passive and weak when I need them to be strong. This one is all hang-dog about his scars and the heroine is shallow, not helping things. I liked the OM more than the hero at this point in the book, which is never a good sign. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Full disclosure: Beauty and the Beast is my LEAST favorite fairy tale. So, YMMV if you’re into that trope.

[Noël Cades · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gentle Prisoner is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which the characters themselves are well aware of and constantly refer to. Selfish wastrel father Lucius effectively "sells" his teenage daughter off to a man more than twice her age, who lives in a huge house, collects things, and is a bitter recluse due to a scar from an industrial accent.

The problem, and also the most forceful presence in this novel, is The Scar.

The hero, Nicholas Penryn, is described as being (or having been) incredibly good-looking before The Scar. Now the thing with scars is that you get used to seeing them pretty quickly, like many other physical quirks. And a gorgeous person is still perceivably gorgeous with a single scar on one side of their face. But the heroine, Shelley, never gets used to Nicholas's scar. It's constantly described as disfiguring and standing out "lividly" and "twisting the muscles so cruelly" and giving a "sinister lift" to his eyebrow and a "little twist" to his mouth.

I couldn't get past the scar. I'm not surprised Shelley couldn't.

There is one scene that nearly gives arranged marriage/forced marriage fans the thrill they're looking for:

"There's only one way of getting used to me, you know," he said. "You married me, my dear. What did you expect?"
"I don't know," she said forlornly. "I don't know..."
"But you expected a lover, surely?"
A lover? No, she had never thought of the dark Penryn as that. He had never spoken of love to her during their short engagement, or if he had, she had not understood.
"A lover?" she said, feeling even then the comfort of his hands and striving to understand him. "But we don't love one another. You said you didn't expect that."
The gentleness went out of his hands and his face was suddenly hard and demanding.
"No," he said. "I don't expect that, but I do expect the recognised privileges of marriage. You surely didn't marry me expecting less?"
"No..." she whispered.
"Come, then, I must teach you. We cannot remain strangers, you and."
His arms closed around her, and she stood passively against him, her face lifted to his in mute acceptance of whatever he should demand of her. But in the moment before his mouth closed on hers, the moonlight fell full on his disfigurement, cruelly etching the scar that twisted that side of his face into such sinister ugliness. For a moment she could not control her instinctive recoil and she began to struggle.
"Don't fight me, relax, darling," she heard him say, but she was beyond reason, beyond pity
"I can't... I can't..." she cried. "Nicholas, forgive me, but I can't..."

It's that damned scar again!

There's a whole Secret Garden style subplot with a small boy practically locked up in his bedroom. There's no Other Woman, because who the hell could get past The Scar? In Beauty and the Beast the hero finally turns back into a handsome prince. But there's no magical plastic surgeon popping up for Nicholas. The Scar remains. No wonder that Shelley is still a virgin on the final page.

There's the usual Sara Seale age play. Shelley is eighteen, but Nicholas actually mistakes her for a young child when he first sees her. Later he mentions that: "Perhaps you should have been my daughter and not my wife, Shelley" and "from the time when I brought you home, and you looked at me with those grave child's eyes and thought me a stranger."

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to rate this book since it was sometimes a 2 star and at others a 4-star.

It’s almost exactly an updated beauty and the beast reincarnation. Which was fine in the start, but as more and more elements of the fairy story are mirrored, including quotes from the actual tale, it became tiresome.

The heroine is of course a sheltered and innocent 18yr old so I don’t blame her or call her dumb. It’s not her fault, and her situation added to her immaturity. The father and the Hero are definitely at fault for taking advantage of her. I also blame the Hero for not explaining more properly to her his expectations, it’s not hard to imagine she misunderstood him. Yes the Hero is besotted and was giving her time to get used to him. His gentle and kind treatment of her, did make her like him more.

BUT, OMG! And this is where it lost a star, he really did keep her behind his castle walls!! For 7months!! In the days before Tv and internet! I was getting cabin fever just reading about how she spent her days. Her only companions are a few servants and a little boy, no wonder she remained childish. Even if the Hero had resolved to give her time, he could have courted her a little, taken her out, brought her to some shows, made her feel special...she asks him to take her with him a few times, and he refuses! He even keeps her without cash, so she is totally dependent! Ugh!

I don’t know, I wonder sometimes why the authors went this route. Was it so hard to write about people falling in love, that these romance stories had to have some extreme situations in them to be exciting.

Well, in the days before internet, I guess.

[delica.]

I don't really have rating for this book, because something was not in the right place and because of that I could have rate it 2 or in the extreme 1 star, but still something in this book was over 5 stars, that held me to read the whole book.
I can't even explain it.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara Seale books today are out of step with 21st century attitudes, but as a pre-teen in the 1970s it was a more innocent time. I am not saying it was a masterpiece at all but I loved it at the time and even reading it as an adult I still enjoyed it.

[ANGELIA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since other reviewers have told the story in detail, I'll just list its good and bad points.

Good ones:
1. There was no rape or "forced seduction", which happens a lot in older Harlequins when the couple is married. The H wanted to sleep with her, but considering the terms of their marriage, was willing to wait until she was ready.

2. Despite the H's young age (just 18), there was none of the usual silly stuff, like temper tantrums, shouts of "I HATE you!", and other childish nonsense. While she did indulge in one trope (running away), it wasn't in a fit of anger for something she thought had happened or some other wrong idea, but because she felt guilty about her father's behavior and her being an unwitting accomplice to it, as well as thinking the H could never trust her.

3. There weren't any anger scenes, where the H and h both say things that they don't mean and hurl insults at each other. It wasn't until nearly the end that they had an argument/misunderstanding that led to the h's leaving, but that was done to add some drama into a placid situation.

4. The "Gift of the Magi" feel to the present the h gives the H, having literally walked miles to purchase it and sacrificing all her own money she had saved, because she wanted to get him something special, a frame for an old, valuable print. Because he appreciated her sacrifice so much, the H didn't tell her that by cutting the border off so the print would fit the frame, she had ruined its commercial value. (It's personal one was priceless.)

Bad ones:
1. There was too much of an age difference (he was 38, she was 18), and it didn't help when (because he was cynical and jaded while she was idealistic and innocent) he sometimes referred to himself as being a father figure. When you're reading about a husband/wife you don't want a father/daughter vibe! YECK!!!

2. Both the accident that scarred his face and the woman who broke his heart (the fiancée who rejected him for his brother) aren't given enough detail and skimmed over too lightly. (It's hinted at that the brother was responsible for the accident, but no details are given. You're also not told how long the brother and fiancée were going behind the H's back.) Since they're the main reason the H is the way that he is, that was careless writing. This is especially true when he comments about how his young nephew might have been his son if things had worked out different, indicating he still wasn't over what had happened, but again, it's just let go by the author, as is too much else concerning all this (like her death and his brother's remarriage.)

3. The constant rejection of the H by his nephew (who takes a liking to the h right away), which is more than just from his scarred face. It's painful to see this spoiled brat of a boy be so hurtful; he should have gotten the thrashing his uncle gives him at the end a heck of a lot sooner! I couldn't stand him from the start, he was manipulative, selfish, and an all-around brat, and the h indulged him too much. Ironically, after the H got tough with him, the kid seemed to start liking him, but by then it was too late, as his father and stepmother sent for him and then he was out of the story.

4. The H taking too long to tell the h of his feelings. While it was understandable at first (she was so young and inexperienced, they were practically strangers, she had to get used to him as well as his scar, etc.), he dragged it on too long and acted too remote. Every time he'd seem to warm up, show some affection, he'd return to his cold, distant ways, and leave her more confused and unhappy. Keeping her isolated in an old house on the moors sure didn't help matters; neither did his unwillingness to have her accompany him on any of his many business trips. And telling her he didn't expect or want love sure wasn't a smart move from a man who was already in love and wanted it in return!

5. Adding the OM to the story the way Ms. Seale did, by making him a romantic figure (in contrast to the H's rather tragic one); sneaking onto the estate Christmas Eve night, showing up on the grounds whenever the H was away, all those clandestine meetings, even in the summerhouse where the fiancée and brother used to have their trysts, was a bit too much. While it was understandable that the h should be drawn to him, since she wasn't getting any love, affection or even much friendship from the H, but it still wasn't right for her to be sneaking off to meet another man, despite keeping things platonic (not by his choice). She even kissed him a few times, brotherly fashion, and when he gave her a very un-sisterly kiss, it awakened her dormant sexual feelings and (ironically) made her realize she wanted the H, not him. It was sad that this was her first kiss, and it wasn't with the H, and it had cheating vibes to it. (I give her credit that she refused to kiss him again and made it clear that nothing would happen between them, besides friendship.) If she hadn't been so lonely and starved for affection, she never would have encouraged his attentions.

6. While you're aware from the start that the h's father was not a man to admire, I think the author went overboard in making him so lacking in feeling for his daughter. He used her for financial gain, told the H about the OM (and assumed she was committing adultery, despite her moral character) and didn't seem to be bothered much when the h finally sees him for who he really is and starts developing a cynical attitude towards him. Even so, she feels bad when he tells her at the end that he won't be seeing her for a long time, while he seems hardly affected at all. He was just too selfish and uncaring.

And finally: when the H finds the h after she leaves (and joined the OM's acting company, which was pretty silly, like all the poets and authors quoted endlessly) and STILL doesn't tell her how he feels. ENOUGH ALREADY!!

Also, the ending, that was supposed to be reminiscent of the "Beauty and the Beast" tale, pretty much fell flat. So does their declaration of love.

There are other minor flaws, but you get the idea. The book had more bad points than good, so I couldn't give it more than two stars. Check it out if you like, but if you don't then it's no great loss.

[Last Chance Saloon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite well written, but with one of the most vapid heroines I have ever come across. She is 18 and convent educated, but surely no-one IRL could be so vacuous and unsuspecting?? Her dad was a cardboard 'wrong-un' and must have been driven mad living with her before her marriage.
The hero (38) and badly scarred is too cold and yet too gentle with her. No human could cope with that level of 'innocence' without losing their temper for a whole year (there are brief moments of the hero's POV, but he's always away working for weeks on end and it feels very disjointed). The backstory of his broken heart was a tad irritating as well.
I didn't much like the setting either. I have read some better books by this author (although Barn Dance made me want to scream) and I shall not be re-reading this one.

[More Books Than Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing much happens except an older man falls for an 18 year old girl who looks like the girl in his favorite picture. It's modeled loosely on Beauty and the Beast which doesn't help the story.

[S Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gothic style…young woman growing up..falling in love with smitten husband!

[Tricia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old fashioned, so no sex, but true love and very believable. Well written and moving. Highly recommended as a classic romance.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Violet Winspear (another oldie mills and boon writer) refers to this book in her novel "No Man of Her Own"...

[Z. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very nice prose, but what an incredibly stupid, immature heroine. The age gap feels particularly weird and skeevy because she's just so young in a way you really can't ignore.