Duchess

Viola's Story #1

by Josephine Edgar

They call her Duchess, even though Viola Corbett is really an illegitimate shop girl. But nobility is more than bloodlines, and the tall, auburn-haired Viola has some thing most real duchesses lack: a stunning beauty and grace that awe the other shop girls- and bring the gentlemen of turn-of-the-century London to her feet.

Four men are in love with Duchess. Sam Hardcastle, the gentle Leeds shop owner who has to send her away to London. Lord James Staffray, the dashing young officer who has everything- money, prestige, adventure, and an irresistible longing for Viola. Artur Netherby, the cruel, tormented owner of the "live-in" store where Duchess works. And finally Count Eugene Erhmann, the worldly Australian who foresees that the lovely girl will become a magnificent woman.

But Duchess wants only one man, an aristocrat whose family will never consent to marriage. Nothing can make her more than a common shop girl in their eyes--nothing, and certainly not her past: her splendid, heedless affair, her illegitimate child, and her scandalous trial for murder. Yet Josephine Edgar's Duchess is more than a common shop girl and her story much more than a simple romance. It is the haunting tale of a society ruled by conventions--and the beautiful, passionate woman who shattered them all.

187 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Mary Edgar Mussi (aka Mary Howard)

Mary Edgar was born on 27 December 1907 in London, England, UK, daughter of Jenny (Howard) and George Edgar, an author. She was educated privately. On 6 March 1934, she married Rudolph F. Mussi, they had one son, Max, and one daughter, Susan Jane. She was a past chairwoman of Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She started writing contemporary romance novels as Mary Howard in 1930, later she used the penname of Josephine Edgar to sign her gothic historical romances. She was the recipient of the Romantic Novelists' Association award in 1960, 1979, 1980, and Elinor Glyn award in 1961. She passed away on 02 March 1991.

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duchess draws you in slowly, so that you don't realize you are enthralled until you can't put the book down. Josephine Edgar creates a heroine that you can admire and question at the same time, but you cannot forget. Writing about an independent young woman living in England in the early 1900's (the events at the beginning take place a year after the Empress of Austria was assassinated, which was in 1898), Edgar recreates this part of history masterfully. From detailed descriptions of the styles to an honest portrayal of how women were viewed, the setting is authentic. As are the circumstances our young heroine finds herself in.

Viola and her friend Betsy escape to London after Viola enjoys an inappropriate friendship with her employer. The man is honorable and sends her on her way with good references, so their employment and housing is secured. London, however, is not as forgiving to a young impetuous woman like Viola as the countryside was. She soon finds herself surrounded by suitors, and not all have her best interests at heart. She has eyes for only one man, however, a man much above her station, and her friend Betsy worries that it will be the ruin of them all.

Edgar focuses her story on Viola, but she does not ignore the impact that Viola's desires and actions have on the other characters. Viola is impetuous, but she is also kind and generous, and not particularly cruel, so you are able to sympathize with her plights (which seem to be one after the other) without believing her entirely deserving of them. She is not a helpless victim, but rather a strong young woman who faces life head on with a spirit that carries her through. It is not hard to hope she can find happiness in the end, because she doesn't try to rob anyone else of their happiness.

[Shifra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah. I just don’t think I’m much of a romance reader. Or, at least, perhaps the wittier, intellect driven romances of Jane Austen are more my speed. This one was driven by a tad too much passion for my liking. Mind you, the non-platonic scenes in this book were tastefully done, making one imagine far less than what one might see in a Hollywood movie. Yet, even these hints, coupled with the language of desire that permeated the entire book, and became especially prominent in certain portions, was just not my cup of tea. Some aspects of the turn-of-century environment (the main reason why I chose to read the book) were interesting and the prose, while neither excellent nor indelible, was not wretched. So, it’s a three.

[Louise Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine was a bit of a whore but I liked the count. Nice ending.

[Mayu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as I expected. It's more like a plain dull story, not romantic, suspense or anything you can describe as the genre of it.