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The Lawyer's Secret
Orphan Ellinor Arden is called from her secluded Paris home to London for the hearing of her estranged uncle’s will. To her surprise, she is named as the inheritor of his fortune, on condition that she marry his adopted son. Encouraged by her lawyer and guardian, the dashing Horace Margrave, she attaches herself irreversibly to this perfect stranger, but it soon becomes clear that her trust in a dead man’s wishes has been misplaced. Suspense-ridden sensation fiction from a master of the art, The Lawyer’s Secret and the counterpart piece presented here, "Mystery at Fernwood," are particularly valuable for affording a rare female take on an art form still dominated by the male viewpoint.
120 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2008
76 people want to read
About the author
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
1,065 books392 followersMary Elizabeth Braddon was a British Victorian era popular novelist. She was an extremely prolific writer, producing some 75 novels with very inventive plots. The most famous one is her first novel, Lady Audley's Secret (1862), which won her recognition and fortune as well. The novel has been in print ever since, and has been dramatised and filmed several times.
Braddon also founded Belgravia Magazine (1866), which presented readers with serialized sensation novels, poems, travel narratives, and biographies, as well as essays on fashion, history, science. She also edited Temple Bar Magazine. Braddon's legacy is tied to the Sensation Fiction of the 1860s.
She is also the mother of novelist W.B. Maxwell.
Braddon also founded Belgravia Magazine (1866), which presented readers with serialized sensation novels, poems, travel narratives, and biographies, as well as essays on fashion, history, science. She also edited Temple Bar Magazine. Braddon's legacy is tied to the Sensation Fiction of the 1860s.
She is also the mother of novelist W.B. Maxwell.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 6, 2010
Reason for Reading: I love Victorian literature.
Comments: Published as part of the Hesperus Classics series, which publishes obscure or little known titles by well-known classic authors, this book actually contains two titles: "The Lawyer's Secret", a novella, which was originally published as a serialization and a short story entitled "The Mystery at Fernwood".
In "The Lawyer's Secret" a woman receives a large inheritance from her uncle with the stipulation that she marry his adopted son. At first she refuses but is then convinced by her lawyer and guardian to accept the situation. Shortly after the marriage she realizes the man she has married is not the caring man she thought he was and her long marriage becomes an enduring torture.
In "The Mystery at Fernwood" a young woman becomes engaged to a lively young man, Laurence, and with her aunt goes down to his estate to meet the family. Here she finds a friendly yet morose group of people, especially her fiance's sister. Then she learns that the sister is very committed to looking after an invalid relation who lives in a wing of the house. This relation has always been locked up in that wing ever since Laurence was a young boy and yet he has never seen him, not even once.
Both of these stories revolve around a secret being kept beyond all manner of sense for the sake of honour, promises, or the perceived good of others because of a grave matter unacceptable to decent society. Neither of these stories is much of a mystery; it doesn't take long to figure out the lawyer's secret or to know exactly what is the mystery of Fernwood. But that is not really the point in the enjoyment of these stories to the modern reader. They are both wonderful examples of sensation fiction and Braddon was prolific in the field, writing over seventy books in her lifetime.
Both stories make delicious use of foreshadowing. Right from the start we're told how absolutely terrible the final outcome will be and all throughout this is repeated often, so if we dare get a thought in mind that things are working out nicely it is quickly squashed. "The Lawyer's Secret" is divided into chapters, I'm supposing where it would have left off each issue as it was serialized and every chapter ends with lines announcing the "utter wretchedness" of the situation, making one anxious to read on.
The topics dealt with, while certainly not sensational to the modern reader, are perfect examples of Victorian sins and secrets. My favourite of the two is "The Mystery at Fernwood" simply because I love the mysterious person locked in the west wing/attic/secret room plot and this story while predictable was wonderfully Gothic and kept the one especial mystery a secret until the tragic ending. Simply delightful to read!
Comments: Published as part of the Hesperus Classics series, which publishes obscure or little known titles by well-known classic authors, this book actually contains two titles: "The Lawyer's Secret", a novella, which was originally published as a serialization and a short story entitled "The Mystery at Fernwood".
In "The Lawyer's Secret" a woman receives a large inheritance from her uncle with the stipulation that she marry his adopted son. At first she refuses but is then convinced by her lawyer and guardian to accept the situation. Shortly after the marriage she realizes the man she has married is not the caring man she thought he was and her long marriage becomes an enduring torture.
In "The Mystery at Fernwood" a young woman becomes engaged to a lively young man, Laurence, and with her aunt goes down to his estate to meet the family. Here she finds a friendly yet morose group of people, especially her fiance's sister. Then she learns that the sister is very committed to looking after an invalid relation who lives in a wing of the house. This relation has always been locked up in that wing ever since Laurence was a young boy and yet he has never seen him, not even once.
Both of these stories revolve around a secret being kept beyond all manner of sense for the sake of honour, promises, or the perceived good of others because of a grave matter unacceptable to decent society. Neither of these stories is much of a mystery; it doesn't take long to figure out the lawyer's secret or to know exactly what is the mystery of Fernwood. But that is not really the point in the enjoyment of these stories to the modern reader. They are both wonderful examples of sensation fiction and Braddon was prolific in the field, writing over seventy books in her lifetime.
Both stories make delicious use of foreshadowing. Right from the start we're told how absolutely terrible the final outcome will be and all throughout this is repeated often, so if we dare get a thought in mind that things are working out nicely it is quickly squashed. "The Lawyer's Secret" is divided into chapters, I'm supposing where it would have left off each issue as it was serialized and every chapter ends with lines announcing the "utter wretchedness" of the situation, making one anxious to read on.
The topics dealt with, while certainly not sensational to the modern reader, are perfect examples of Victorian sins and secrets. My favourite of the two is "The Mystery at Fernwood" simply because I love the mysterious person locked in the west wing/attic/secret room plot and this story while predictable was wonderfully Gothic and kept the one especial mystery a secret until the tragic ending. Simply delightful to read!
January 24, 2010
Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1837-1915) was a prolific author of "Sensation Fiction"; stories of lies and secrets. This volume contains two of her stories. The first of an attorney and the second of a family with dark secrets.
The book is an enjoyable quick read. Well written.
Fans of afternoon soaps will find this volume most enjoyable.
The book is an enjoyable quick read. Well written.
Fans of afternoon soaps will find this volume most enjoyable.
March 29, 2025
Quite predictable by today’s standards. Not totally unenjoyable, just over-dramatic. I’d hoped the two stories would contain a more suspenseful Gothic element, but only one did. A very quick read, but I’ll stick with Henry James instead.
November 26, 2018
A short novella by the queen of suspense writing in Victorian times. Not in the same league as Lady Audley's Secret or The Doctor's Wife but still enjoyable and rounds out my understanding of this author's style.
July 25, 2015
Not the equal of Lady Audley's Secret but a neat and concise tale along with the the secret of Fernwood.
November 26, 2024
This Hesperus Edition (2009) contains a novella and a short story. The novella, titled ‘The Lawyer's Secret,’ was first published in 1862, the same year as Braddon's runaway success, ‘Lady Audley’s Secret.’ But apart from the suspense that binds them together, no two plots could be more unlike, nor writing more varied from the same hand. LAS is a true sensation novel. Not so in the case of ‘The Lawyer's Secret,' which is a sentimental novel featuring a mercenary marriage of convenience. Beautifully plotted, and with the unmistakable stamp of the mature Mrs Braddon’s wit and style, it nevertheless leaves the reader with an anti-climax and a feeling of having been let down.
The short story is called ‘The Mystery at Fernwood,’ a straightforward Gothic horror tale, complete with dilapidated Tudor mansion, furnished with appropriate dark rooms and blackened oak furniture, haunted by a ghost-in-residence, a mysterious locked room, nurses and doctor, a reclusive hostess and an elderly, ailing host and the entire bag of tricks including a murder and an inquest, until the heroine ages twenty years overnight. Blood and gore and thrills and chills suitable for a boy of ten looking for adventure on a wet day when both the tv and wireless are on the blink and he has nothing to do but perforce to read.
The short story is called ‘The Mystery at Fernwood,’ a straightforward Gothic horror tale, complete with dilapidated Tudor mansion, furnished with appropriate dark rooms and blackened oak furniture, haunted by a ghost-in-residence, a mysterious locked room, nurses and doctor, a reclusive hostess and an elderly, ailing host and the entire bag of tricks including a murder and an inquest, until the heroine ages twenty years overnight. Blood and gore and thrills and chills suitable for a boy of ten looking for adventure on a wet day when both the tv and wireless are on the blink and he has nothing to do but perforce to read.
July 5, 2022
This publication by Hesperus Press is a short, but fantastic collection of two of Mary Elizabeth Braddon's short stories, The Lawyer's Secret and The Mystery at Fernwood. Both stories are well written, engaging, and so much fun to read, as I've come to expect from Braddon's work. Mary Elizabeth Braddon's name should be a household name among famous Victorian authors. Have her books fallen into obscurity because she was a woman? I don't know. I do know that she was extremely well-known and popular in Victorian times and her writing was easily on par with other Victorian authors who remain well-known, most of which are, coincidentally, male authors. Hopefully, publishers will start reprinting more of her books and more people will discover her writing. If you are a fan of Victorian literature, do yourself a favor and read Mary Elizabeth Braddon's books.
February 18, 2026
Good "Sensation" novella/short story.
December 12, 2015
Oh the melodrama, the suspense which Braddon dispenses with quite early actually and you can see your way quite clearly to the expected finale. She was extremely prolific and these 2 stories ("Mystery at Fernwood Street" was to my mind somewhat superior) seem as if they were banged out quite quickly to their detriment methinks. Nevertheless a quick fun read, just don't expect too much from them.
March 24, 2013
Enjoyable in predictable and a little silly (but then again we don't think like people did back then).
The short story at the end is excellent, totally gripping and I couldn't put it down
The short story at the end is excellent, totally gripping and I couldn't put it down
January 18, 2016
A short Victorian novel. The secret was rather obvious early on, but it was an interesting read anyway. Times sure have changed!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews