John Marchmont's Legacy

by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

A classic Victorian novel in which the story revolves around the legacy of John Marchmont, his daughter and her marriage, and her cousin's wicked attempts to get his hands on the legacy.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Victorian, Mystery, 19th Century, British Literature, English Literature

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1863

About the author

Mary 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.

Reviews

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is delicious. Delicious in that I just ate it up, not delicious in that it is sticky sweet or full of reading nutrition. In the GR description is Braddon once declared that Wilkie Collins, the master of the 'sensation novel', was 'assuredly my literary father' and in another place I read that if Collins is the King of Sensation, Braddon is its Queen. I won't be making a steady diet of her, but I have acquired Delphi Collected Works of M. E. Braddon, because I fully intend to slip her into the rotation again and again.

At first I thought this was a bit of a Cinderella retelling. There is a poor girl with an ugly stepmother and there is a handsome prince. Well sort of. The stepmother is quite handsome but with an ugly heart, and the prince is not a prince, though he is quite handsome. And then there is a wonderful ball and the poor, poor girl is lost and must be found. That is what I thought at first, and, as usual with my speculations about what might happen next, I was pretty much wrong. Also at first I thought the characterizations left something wanting, but I should have been more patient for that, too. They aren't as fully fleshed as would be in a character-driven novel, but they are better than in many plot-driven novels.

She sets a scene for us. I think the interior scenes were better done, perhaps because, while they were brief, they were more persistent. In any case:

The rain beats down upon the battlemented roof of Marchmont Towers this July day, as if it had a mind to flood the old mansion. The flat waste of grass, and the lonely clumps of trees, are almost blotted out by the falling rain. The low grey sky shuts out the distance. This part of Lincolnshire––fenny, misty, and flat always––seems flatter and mistier than usual to–day. The rain beats hopelessly upon the leaves in the wood behind Marchmont Towers, and splashes into great pools beneath the trees, until the ground is almost hidden by the fallen water, and the trees seem to be growing out of a black lake.

As the novel progresses, our "prince" believes one thing, but we as readers can be quite certain he is wrong. Still, we don't know if he'll ever learn the truth as we believe it, or learn the truth in time. And then, too, the villain appears as a very kind, and mild-mannered person to the other characters, while we readers know him to be a vile, dark-hearted, manipulator of others. Fun stuff and too fun to downgrade it to the 4-stars it probably deserves. But, as I said, this is delicious.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward, a handsome young soldier, finds Mary, the six-year-old daughter of John, his beloved ex-teacher, to be a fascinating child. John, a widow, is sickly and impoverished, and asks Edward to watch over Mary after his own inevitable death, whenever that may come. John is in line, behind several other relatives, to inherit a huge mansion and income, and he warns Edward, if that should ever come to pass before his own death, to beware of the wicked relative who is next in line after himself, because that man would do anything to wrench the inheritance from Mary.

This is a much darker novel than any of Braddon’s other novels I have read as of yet. It seemed very long at times, but was still a very enjoyable read.

(One of the things I enjoy about Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s novels is that her characters are seldom wholly bad or totally good.)

Originally published in 1863. I listened to this as a free download from LibriVox.org.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not my favourite Braddon, but the story kept me interested and all the twists and turns were fascinating. The villain was excellent, and the hero was more than a little boring - but still an interesting sensational novel.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

A few absurdities here and there don't bother me in sensationalist fiction. I very much enjoyed Lady Audley's Secret and The Woman in White. However, the difference between those and John Marchmont's legacy is akin to the difference between Slings and Arrows and a telenovela. The former is thoroughly enjoyable, even if it doesn't make a piercing commentary on the human condition. The latter is pure trash.

As I read the scenes between Edward and Mary, I often felt like I was reading the Monty Python sketch where Heathcliffe and Catherine semaphore "Oh Heathcliffe!" "Oh, Catherine!" back and forth. Then, there are ridiculous improbabilities. Edward and Mary get married without her evil stepmother's consent. Within two weeks of the marriage, Edward's father has a stroke and is on his deathbed! Edward must [Oh horror!] leave her behind. (It never occurs to either of them that, as his wife, she could go along.) The evil stepmother and her accomplice swoop in and kidnap Mary. Surely Edward can save her! But no! Edward has been in a train wreck! He's in a coma for three months!

It was at this point that I stopped reading, though I have to admit that I skimmed the last couple of chapters to see how poetic justice got meted out. Oddly enough, this included Mary dying and Edward marrying someone named Belinda. I can only assume this is because, having brought Belinda in to get out of a tight plot corner, the author felt the need to give her a happy ending.

I will say that Olivia (the evil stepmother) is an interesting character. But why is it that Ms. Braddon's strong women always seem to border on being sociopaths?

[Kellyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful read. Braddon had a fantastic way with words.They flowed beautifully and almost poetic at times.
There are many diverse characters, including a nasty villain.
This novel includes many emotions. I had trouble putting it down and I would recommended this to anyone who loves good story telling.

[Kate Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book still has Braddon's evocative and pacey style but unfortunately there were no characters for me to root for. It's not that it only had villains - it just had awesome villains and then one dimensional heroes. I did enjoy it but not as much as Lady Audley's Secret, The Doctor's Wife, and Aurora Floyd.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's go Braddon

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again Mary Elizabeth Braddon does not disappoint, but gives a very suspenseful romantic story in her "John Marchmont's Legacy". I started to gain my reading speed after the first third when Mary Marchmont had become a young woman, though her guardian was against her desires. I loved Edward and his heroic and romantic ways yet his faults keep him far from perfect.

Story in short- Edward Arundel sees an educational instructor looking quite ill and shabby on stage playing a bit part. He knows Marchmont is one in line for the fortune of the Marchmont Towers, though he is barely surviving. Good intention Edward gives his old instructor a helping hand which helps him to live years long with his young daughter, Mary. Will the fortune come his way and if it does is it a blessing or a curse?

Highlights and synopsis from a Delphi collection of her works
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This melodramatic novel was first serialised from 1862 to 1863. Despite the title, the main focus of the story is not on Marchmont himself, but on his wife and daughter.

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert


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John Marchmont has entrusted his close friend Edward Arundel to look after his young daughter upon his death — the duty that is the ‘legacy’ of the title. Arundel agrees, before leaving
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for India, where he remains for several years. In the meantime, Marchmont inherits a fortune from a distant relative and marries Edward’s cousin, Olivia. Although the marriage is loveless, Olivia is kind to Marchmont’s daughter, Mary, who is distraught when her father dies suddenly. Unfortunately, Olivia is deep in unrequited love with Edward Arundel. When Edward returns from India, falls in love with Mary and marries her, Mary is placed in a vulnerable situation; and after
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Edward suffers a serious accident, she finds herself surrounded by enemies on all sides.
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The story of young Arundel’s life began when he was a light–hearted, heedless lad of seventeen, newly escaped for a brief interval from the care of his pastors and masters. The lad had come to London on a Christmas visit to his father’s sister, a worldly–minded widow, with a great many sons and daughters, and an income only large enough to enable her to keep up the appearances of wealth essential to the family pride of one of the Arundels of Dangerfield.

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Laura Arundel had married a Colonel Mostyn, of the East India Company’s service, and had returned from India after a wandering life of some years, leaving her dead husband behind her, and bringing away with her five daughters and three sons, most of whom had been born under canvas.
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But the same Mrs. Mostyn, who never forgot to keep up her correspondence with the owner of Dangerfield Park, utterly ignored the existence of another brother, a certain Hubert Arundel, who had, perhaps, much more need of her sisterly friendship than the wealthy Devonshire squire. Heaven knows, the world seemed a lonely place to this younger son, who had been educated for the Church, and was fain to content himself with a scanty living in one of the dullest and dampest towns in fenny Lincolnshire. His
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sister might have very easily made life much more pleasant to the Rector of Swampington and his only daughter; but Hubert Arundel was a great deal too proud to remind her of this.
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Was it strange that the father should sigh as he remembered how he had seen the awful hand of Death fall suddenly upon younger and stronger men than himself? What if he were to die, and leave his
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only child unmarried? What would become of her, with her dangerous gifts, with her fatal dowry of beauty and intellect and pride?
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“Forgotten what––forgotten whom? My dear Edward, what do you mean?” “John Marchmont, the poor fellow who used to teach us mathematics at Vernon’s; the fellow the governor sacked because––––”
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“Don’t be such a supercilious cad, Martin. He was very kind to me, poor Marchmont; and I know I was always a nuisance to him, poor old fellow; for you know I never could get on with Euclid. I’m sorry to see
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him here. Think, Martin, what an occupation for him! I don’t suppose he gets more than nine or ten shillings a week for it.” “A shilling a night is, I believe, the ordinary remuneration of a stage–soldier. They pay as much for the real thing as for the sham, you see; the defenders of our country risk their lives for about the same consideration. Where are you going, Ned?”

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“Because there was nothing else left for me to do,” the stage–demon answered with a sad smile. “I can’t get a situation in a school, for my health won’t suffer me to take one;
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or it won’t suffer any employer to take me, for fear of my falling ill upon his hands, which comes to the same thing; so I do a little copying for the law–stationers, and this helps out that, and I get on as well as I can. I wouldn’t so much mind if it wasn’t for––” He stopped suddenly, interrupted by a paroxysm of coughing. “If it wasn’t for whom, old fellow?” “My poor little girl; my poor little motherless Mary.”
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Edward Arundel looked grave, and perhaps a little ashamed of himself. He had forgotten until this moment that his old tutor had been left a widower at four–and–twenty, with a little daughter to support out of his scanty stipend. “Don’t be down–hearted, old fellow,” the lad whispered, tenderly; “perhaps I shall be able to help you, you know. And the little girl can go down to Dangerfield; I know my mother would take care of her, and will keep her there till you get strong and well.
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“If that’s all that troubles you,” young Arundel cried eagerly, “you may make your mind easy, and come and have some oysters. We’ll take care of the child. I’ll adopt her, and my mother shall educate her, and she shall marry a duke. Run away, now, old fellow, and change your clothes, and come and have oysters, and stout out of the pewter.

*** I absolutely loved how Edward feel in love with Mary, who was pretty but not like the beauty of Edward's cousin Olivia, who had a cold statue type of in beauty. Edward had no idea that his cousin loved him and that her love was a very insane kind of love. Edward was a soldier came back to find Marchmont rich at the Towers but still very sickly and Mary was no longer a child of 8 but 13. The two were good friends especially with their friendship and love for Marchmont. Marchmont marrying Olivia was a mistake not because of her loving money but that her obsession with Edward would unleash after years later when Marchmont dead and Mary a young lady that Edward feel in love with, which Olivia could not comprehend why he chose a wan chit instead of her. So the story of Olivia and next in line for Marchmont Towers after Mary, her cousin Paul, the plot to put Mary out of reach from her lover/husband Edward, which shows even though a marriage put a seal on some troubles other ones will follow. Only when Edward has thought his wife dead, he was to marry again, Belinda, his sister's friend but Olivia's jealousy in Edward marrying a better looking girl than his first wife, stopped the marriage so she could right her wrongs. Edward who loved Mary with his whole heart went to find his wife and baby. Mary like her parents was not too healthy and died a year after their reunion. They were parted a little less then 2 years after their honeymoon when he had to leave her for a brief time.

Belinda marries him years later, though he loves her he cannot forget his Mary, his son Edward, I presume that is Mary's only son's name is the heir of Marchmont, but the Towers haven been set on fire by desperate Paul, who would have served time in prisoners for his crimes, yet his sister Mrs. Weston and her husband had a part, are able to leave the country. Edward kept telling himself if he had been more responsible, he would have not lost Mary, his mother could have known about the wedding. I was thinking he should have taken her with him to his sick father, but the train wreck would probably killed her, as for Edward, he had been very ill. Belinda knows how much her husband loved his first wife and makes him a good home, knowing she is loved but not with his whole heart.

[Fiona Brichaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from ME Braddon. A bit slower than some of the others, a bit darker. The focus is more on the psychological experiences of various characters than on sensational events, so it is less of a page-turner, more thought-provoking. The story revolves around the legacy of John Marchmont, his daughter and her marriage, and her cousin's dastardly attempts to get his hands on the legacy. Hard to say more without spoilers. As with many of MEB's novels, it's quite obvious early on what has happened, but these are not supposed to be modern mysteries where you aren't expected to figure it out. The point is to observe, knowing what the characters don't know. I liked this one. The familiar themes of women, marriage, power and ambition are all here.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensation novels are by their very nature plot driven but this one has more three dimensional characters than most. The "baddies" in such works are often purely evil by nature but here Mrs Braddon does attempt to give us some psychological insight into their character (the story has a male and a female villain plus one willing accomplice). A satisfying and entertaining read.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good v. Evil ...vengeance v forgiveness....belief v faithless....very good novel set in hierarchal England where legacies affect generations. Listened to this while hiking and the miles flew by.

[Mbuye · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Braddon's best melodramatic novels, 'John Marchmont's Legacy' with its twists and crimes, has all the ingredients of a great Victorian Gothic tale. It has a strong, if slightly dim, young hero, an honest, if enfeebled, second string, a childlike and wronged heroine, a beautiful and passionate anti-heroine, villainous villains, a property to be inherited by a number of claimants, all bound together in a riveting story of grief, crime and power politics.

As always, Brandon's sense of the dramatic is only equalled by her sense of style, which attracts even twenty-first century readers and leaves them enthralled by the slow build-up and horrifying climax of the plot. Her characters, despite their cardboard cutout nature, nevertheless elicit our sympathy at the situations into which their lives are thrown. As always, with Mary Elizabeth Braddon, there comes a moment when she has to introduce the god out of a machine when the complications of her plot become too much even for her ingenuity.

Any Mary Elizabeth Braddon novel is a delight, but in 'John Marchmont's Legacy' she has a worthy equal to 'Lady Audley's Secret'.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was confused as I read, thinking," Really? Maria Edgeworth sank this low?" Well, I was obviously confused. It was Braddon, not Edgeworth. Anyway, I had tried to read this a few times before but could not get past the first few sad people. Finally, I started again, and pushed through, engaged enough to find out what the heck was going on. It was a melodramatic melodrama of melodramatic proportions! I can finally sleep, I guess.
I'm not really into Mary Braddon, that much has become clear. What a soap opera.
I will say I almost gave 3 stars for the great writing that popped up in there amongst the melodramaplot. Smart women are destined to go crazy, submissive women are like gold, yada yada. But there were some sparkling bits of satire in there, and some moody descriptions. But, GEEZ...the melo-drama-llama musta been here.
I like bits of melodrama- Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge is crazy. I'll read that the next time I want melodrama. Like, when I actually go looking for it.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvellously read by Cate Barrett on LibriVox : one of my favourite reads; MEB is up there with Jane Austin and the Brontes; my 5th MEB book and my favourite; even better than lady audleys secret in my view; quite a long read at 17 hours but well worth the effort; I won’t forget this for a long time

[Josie Kochendorfer]

Victorian Snow White and I am so here for it.

"This woman was by nature dauntless and resolute as the hero of some classic story; but in her despair she had the desperate and reckless courage of a starving wolf"

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Midori · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars actually. Excellent and well written mystery; however, the final pages of the last chapter and the epilogue should very well be omitted as distasteful.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"John Marchmont's Legacy" was rather disappointing because I generally enjoy Braddon's novels and Sensation novels in general. This novel, unfortunately, really dragged in places and could have been shortened by 100 pages without losing anything important to the plot.

[Aleks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote a long review and it disappeared, so here's a much shorter one because now, about two months later, I forget most of what I wanted to say. I do remember that I found this book fascinating. It was not exactly a believable story, but it did have a lot to say about gender and a woman's place and a disturbing level of pseudo-pedophilia and -incest. It was rather gothic in some respects, but of the uncomfortable type that is in your own backyard and not all the way in Italy: big, mysterious houses; mysterious people; mysterious disappearances and circumstances--you get the point.

[Marianna Kambani-Barroqueiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved Olivia, the "ante-heroine", rather than Mary, or any other of the main characters. Out of all others, she is the most fascinating and best developed character, and the best remembered, despite the gripping sensational plot.

[Ebirdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. I thought it was more tightly plotted and moved along better than Lady Audley's Secret. with a more winning hero. The heroine was ridiculously weak but that is also viewed by today's standards. I'm glad I read it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning portrait of a woman obsessed....

[T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much too verbose and its tiring and depressing to have EVERYTHING bad happen to the good people in the book! Really did not like it.