Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Literature / TheReluctantWidow

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reluctant_widow.jpg]]

''The Reluctant Widow'' is a 1946 [[HistoricalFiction historical romance]] novel by Creator/GeorgetteHeyer. It was (very loosely) adapted into a film in 1950, making it the only one of her novels to have a film adaptation as of 2022.

Elinor Rochdale is the daughter of a ruined gentleman and has to work as a governess to support herself. On her way to her new employer's house, she accidentally gets into the wrong carriage and ends up at the house of Edward Carlyon. Edward forces Elinor to marry his dying cousin as part of a conspiracy to save his family name.

!!Contains examples of:
* AccidentalAimingSkills: Nicky, after missing [[spoiler: Louis de Castres]]:
--> I never touched him, but I did shatter his lantern, and that would have been pretty fair shooting, I can tell you, if I had been aiming at it.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Francis.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Nicky Carlyon. Everyone likes him, but he certainly causes a lot of trouble!
* AssholeVictim: Nobody misses Eustace much (although his death isn't a mystery).
* BigFriendlyDog: Bouncer, except when he's guarding Elinor. Then he morphs into AngryGuardDog.
* BookcasePassage: Actually in a closet, but close enough.
* TheDandy: Francis. And how. He could also be seen to be something of an AgentPeacock, as it transpires he is actually a [[spoiler:cold-blooded killer]].
* INeverSaidItWasPoison: How Carlyon deduces that [[spoiler:Francis killed de Castres; he knew details about the murder that were not in any of the newspaper accounts]].
* MacGuffin: The missing document.
* OneDialogueTwoConversations: A hilarious one between Elinor and Carlyon at the start of the book. Carlyon thinks Elinor has [[MailOrderBride answered his advertisement for a woman to marry his cousin]], while she thinks he's discussing a governess position.
* PromotionToParent: The main reason, according to Elinor, for Carlyon's overbearing nature, was that he had to take charge of his younger siblings (and Eustace) from a relatively early age.
* RegencyEngland: The book is set in 1813.
* SecretPath: The hidden entrance to Highnoons.
* SecretRelationship: The cover story for why Eustace suddenly has a wife.
* ShoutOut: The main couple are called [[Literature/SenseAndSensibility Elinor and Edward]], you say?
----

Top