The Convenient Marriage is a 1934 historical romance novel by Georgette Heyer.
Horatia Winwood comes from a family of Impoverished Patricians who desperately need money. Her oldest sister is expected to marry the rich Earl of Rule, but she's in love with another man. Horatia decides to intervene and asks Rule to marry her instead of her sister. He does, and they gradually fall in love.
Contains examples of:
- Age-Gap Romance: A large part of the novel's conflict is that Rule is eighteen years older than Horatia, who's regarded as 'barely being out of the school-room'; while they do secretly grow to love each other, Horatia thinks Rule can't possibly be interested in such an inexperienced girl as herself, and Rule ruefully muses to his sister that his wife regards him as more of a father figure.
- Arranged Marriage: Horatia and Rule.
- The Baroness / Woman Scorned: Caroline Massey.
- Best Served Cold: Lethbridge has been waiting seven years to get his revenge on Rule for foiling his attempt to elope with Rule's sister.
- Comedic Sociopathy: Viscount Winwood and company.
- Corrupt the Cutie: Lethbridge's intention for Horatia. Eventually leads to I Have You Now, My Pretty, foiled by a Tap on the Head.
- Duel to the Death: Two, in fact, although neither ends in death.
- Gambit Pileup: Lady Massey is out to get Rule back; Lord Lethbridge is out to compromise Horatia in order to humiliate her husband; Drelincourt wants to destroy the marriage so he won't be displaced in the succession to the Earldom; Viscount Winwood wants to protect his sister; Horatia wants to save her marriage — and Rule wants exactly the same thing. The intersection of all these plots and plans results in a confused whirlwind of duels, risqué parties, kidnapping, attempted murder, highwaymen and an heirloom brooch.
- The Gambling Addict: Several members of the Winwood family have "the fatal weakness."
- Gem-Encrusted: Horatia buys a pair of shoes with emerald-studded heels; the emeralds explain the ridiculous price.
- The Highwayman: Played with. If a highwayman appears, either someone hired him for an ulterior purpose, or he's a major character in disguise.
- I Am Not Pretty: "Horry" is certainly unconventional, with a Speech Impediment and straight, heavy eyebrows, but Rule finds her charming just the way she is.
- Love Dodecahedron: Horatia is in love with her husband, and her husband is in love with her, but neither know it. Horatia thinks that her husband loves his former mistress Lady Caroline Massey, and thus falls into an unfortunate entanglement with Lord Lethbridge, who himself had an affair with Lady Caroline.
- MacGuffin: Everybody wants Horry's heirloom ring brooch.
- Marriage of Convenience: Horatia proposes this to Rule at the beginning of the story; he wants an alliance with the Winwood name rather than a particular daughter, so if he marries her he'll get the name and a wife who won't be utterly miserable in the marriage and will promise not to interfere with his affairs, so he can go on visiting any mistresses.
- Milholland Relationship Moment: Several, actually, but most notably Horatia's confession after Ranelagh.
- Rescue Romance: How Lethbridge gets Horry's attention.
- Signature Item Clue: Horatia loses her distinctive heirloom ring brooch at Lethbridge's home.
- Spirited Young Lady: Horatia is this.
- Throwing Down the Gauntlet:
- Viscount Winwood provokes Drelincourt into challenging him to a duel by first insulting and then stamping on his hat.
- In a more metaphorical sense, Horatia leaves Rule a defiant message before going off to Ranelagh.
- Wacky Marriage Proposal: Horry's Impoverished Patrician family desperately needs the match with the wealthy Earl of Rule but the beautiful elder sister is in love with another man. Horry very sensibly goes to Rule who is marrying for the bloodline not love, and asks if she won't do instead? He decides she would.
- Zany Scheme: Any plan Horry and her brother come up with.
