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The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck: A Novel, by Kathleen Y'Barbo
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Unlikely romance is sometimes just an inconvenient marriage away
Charlotte Beck may be entering adulthood, but she can’t seem to keep to her stubborn, independent spirit from bucking social protocol. Fed up with her behavior, Charlotte’s father Daniel pressures her to settle into a nice marriage despite knowing she is set on going to college. Then Daniel sees Charlotte with the handsome but annoying English astronomer Alex Hambly, and everything changes.
Though Alex and Charlotte can barely stand one another, Daniel offers them a deal they can’t refuse: if they agree to marry, he will save Alex’s family from financial ruin and grant Charlotte the freedom to go to college. Reluctantly the couple agrees, but in private they plot to annul the marriage as soon as possible.
But when Alex’s feelings change and he refuses to dissolve their contract, will Charlotte find a way out of her vows? Or will she discover that maybe this marriage isn’t so inconvenient after all?
- Sales Rank: #1529932 in Books
- Published on: 2011-06-21
- Released on: 2011-06-21
- Format: Bargain Price
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.22" h x .73" w x 5.49" l,
- Binding: Paperback
- 352 pages
Review
Praise for Kathleen Y’Barbo
“Y’Barbo gives us a solid story with characters who lead the way to laughter and danger.”
—LINDA MAE BALDWIN, RT Book Reviews
“Kathleen Y’Barbo has written a high-spirited novel about the kind of woman we’d all like to be: spunky, creative, witty—and a good shot.”
—DIANN MILLS, author of A Woman Called Sage and Sworn to Protect, commenting on Anna Finch and the Hired Gun
“I love Kathleen Y’Barbo’s deft hand at combining romance, comedy, and suspense. Her books are pure fun to read.”
—MARY CONNEALY, author of Doctor in Petticoats
“A fun read. Delightful, engaging, charming, and yes, funny. Humor in the characters, and humor in the events, as she dreams of and heads on an adventure in the west. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp of a read.”
—LAURAINE SNELLING, author of the Red River series, Daughters of Blessing series, and One Perfect Day, commenting on The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
“With excitement, romance, and humor, Kathleen Y’Barbo spins a tale that captures your mind. The author’s enthusiasm for writing spills out of every scene, creating, as it should, enthusiastic readers.”
—STEPHEN BLY, award-winning western author of more than one hundred books, including One Step Over the Border, commenting on The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
About the Author
Kathleen Y'Barbo is a bestselling author of 40 award-winning novels and novellas with over 950,000 books in print. Kathleen is a tenth generation Texan, a graduate of Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, and the mother of three grown sons and a daughter. She recently enlisted for a happily-ever-after of her own with her hero in combat boots. Find out more about Kathleen at www.kathleenybarbo.com.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
A lady carries herself with great poise and the sense that an egg sits atop her head.
—MISS PENCE
June 9, 1887
London
What Charlotte Beck wanted, Charlotte Beck generally got.
Thus Charlotte stood on the doorstep of Fensworth House, poised to make her unofficial debut into proper society despite the fact that she’d not yet reached the age of introduction nor been presented to the queen. Won’t Gussie be surprised when I write her about the evening? The thought of her best friend, Augusta “Gussie” Miller, bolstered Charlotte’s courage and reminded her why she’d insisted on being included tonight. After much pleading, Charlotte had convinced Gennie, her stepmother, that she needed to practice her social graces before her first official events of the New York and London seasons.
As the door opened, Charlotte swallowed a flutter of nerves. A uniformed servant nodded at her, and she worried she would forget the litany of instructions on proper decorum that Gennie had again gone over with her on the carriage ride here.
Charlotte slid a glance that she hoped conveyed thanks to the man whose duty it had been to escort the Beck ladies tonight. The same man who’d successfully lobbied on her behalf. Colonel William F. Cody, who was not only her father’s business partner but also practically family, responded with a wink, then adjusted his lapels.
Her gaze swept past the colonel to the room a level below them, which glittered as much from the chandeliers above as from the jewels the nobility wore. The light was perfect for painting. She closed her eyes to memorize the scene then opened them quickly when Gennie touched her arm.
Had she any breath left, Charlotte might have sighed at the loveliness of it all. But under Gennie’s instructions, the maid had pulled her corset strings so tight that even mild exertion would likely send Charlotte plummeting to the floor.
Perhaps rushing her debut was not such a wise move after all. The combined effect of nibbling at almost nothing all day and then squeezing into the lace-covered instrument of torture was not Charlotte’s idea of a grand time.
Colonel Cody shifted positions to move beside her, and she glanced up to see him giving one last swipe to his well-tended mustache. A fellow clad in the livery of the Fensworth household stepped in front of them and cleared his throat. “The distinguished Colonel William F. Cody, Lady Eugenia Cooper Beck, and Miss Charlotte Beck.”
A hush fell over the room as Gennie allowed Colonel Cody to take her arm. “Show time,” he whispered to Charlotte before linking arms with her as well.
The name of the famous American showman had caught the crowd’s attention, and several dozen men and women moved toward them. The famed “Buffalo Bill” released Charlotte and escorted Gennie down the stairs to greet their hosts.
Left alone at the top of what seemed an impossibly high vantage point, Charlotte reached for the banister then thought better of it. A lady carries herself with great poise and the sense that an egg sits atop her head, said Miss Pence, the tutor who’d spent the last few weeks whipping Charlotte into some manner of good form.
Find a focal point and walk toward it, looking neither up nor down.
Easily done in her grandfather’s drawing room, but not here with half of London watching her performance. Charlotte took a shallow breath and focused on a lovely Adams mantel across the room. Leaning against the mantel was a much more interesting focal point: an impossibly handsome, dark-haired gent who appeared quite amused at her plight. He had the audacity to lift one corner of his mouth in a taunting grin.
A child might have stuck her tongue out at him, but a lady did no such thing. Shifting her focus back to the fireplace and, above it, a rather lovely Watteau painting of an idyllic countryside setting, Charlotte took her first successful, if halting, step. And then another, and another, keeping in mind the wobbling imaginary egg, until she’d reached Gennie’s side. Only then did she brave a look at her one-man audience, who applauded.
“Darling,” Gennie said, drawing her attention, “say hello to our hosts.” To the fellow in noble regalia and his strikingly beautiful wife, she said, “I’m so happy to present our daughter, Charlotte.”
Our daughter. Charlotte squeezed Gennie’s hand, and her stepmother returned the gesture. That the Lord had given her Gennie to fill the gaping void of living without a mother was still a blessing that brought tears to Charlotte’s eyes.
She shifted to balance the imaginary egg then offered her host a smile. Slowly her attention turned to the earl’s wife. Again, Charlotte smiled in greeting as Miss Pence had instructed her. Speak when spoken to and do not assume nobility cares one whit for your ramblings had been a favorite saying of the sour old tutor.
Lady Fensworth, resplendent in a gown of deepest blue, leaned forward, and her appraising gaze swept Charlotte’s length. “You’re quite lovely. Perhaps I should introduce you to my Martin. After he’s finished speaking with Colonel Cody, of course.”
“Martin?”
The question was met with instant disapproval on the face of their hostess while their host seemed to be off in a world of his own. Charlotte looked to Gennie for guidance on how to repair what was obviously some sort of damage.
“The future earl,” Gennie whispered.
“Oh, yes, thank you. I would very much like an introduction,”
Charlotte managed. The woman’s cool stare kept Charlotte off balance as she turned to find the man in question. She spied the colonel’s silver hair and then, by leaning just a bit to the right, found a partial view of his companion. “Is that Martin?” she quietly asked Gennie.
At Gennie’s nod, Charlotte studied the dark-haired man. When he turned his head her direction, their gazes collided. It was the same awful fellow who’d taken great delight in mocking her as she made her entrance into the ballroom.
This was Martin Hambly?
As Charlotte contemplated this fact, the man in question winked.
Of all the nerve.
“Come dear,” Gennie said.
But she was too stunned to move. Rather, Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. Whatever sort Martin Hambly was, he certainly was not a gentleman.
“Charlotte, do join me.” Gennie’s insistent tone caught her attention.
“Yes, of course.” Charlotte offered a hastened version of a bow then scurried off a step behind her stepmother.
As she made her way across the room, she kept the dark-haired man in sight. She saw him duck behind a group of party goers, and though she searched for him, Martin Hambly was nowhere to be seen.
Gennie joined several society matrons engrossed in a conversation regarding the queen’s upcoming Golden Jubilee, and Charlotte found her tolerance for this event, as well as her ability to take a decent breath, waning. The room began to spin, and she searched for a remedy. Colonel Cody stood against the far wall, a crowd of men surrounding him. He gestured animatedly with his arms, no doubt telling an exciting story about his time as an army scout. She longed to join the conversation, but Miss Pence would find it most improper.
She took another shallow breath, and her vision shimmered at the edges. To sit was unthinkable, especially given the limitations of the contraption that held her not only captive but upright. Escaping back up the stairs to freedom and the carriage that delivered her was also an impossible dream.
Charlotte sighed. She now knew without any doubt how a horse felt when it had been hobbled. Surely the New York parties would be much more fun.
As for the Pence egg, she’d been amusing herself for the last halfhour by imagining it as a ruined mess on the lovely ballroom floor, one that certain guests found too slippery to avoid. It was an evil way to pass the time, but any amusement was better than fainting dead away. “Are you unwell?” one of the matrons asked her.
Charlotte once again looked to Gennie for the proper response.
“Perhaps a bit of fresh air might help,” Gennie whispered. She nodded toward a large bank of windows overlooking what appeared to be a lovely garden. Heavy curtains lifted slightly at the edges, indicating the promise of a breeze. Gennie caught Charlotte’s wrist. “Mind your manners.” She pressed her lips to Charlotte’s cheek. “And don’t get caught,” she whispered in Charlotte’s ear.
Charlotte gave her stepmother an incredulous look. Had she just been instructed to climb out a window? When Gennie winked before returning to her conversation with the ladies, Charlotte had her answer. “Excuse me, please,” Charlotte said to the wagging tongues. She set the Pence egg back in its imaginary place and moved toward the makeshift exit as if she owned the place.
As few knew her, no one impeded Charlotte’s progress. She spent only a few moments standing at the edge of the room to assure she’d gone unnoticed before turning to slip behind the curtains. Then it was a simple matter for Charlotte, who had been sneaking out of her secondfloor bedroom since she was eight years old, to disappear under the open sash and out into the fresh night air.
Or it should have been simple. But her slippered foot caught on the sill, and the stupid corset kept her from bending. She hit her head on the sash, tipped over, and plummeted off the edge of what turned out to be a balcony with an extremely low and unsteady railing.
The stars above tilted and whirled as she grasped blindly for something to stop her fall. Only when she ceased tumbling did Charlotte realize t...
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
A Delightful Story!
By Megan
The first time you meet Charlotte Beck in 'A Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper', she is a spunky, precocious ten year old prone to misbehaving. Then in 'Anna Finch and the Hired Gun', she is a fifteen/sixteen year old trying to act years ahead of her time. Now in 'The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck', you see a woman of eighteen, trying to please her family and act in a way more acceptable to society.
Viscount Alex Hambly is a man whose family is on the brink of financial ruin. As a second son, Alex is expected to earn his own living and has chosen to work in the field of astronomy. Alex's older identical twin brother Martin is the heir to the title of earl, but mentally he has not been right ever since he went to war. Because of this, their family asks Alex to pretend that he is his brother at social events, so that know one will know of his problems.
Alex first meets Charlotte while at a party his family is having and he is pretending to be his brother. Alex is out in the garden trying to catch a glimpse of Jacob's Comet, when Charlotte falls from a window into his arms and then she faints dead away. Hearing voices, he quickly moves into a hedge and doesn't think, until after he does so, what would happen if they where caught. While in the shrubbery, Charlotte comes to, then starts demanding to be put down. Fearing being caught, Alex covers her mouth with his hand and tells her to be quiet, but she bites his hand and runs off. Knowing he can't follow after her without causing a scandal, he quietly steams and then when he starts to leave, he sees her fan and picks it up to return it to her. When he tries to return the fan to her, Charlotte's uncle thinks that he had accosted her and so he punches him - right there in the middle of the party. This is the first of many times that Charlotte will cause Alex pain.
When I received this book, I thought that the marriage would take place rather quickly in the story, but it actually doesn't happen until the story is over halfway through. As soon as I thought the story was going to go one way, it changed and went a completely different way. So I think that the title and blurb are a little misleading, but the story is still very enjoyable. This was a satisfying conclusion to the series. I loved reading 'The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck' and if you love historical romances, I am sure you will too.
Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for sending me a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not required to give a positive review, only to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Inconveniently predictable
By booklover13
Charlotte Beck, a girl on the verge of adulthood, is having trouble meeting social protocol. A seventeen year old American making her social debut in London, Charlotte cannot seem to keep her independent spirit in check. As the only daughter to a wealthy English business man living in Colorado, Charlotte has never wanted for anything, except an education. With an affinity for numbers, Charlotte hopes to attend college for a degree in mathematics and then run her father's business. Her father has other plans.
Marriage.
Charlotte wants to have a career before family. At the time, the proposition was almost unheard of. Enter the male lead: rich boy and astronomer Alex Hambly. An Englishman holding his crumbling family together, Alex needs to marry in order to save his family from financial ruin. Charlotte and Alex drive each other crazy (as the characters always do), but Charlotte's father makes them an offer too tempting to turn down.
If they agree to marry, Charlotte is free to pursue a degree for four years and he will pay off the debts the Hambly family owes. Reluctantly, the two agree, secretly planning to annul the marriage as soon as they can. And as these stories always do, feelings change, the characters try to deny it, but in the end realize that the marriage may not have been so inconvenient after all.
My reasoning for picking this book was simple: I didn't really want to read any of the other choices I was given on my blogging for books program. I knew exactly how this one would turn out from the title of the book, and I was right. By Kathleen Y'Barbo, the book is written decently well. The style is simple and straight to the point, but there was quite a bit of humor. A lot of cliches (A little annoying when you have heard them all. Some people can pull that off, others can't. Y'Barbo is in the latter category).
It is your typical romance story. Girl and boy meet. Drive one another up a wall. Vow never to speak to one another. Thrust together against their will. Arranged marriage. Happily ever after. The end.
Oh, I probably should have said spoiler alert! Oh well. You probably should have figured it by now anyway.
Overall, I'm not going to say it was a bad book, because it wasn't. It was just way too predictable. I have read all of that before. If you have some time to kill, want a romance, and don't really care about the plot, go ahead and pick it up. If I hadn't been given it for free, I probably wouldn't have bought it.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
A rather shallow take on arranged marriage
By Amber
*I recieved a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review*
Charlotte is a 18 year old girl from America wreaking havoc on England for the first half of the story. Between too tight corsets, a sharp tongue and one escapade on the Wild West show with Bill Cody she has managed to muck up on almost every page. Along the way she meets Alex who is an English astronomer who is struggling with family and money problems. The two intersect and sparks fly- literally at one point.
The story revolves around Charlotte's escapades and encounters with Alex as she seeks to prove to her father that she is capable of running the family business and desires his permission to attend college for mathmatics. When this fails, her father takes advantage of their weaknesses (or desires) and an arranged marriage is planned and executed.
I love historical fiction and independant characters but this book was hard to enjoy. First off, Charlotte is a brat with very few redeeming qualities. Not once did she display mature actions or thoughts and for the majority of the book she is shown as a spoiled young women whose method is to manipulate until she gets what she wants. Not exactly endearing qualities. Alex is a bit more charming but so chauvinistic that by the end when they do end up together, you wish them on each other LOL
I did enjoy the author's writing style and the historical facts she adeptly weaves in the story but her characters were not enjoyable to read about.
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