I had never heard of Ada Leverson until I stumbled across an old Virago of The Little Ottleys at a book sale, bought it, read it, loved it and reviewed here. On re-reading I see this review has only concentrated on the Ottley marriage and I rather ignored the other story line - I have corrected this below. Love's Shadow is the first story of the three.
My by line is on the back of Love's Shadow and above me is a comment by Barry Humphries 'Saki meets Jane Austen in the delectable comedies of Ada Leverson' and while Love's Shadow is certainly comic, there is also sadness and unrequited love.
Edith is married to the unutterably ghastly Bruce Ottley (Mr Pooter without the charm), who is pompous, and vain. She has a young, beautiful friend Hyacinth Verney who is in love with the elusive and dashing Cedric Reeve. He, in his turn, is fascinated and infatuated with an enigmatic widow some ten years older than him, Mrs Raymond, who spurns his attentions and insists that he marries Hyacinth. In turn, Hyacinth is loved by her guardian Lord Cannon, unhappily married to the redoubtable and self deluding Lady Cannon who had "a very exalted opinion of her own charms, virtues, brilliant gifts and, above all, of her sound sense. Fortunately for her, she had married a man of extraordinary amiability who had taken very possible precaution to prevent her discovering that in this opinion she was practically alone in the world".
There is also a hint that Bruce, who is furious at Hyacinth's marraige, may also be in love with her....
Still with me?
Cedric has an Uncle Lord Selsey, who in his turn, becomes fascinated by Mrs Raymond and as she has been a widower for some time and he is a suitable match, decides to marry him. On hearing this news, Cedric then marries Hyacinth and though he does love her, he still has a secret yen for Mrs Raymond, now his aunt. It is this unrequited love that casts 'love's shadow' over their marriage and nearly brings him to disaster.
This sounds very convoluted, but the writing of this comedy of manners, because in the end it is a comedy, is so stylish and witty with such a deft touch that the reference to Jane Austen is not unwarranted. The main thrust of the story is this love triangle, (or should that be quadruple?) but balancing this out is the Edith/Bruce marriage and I think I can safely say that Bruce Ottley is one of the most irritating characters I have ever come across. In my earlier post, I mentioned that Ada Leverson's marriage was not a happy one and I made the assumption that she had imbued Bruce with some of her husband's characteristics. Edith and her mother in law are joined in an unspoken alliance in managing Bruce and the knack is for Edith to ask him not to do something she really wants him to do, secure in the knowledge that he will then ignore her, do it and she will have achieved the desired result.
"I feel the want of air" said Bruce. " If you don't mind dear, I think I shall go for a stroll"
"Oh, don't" He went to the hall and put on his coat "Just a stroll, or I may look in the club. You don't understand Edith, a man feel rather cramped in these surrounding"
And off he goes to his club where no doubt he will empty the room and Edith makes her telephone call to Hyacinth for a gossip which is what she wanted to do all along. (This is a strategy I employed many times in my marriage which may go some way to explain why I now live alone...)
The humour and awfulness of Bruce which can only make the reader laugh despite feeling that he really is worth strangling, counter balances the Mrs Raymond/Cedric/Hyacinth tangle which is all sorted out in the end by Mrs Raymond, now Lady Selsey, arranging to go away on a trip with her husband to the Greek Islands for a year or two, and leave Hyacinth and Cedric to sort themselves out. Left alone, Cedric will realise that he loves Hyacinth and though I feel that Lady Selsey is doing the right thing, I am left with the strong impression that she rather enjoyed being a femme fatale and only decided to let Cedric go when the marriage was in danger of collapse which would not have suited her at all. Not a pleasant character and I can hardly help but wonder what will happen when she returns. We will never know of course.
Ada Leverson has a satirical eye for the absurd as you can see by the reconciliation between Hyacinth and Cecil.
"Cedric, are you really sorry that she's going?"
"Not at all if I'm going to have a little peace now"
"Oh Cecil have I been unfair to you? I'm very very sorry. I see I was wrong. How could I be so horrid?"
"....you did make me feel pretty miserable"
"Oh poor boy. Then you don't care a bit for that woman then?"
"Not a straw!"
"Oh Cecil will you ever forgive me?"
"Well, I'll try" said Cecil.
After all the sturm and drang, threats of divorce and angry words, it is all sorted out in this rather silly little exchange and the reader is left with a wry smile at the comic-serious situation. Wonderful stuff.
Do read. I know you will love it.
