Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32004 - An Innocent Madness

"What strange dark presence transformed the majestic Rathmay into a prison?  Charlotte only knew it must be destroyed..." (cover blurb)

I definitely have to hand it to Harlequin - whey they made the decision to publish this Gothic Romance line of books, they definitely sought out some great writers and some fantastic stories.  Four books into the series, and I have found each and everyone of them to be engaging, well written, and thoroughly enjoyable.  This fourth book is written by Dulcie Hollyock, which is the author's real name and not a pseudonym.   Hollyock (1914-2004) is an Australian author who served as the Chief Librarian of the Victorian Teaching Training Colleges for more than twenty years.  She authored a number of short stories and articles, and it was not until she was in her 70s that she had her first two novels published, both in the Harlequin Gothic Romance line.  Ironically, both of her stories are set in Ireland, and both books feature a male protagonist by the name of Richard.  More information about Hollyock can be found at University of Melbourne Archives - Dulcie Hollyock.

An Innocent Madness, the first of Hollyock's two gothic novels, is the story of Charlotte Bolton, a young British woman whose grandmother has decided she is of the age where she must be married. Charlotte wants to marry for love, but her grandmother arranges a marriage with one Richard Chivers, the heir of the Chivers' fortune and homestead, Rathmay, better known as Rathmaiden.  The only problem is, Charlotte arrives in Ireland and is unceremoniously dropped at a crossroads with her large trunk of belongings. Leaving the trunk behind, she makes her way to the small town of Newton Maiden, only to discover that no one at the old house knows who she is, nor are they aware of the arranged marriage.  She is reluctantly allowed to stay the night at Rathmaiden until the matter can be sorted out.  Charlotte soon learns that her intended is deceased, and the new heir is actually her betrothed's cousin.  To make matters worse,  the cousin (also named Richard) lives in the tower house behind the Raithmaiden, as the original Lord Chivers lost the main house in a gambling debt to a not-so-gentlemanly man by the name of James Giles, who is the new lord of the manor.  His housekeeper, Mrs. Kirby, makes it clear she does not want Charlotte there, but Mr. Giles seems to have other ideas (none of which appeal to Charlotte at all!).  When her trunk is not only not brought to the house, but is said to have disappeared, Charlotte is left with no clothes, no money, and nowhere to go!

Hollyock definitely puts poor Charlotte through the ringer in this mystery.  Giles and Kirby doubt Charlotte's story, and even Sarah (who makes it clear she is not the maid!) has her doubts.  When Dorothy Giles arrives, Charlotte thinks everything will be cleared up, as she had met Miss Dorothy a number of times at various social functions in England - but her hopes are dashed when Dorothy looks at her and claims to have no knowledge of her!  (She later recants and admits she knows who Charlotte is, not that it seems to matter to James Giles or Mrs. Kirby!)  The housekeeper continues her taunts to get Charlotte to leave, and Charlotte wonders how far the woman will go. A ruined dress, a warning note, and the discovery from the post office in town that someone at Rathmaiden had picked up Charlotte's trunk days ago leads Charlotte to suspect something much more sinister is going on in that house.  Charlotte manages to get a secret message mailed off to England, in the hopes her grandmother, or perhaps her grandmother's attorney, will see it and send help - but before that help can arrive, Mrs. Kirby plays the ultimate trick and accuses Charlotte of stealing Dorothy's clothes!  Charlotte is sent to jail, and there is an interesting turn of events as her godfather's nephew, Jeremy Carstairs, arrives with Lord Chivers to help prove her innocence - and Dorothy herself proves to be the very witness that could gain Charlotte her freedom.

The further one gets into the story, the more the readers begins to think that everyone is exactly who they say they are.  The wicked, nasty ones are just that - the evil villains; while the more reserved, caring ones are those who can be trusted and believed.  But after the trial, the continued delays in taking Charlotte home and the secrecy of some of the characters makes one think that perhaps everything here is not what it seems.  And one of the characters suddenly reveals themself to be Charlotte's ultimate enemy, the one that has been working behind the scenes the entire time to get rid of her - and the climactic scenes definitely take a very dark and twisted turn that makes this story well worth the read!

A few factual tidbits about the book.  While Hollyock refers to the town in Ireland as "Newton Maiden," it turns out the town of Maiden Newton is actually in Dorset, England, not Ireland.  There is, however, a Rathmaiden in Ireland, which is likely where Hollyock pulled the name for this story.  Hollyock also makes use of the real novel, The Widow Barnaby by Frances Milton Trollope, which Charlotte picks up in the library and reads while she is trapped at Rathmaiden (p. 38).  She refers to the book as being "just published" - and since the book was originally published in 1839, that would set this story taking place around that time.

For once, we do not get the standard two men - one good, one evil, but which is which? - story; no, Hollyock plays the tale different for this gothic mystery.  Instead, we get one man with a secret past that haunts him - a past that ultimately comes back to haunt poor Charlotte as well and nearly costs her her life!  I love the payoff at the end of the book, and Hollyock knows how to not only shock and surprise her readers, but also to provide her protagonist with a well-deserved resolution.  If Hollyock's second gothic in this series is half as good as this one, it will still be worth the read.

 

Finally, no idea who the cover artist is - but I love the scene and expression on Charlotte's face.  This depicts a scene near the end, when Charlotte is held captive and opens her long-lost trunk, only to discover it contains something other than her clothing!

RATING:  10 black taffeta skirts and cashmere shawls out of 10 for spinning a new take on the typical gothic tale with way more villainous characters than one would expect to find!