And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke

Narrated by Zara Hampton-Brown

And Then He Kissed Her, book one in Laura Lee Guhrke’s Girl Bachelors series, is one of those books that’s often cited as a favourite by historical romance fans. Originally published in 2007, this is the first time it’s been available in audio, and it’s good to see some old favourites finally making it into the format.

Set in the late Victorian era, And Then he Kissed Her tells the story of the romance between Harry, Viscount Marlowe – who, although an aristocrat, works for a living and owns a successful publishing house – and Miss Emmaline Dove (Emma), who has been his secretary for five years but is certainly not desperately in love with him and, knowing him to be a rake of the first order, is glad not to be so. When the book opens, Emma is being forced to listen to a ‘woe is me’ speech from Marlowe’s latest mistress – to whom he has just given her congé – and has no patience with any of it, relieved (sort of) that she’s not at all the sort of woman who would attract the attention of a such a man. Aged thirty, Emma has kind of accepted she’s likely to remain a confirmed spinster, and in any case, her ambitions lie in a different direction. She hopes one day to become a published author, and has in fact written a number of books on etiquette for young women; she has not so far been able to persuade Marlowe to publish any of them, but continues to write, undaunted.

She is naturally disappointed when he turns down her latest work… until something he says reveals that he hasn’t actually read any of the books she’s written. And then she’s hopping mad. She resigns her post and takes one with Marlowe’s closest competitor – but not as his secretary; no, she is given her own weekly column on etiquette and other matters of concern to young women, from how to find a respectable flat at a reasonable rent to the most appropriate way for a young lady to refuse a marriage proposal from a widower to where to find the best boots – a column that very quickly has the ladies of London – high and low, young and old – talking about it and its author’s vast knowledge and easy, readable manner of imparting it.

Marlowe – who clearly takes Emma and the way she manages his office – and many aspects of his life (like organising birthday presents for his sisters and selecting goodbye gifts for his mistresses) – for granted, behaves like a total dickhead towards her to start with. He’d rather have a tooth pulled than read an etiquette book, believing them to be dull and pointless – and therefore not profitable. When she ups and quits, he condescendingly reminds her that he gave her a job when most would not employ a female secretary and then asks her – “What will happen to you? Without me, your future is very uncertain, you know.” I may have cheered when she told him to stick his job and that she’d got a better one.

Fortunately, he does redeem himself. Marlowe has been angling to buy out his rival for some time, and when he does, Emma ends up working for him again, but this time on a very different footing. As she clearly sets out the terms she expects:

“We would have to look at each other in a new way. Not as an employer and his secretary, not as a lord and an army sergeant’s daughter, but instead as two people whose opinions and ideas are equal in importance and value. We should have to regard each other with mutual respect and consideration.”

– he finds himself impressed with – and more than a little intrigued by – her poise and new-found confidence. As their new working relationship progresses, both Emma and Marlowe start to see each other in a new light. He’s man enough to admit he was wrong about Emma’s etiquette books – not just because her advice columns are clearly popular and bringing in in money from advertising, but also because he realises that she’s actually a very talented writer. And Emma comes to realise that Harry’s unfortunate first marriage – which ended in a lengthy, expensive and scandalous divorce – has damaged him in ways she hadn’t seen before.

As I said at the beginning, there’s nothing new to be had in this story, but it’s a well-done example of the trope. Emma and Harry (which is short for Harrison – really? In Victorian England? Doubtful. And don’t get me started on the sidewalks, candy, fawcets and all the other annoying Americanisms!) are engaging characters and the chemistry between them fizzes right from the start. Emma, who is perhaps a bit prim, but always kind, is a terrific heroine, and I loved seeing her blossom as she gained the confidence to strike out on her own and achieve her ambition of becoming a writer and so much more. And while Harry is an idiot to start with, he is quick to acknowledge that he was wrong and then, to help Emma to further her career and offer help and support. I did feel that his character growth kind of stopped once he and Emma were in a relationship though; we listen to her overcoming her emotional barriers and breaking through the social conditioning that bound most young women of the time and deciding she wants to have an affair with Harry, but it’s clear that he doesn’t really appreciate quite what a big step that is for her and that he’d be content with the status quo forever without a qualm. I suppose that’s probably accurate for a man of the time – the author points out several times throughout the novel that he has a far greater degree of freedom than Emma in particular and women in general – and of course, it’s down to Emma to take action to make him finally face up to the truth of his feelings.

Zara Hampton-Brown is an accomplished narrator with a fair number of historical romances to her credit, and she delivers an enjoyable performance in this one. She has a pleasant, mezzo-range voice and is someone who acts as well as reads, something I always appreciate. Her narration is well-paced and clearly enunciated, and she’s able to convey a wide variety of emotion and differentiate effectively between characters according to gender, age and station. Her interpretation of Emma is excellent, capturing that little bit of primness and the overall essence of her character really well, especially in the moments of heightened emotion, whether she’s raging at Harry for being a self-important git or quietly telling him about her childhood and difficult relationship with her stentorian father. She lowers her pitch only a little to portray Harry, but she nonetheless makes him sound attractively masculine and just a little bit naughty when called for ;) (Chocolate, anyone?)

This one isn’t going to win any prizes for originality, but there’s something to be said for familiar tropes when they’re well done, and that’s definitely the case here. And Then He Kissed Her is an enjoyable, well-narrated historical romance that is sure to appeal to fans of the genre.

Caz

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