Many romantic comedies, from the time of Shakespeare and before, begin with a man and a woman who get into an argument at first meeting. The hostility, of course, is a thin disguise for passionate interest and curiosity, which eventually turn to mutual love when the misunderstandings are straightened out. Dishonorable Intentions, set in the early 1820s, carries the love-in-disguise theme to an extreme. Jezebel, the heroine, is a Scottish heiress who must sometimes disguise herself as a man to maintain control of the family estate. Aiden Darlington, aristocratic London rake, gives chase when he sees her for the first time: "Now galloping across meadow and moor, Jezebel kept her eyes closed, leaning forward, and relaxing against the soft roughness of Dark Storm's neck. Releasing the reins, she, with a confidence wrought of time and love, let the steed run roughshod. Which is why, galloping at an equally breakneck pace, Aiden Darlington found himself changing course to pursue the dangerous and feral animal, whose rider it seemed was an unfortunate match for his mount." Aiden presumably gives chase because he believes the rider to be dead, and therefore he tries to get control of the horse. He is confronted by the "boy," Jezebel, who accuses him of ungentlemanly interference. Aiden decides that the maiden with the flowing red hair is more exciting than his current mistress, whom he decides to discard on his next visit to London. He resolves to find out who the fiery horsewoman is, and marry her. From this point, the plot thickens. From time to time, Aiden is shot at by unknown assassins, and he suspects that Jezebel is involved. She comes to London to stay with a girlfriend who is well-acquainted with Aiden and his family, and he proposes to her by threatening to "ruin" her in London society. He knows about her masculine disguise, and she knows that if she is exposed, she will probably lose control of her estate, which is already in financial straits. Against her will, she is coerced into attending the social events of the "season" dressed as a proper young lady. Aiden is always there, and she can't afford to be openly hostile to him. This dear-enemy courtship continues for numerous chapters as Jezebel and Aiden each curse the secret attraction they feel to each other. At some point, Aiden offers marriage to Jezebel as a business deal: he will keep her estate out of bankruptcy and allow her to maintain control of it in exchange for a legitimate heir. He appears unexpectedly in her bedchamber, he forces her into carriages and presses her against his manly form. She finds his nearness strangely pleasurable but as a virgin, she is not sure exactly why. Mutual friends, relatives and servants of Aiden and Jezebel think they will each be good for each other. By the end of this 500-page epic, the predictions turn out to be true, and the relationship turns out to be much more than a financial contract. The happy ending, however, is hard-won. Throughout most of the novel, both central characters are in emotional pain. A "war" between a man and a woman in Britain in the 1820s, no matter how willful the woman, could not be a fair match. Neither the law nor the culture gave women the kind of choices available to men of the same social class. Ultimately, a resolution of male-female hostilities in that era required the woman's surrender. This novel is a large, ambitious fantasy which will probably satisfy devoted fans of the theme. However, this reviewer prefers power games in erotic romance to be more consensual. ----------------------
2020-09-15 22:41
