E. Brownleigh

A reread of one of my favorite books. The story takes place in 1904, partly in New York City and partly in Mexico. The two main characters, Thea and Charles, are wealthy, intelligent, and willing to go the extra mile when asked. The setup of the story is fairly long and involved, but gives the necessary background, especially Charles's, that is needed to understand their actions. They don't meet until about one-third of the way through the book, but the pages fly by quickly.

Thea is one of a new type of woman for the age. She is rich but wants something more out of life. She turns a flair for decorating into a thriving interior decoration business. Her first client was longtime family friend President Theodore Roosevelt, who hired her to do one of the private rooms at the White House. Her intelligence and discretion also led to Thea doing a few favors for the government, mostly involving Americans who acquired European artifacts that needed to be quietly returned to their rightful owners. As the story opens, TR asks Thea if she can go to Mexico with an as-yet-unnamed male companion to "look in" on the German embassy. Rumors abound that the Germans plans to create problems for the US's plans to complete the Panama Canal. I enjoyed this part, which covered Thea's trip from DC to St. Louis in Roosevelt's private railroad car, her stay in St. Louis (and visits to the St. Louis World's Fair), and her arrival in San Antonio, where she meets her partner, Charles. During her time in St. Louis, there is also time spent with a man who appears later in the book.

Charles is the youngest son of a French Comte. Seven years earlier, he had become a seminarian with the Jesuits, but after five years, it was clear that he wasn't suited for that life. Unfortunately, because of it, he suffered a nervous and physical breakdown that took him two years to recover from physically. He is also haunted by some things that happened during that time. He plans to finish his recovery, then buy a small house and devote himself to scholarly pursuits. However, as his section opens, Charles discovers that his strong-willed mother has other plans for him. She sends him off to New York, to good friends Alix and Henry Thorpe (Woman of the Century), hoping to rejuvenate his spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed this part. Charles's utter bewilderment on his arrival in New York was heart-wrenching as he tried to acclimate to a lifestyle that was opposite to what had been. I loved watching the changes he experienced, and the return of his confidence and love of life. They weren't without some pain and awkwardness, and I couldn't help laughing even as I shook my head at some of the situations he got into. His unexpected meeting with TR was a shock, especially when he heard the President's request. I loved his response and how it showed his sense of honor.

The fun really began once both Thea and Charles arrived in San Antonio. Though they have many mutual friends, they had never met until then. I loved their first encounter. Both are mature, practical people, with more in common than they knew. I liked their honest conversation about expectations and their evident respect for each other. The proposed plan that they pose as husband and wife during their time in Mexico hit a snag, and they ended up married for real. What neither expected were the sparks that flared between them. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop as they played the part of happy newlyweds while staying with friends. Thea recognized her feelings first but despaired of having her love returned. Charles fought his feelings because the traumas of his past made him feel unworthy of having a happy future. It took interference from an unexpected source, and advice from a friend for Charles to see the light. Thea tearing into him finished the job, and finally opened their eyes to a bright future together.

From here, the story mainly focuses on Charles and Thea's mission to discover what is cooking in Mexico City. I loved the insights into some of the diplomatic machinations surrounding the building of the Panama Canal. As a friend of theirs said, "Everyone pretends to get along, but it's all a lie." I could feel Charles and Thea's frustration as the time passed, and they learned very little that would be of any use. There was a fantastic scene at one of the parties when Thea rather forcefully corrected an Austrian partygoer's misinformation about President Roosevelt, later commenting that "The whipped cream at Demel's (a restaurant in Vienna) is smarter than she is." As they came closer to the end of their stay, Charles decided he was going to be a little more proactive in his investigation. The scene at the German Embassy's ball was intense as he played the spy with unexpected results and consequences. I was on the edge of my seat as the results of his action put both him and Thea in danger. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved the way it went down.

The second part of the book also showed the growth and deepening of Charles and Thea's love for each other. It wasn't all sunshine and roses. His past still haunted Charles until Thea fought through his protective walls and got him to talk about it. It was a profoundly emotional scene that still makes me cry whenever I read it. There are also outside forces that try to come between them. The man from St. Louis continues to pursue Thea, refusing to believe that she is in love with Charles. I enjoyed watching her stand up to him, with limited success. I loved Charles's protectiveness and his method of solving the problem. At the same time, one of Charles's old lovers is in Mexico City and is determined to lure Charles back to her bed. Charles is blind to what she does, but Thea sees right through her. Thea's attempts to warn Charles fall on deaf ears until it is almost too late. Although both Charles and Thea suffer through some jealous moments, their love for each other survives the test. I loved the ending, which takes place back in New York City.

One thing that the author excels at is her vivid descriptions of the fashion, furnishings, and lifestyle of her characters. I love taking those descriptions and, using google, find pictures of the real thing. While some might find them tedious or too detailed, for me, they added a depth of realism to the story. The same goes for the people themselves. I loved her descriptions of Roosevelt, Charles and Thea's military contact, and their various friends. Everyone had unique personalities and were easy to either like or dislike (and in some cases, detest). Relationships were also vividly portrayed.… (mer)