Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson, does not expect to see Matilda Westcott thirty-six years after their failed romance. Moreover, he does not expect decades-old feelings to emerge at the very sight of her. When encountering Matilda at a dinner hosted by the Earl of Riverdale, he finds himself as fascinated by her as he was the first day they met, and wonders if, after all these years, they have a chance at happiness together. Charles is determined to crack the hard exterior Matilda has built for over three decades or risk losing her once again...
Comment: This is a novella, part of the Wescott series by Mary Balogh. According to the author and a note in the beginning of the book, it had not been in her plans to write it but the two immediate novels before this novella put the heroine, Matilda, at such a light, that mrs Balogh felt the need to give her a HEA too...
Matilda Westcott is fifty six and she seems resigned to her spinster life, taking care of her mother, even if that now means welcoming her mother's younger sister and her companion into their home. Recently, Matilda has also been quite brave, in seeking viscount Dirkson, the biological father of Gil (hero of book #6) so that he could help with something his son needed. What others don't know is that viscount Dirkson, Charles, was actually someone she was in love with when they were both young, but her family pressured her to not accept his suit. Now, after 30 years of different lives, they are interacting again. Is there hope for them now, with experience and wisdom to support their new chance?
The author stated that another reason that prompted her to write this novella was the fact there aren't many heroines in their 50s being protagonists of romance stories. I can imagine it is true, which made reading this story even more intriguing. Of course, being Mary Balogh, everything was dealt with a lot of politeness and conscientiousness.
In the previous novels, Matilda has been described as fussy and stressed, except for the last book, in which she acted differently, with apparent more drive and perception. She actively helped Abigail, her niece, in a way that certainly caught the readers' attention to her and that made it necessary for her to get her HEA. I really can't say much about Matilda except what is shared in this novella, but the first thing that came to mind was actually that this reminded me of the premise of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Yes,it's not the same thing but the main idea is the same.
Charles, viscount Dirkson was a little harder to read, I'll confess. Of course we learn he didn't fully control how his relationship with Gil developed when Gil was a little boy and as adults they were mostly estranged. Now, for more than one reason, they are in the same family orbit and we get to see Charles in a different light. As a young man, he was known for his wild ways and it can be understandable why he and Matilda didn't try harder for a relationship. Obviously, this being a novella, there isn't enough time to really deal with all those past doubts, but I suppose the author found ways to make him seem "redeemed".
Their romance now is very quiet and unassuming, and I don't think it's only because of their age. They have seen and felt things that might not call to flashy behavior anymore, but this, too, was dealt with in a cute way, considering how they decide to marry, with all the fanfare they deserve. I still cannot really say what their personalities are and if they are such a great couple... I'll believe they will be so.
Honesty, what i was more interested in was seeing the development of Charles' relationships with his children. He has two daughters and a son from his first marriage and he has Gil. I really thought we would get a lot more about these two, but no, not really. Still, i liked it how we got to see him interacting with his other son and how he became friends with the Westcotts too. I'm hoping this will be more obvious in the following books, for certainly there will be many family scenes.
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