The Lady and the Cit
Grade : D

Aurelia Trevor inherited her family home, Pevensey Park, after her father died, but her uncle, also her guardian, has control of it until she reaches age 25 or marries. Afraid that under her uncle's dubious care, the estate will be ruined long before four years are up, she decides to marry. There are many candidates for her very wealthy hand, including her odious cousin who is making advances with her odious uncle's encouragement. Aurelia needs a husband very quickly, but one who will allow her to run the estate as she was raised to do.

She writes letters to her godmother and even her solicitor, in an attempt to find a suitable candidate. Thomas Lanning hears of her plight from his friend and solicitor. Wealthy from successful speculation on the Exchange, Thomas has all the money he needs and is now looking for political power to compliment it. Aurelia's main attraction lies in the location of Pevensey Park; it is in a political borough whose Member of Parliament has recently died.

For her part, Aurelia is concerned about marrying a man in trade - a Cit. Thomas is also a strong man whom she won't be able to bully, but when her uncle and family move in and make threatening noises, she knows that drastic measures are called for. Thomas is on the verge of sending his regrets to Aurelia when he hears of the uncle's latest gambit. Well aware of the cousin's reputation as "The Terrible Twyford", he resigns himself to riding to her rescue. In great Dragonslayer fashion, the usurpers are routed, and Thomas and Aurelia are quickly married.

Bancroft did a very good job of making me sympathize with Aurelia's plight in regards to her uncle, the loss of her autonomy and grief over her father's passing. There is a good sense of desperation and menace in the opening chapters. However, after the marriage takes place in chapter seven, my sympathies for Aurelia quickly spiraled downward. She finally has what she wants - her land and her person are safe - but she does nothing but complain and whine. And the source of all her complaints? Her Dragonslayer husband whose only crime seems to be that he is a Cit.

Aurelia continually disparages her husband because of his social standing. I can well understand that an aristocrat would need some time to reconcile herself to marrying someone below her class, but Bancroft takes this to ridiculous lengths. The title of the book is The Lady and the Cit and we are never allowed to forget it, for Aurelia constantly uses the word Cit as a pejorative. When this was really starting to get on my nerves, I decided to tally the number of times the word Cit is used in a random chapter. The following chapter, Chapter Nine, was typical. In it we are treated to:

  • "her hired Cit husband"
  • "Your Cit is a good man"
  • "She had not married a Cit, she had married a barbarian."
  • "…her Cit husband did not want her."
  • "…the Cit husband she had used."
  • "The Cit [has moved] into my papa's chambers!"
  • "His bride was merely enduring his Cit presence."

"His Cit presence"? And there are plenty of other times when the noun "Cit" turns into an adjective, including "his Cit feet". Now, I'm not sure what "Cit feet" look like, but I'm sure they must be vulgar. Often Aurelia will witness an action of her husband's and think to herself, "Cit!". I got an immediate picture of Aurelia putting her husband through doggie obedience training: "Sit, Cit! Sit! Good boy."

Add to this the constant snipping and sniping between the two, misunderstandings big and small, internal monologues which reveal one way of thinking, only to have the opposite manifest itself when Thomas and Aurelia are in each other's presence, and you have a complete mess. I can't remember the last time I was so glad to be finished with a book. And the last sentence? "Her Cit was home, and all was right with the world." Please.

Reviewed by Cheryl Sneed
Grade : D
Book Type: Regency Romance

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : February 3, 2005

Publication Date: 2005

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Cheryl Sneed

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