RULES OF THE HEART

A married English noblewoman looks back over her 17-year love affair with a younger man.

Hadlow’s fact-based historical novel begins with Harriet Bessborough, now 51, deciding to get over the heartbreak of her lover ending their relationship by rereading the hundreds of letters he sent her, hoping they will “illuminate the truth of what had passed between us.” Her devoted maid, Sally, advises against it, but she goes ahead. A sealed envelope inscribed “Naples, 1794” containing some dried herbs is the last of this framing device for more than 400 very leisurely pages, until Harriet announces, “And there, I suppose, my story stops.” In between, a straightforward first-person account chronicles breathtakingly handsome Lord Granville’s determined pursuit of Harriet, who, despite an unhappy marriage, holds out for a third of the novel’s length—far too long, given that readers already know she will succumb. After she finally gives way and discovers physical bliss she has never known with her husband or in a few previous desultory affairs, Harriet wallows in guilt and agonizes endlessly about the 13-year age difference she is sure will lead to Granville leaving her to marry someone younger. (Given her refusal to run away with him so her husband will divorce her and they can marry, this is pretty much a foregone conclusion.) Sharp thumbnail sketches of such real-life figures as Harriet’s husband, Lord Bessborough, and Regency-era social doyenne Lady Melbourne only occasionally alleviate the fatigue of a repetitive, minutely detailed exegesis of the tortured romance. Alternating Harriet’s overflowing tears and halfhearted attempts to stop seeing Granville with bouts of lovemaking followed by more guilt and recriminations, Hadlow’s well-written and carefully researched tale seriously outstays its welcome. It’s a pity, because the tender, rueful closing chapters almost make up for the unduly detailed narrative that precedes it.

A poignant romance in dire need of a firm editor’s hand.