Apr
In Which Albert Comes To My Aid
It’s April. In fact, this month is the first time all of us authoresses have been at one of Lady B’s balls during the London Season. Of course, I’ve missed the last two (which I have heard were fabulous!), but now I’m returned and ready to cause mischief.
Not that you heard me say that.
Sabrina: “Atchoo!” Excuse me, that wasn’t the sort of mischief I meant.
Lady B: Are you ill, Miss Darby?
Albert: << Squawk! >> The plague! << Squawk! >>
How embarrassing! I caught this cold while travelling and as I didn’t want to miss another ball, I fortified myself with every remedy known to man. (In 2012 at least. Not limiting myself only to the medical knowledge of 1810 or 16 or whatever year it happens to be in the Ballroom at the moment.)
Sabrina: I’m recovering. I feel much better, however, only the errant sneeze. And cough. And you must know that illness is very important to romance! After all, without certain near deathly ailments, many heroes and heroines would never be in close enough quarters to discover their love.
Albert: << Squawk! >> Edward and Lily in Julianne MacLean’s Love According to Lily
Sabrina: Yes, one of my favorites! And illness often pushes heroes and heroines to at long last confess their love.
Albert: << Squawk! >> Valancy and Barney in The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery.
Albert is being a surprisingly useful wingman. No pun intended. Or every pun intended?
Lady B: That hardly counts. Her illness isn’t attached to the crisis that makes Barney confess his love.
I’m not going to argue that one. And I’m happy to know Lady B has read that book too.
Sabrina: Well, illness also is the reason many heroes and heroines are caught in compromising positions. Think of Raine and—
Albert: << Squawk! >> and Alyx in Velvet Song by Jude Deveraux
Who knew Albert was so well read?
Sabrina: Exactly! (To avoid spoilers I will not mention how the device is used in the plot.) Oh! And I cannot forget one of my favorites: Marianne and Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility. Even though it isn’t to the letter of the book, I love the way that relationship is portrayed in the Ang Lee film adaptation.
(Start around the 4 minute mark.)
Lady B: (Glowering at me) That is all very well and good, Miss Darby. I certainly concede that illness can be an important element of a budding romance but nonetheless, I insist that you rest yourself. I will not have 1812 (Aha! We have a year for tonight.) be known as the year that all of London grew ill at a Beaufetheringstone ball.
So with many apologies and a very red-face (and red nose that I couldn’t quite conceal with powder), I’m off to bed. But I do think Albert would be happy to squawk a bit more about his favorite books. How about everyone else? Do you have a book you love that uses illness as a way to get the hero and heroine together?
Apr 19, 2012
12:47 am
Thank you for your post, Sabrina. I’ve read some romances, often romantic suspense stories, in which the hero and heroine come together because one of them is suffering from amnesia. It’s a very useful plot device. But offhand I can’t recall any titles.
This is a little out of the genre, but I must note that in “Dr. Zhivago”, the title character and Lara first meet when her mother tries to commit suicide by swallowing poison, and nearly succeeds. But he brings her back from death’s door.
Apr 19, 2012
1:00 pm
Our own Miranda’s The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton is an amnesia story, Mary Anne, and it’s wonderful!
Apr 19, 2012
2:32 am
The first one that comes to mind is Julia Quinn’s Just Like Heaven, there are some very funny scenes while Marcus is feverish.
I know I’ve read more but I can’t think of any at the moment, I’ll come back later and see what everyone else remembers. I do love that scene in Sense and Sensibility too.
Apr 19, 2012
1:13 pm
Oh yes! Definitely Just Like Heaven. I really love reading about illness in romance. I still remember the very descriptive account of the “white throat” plague in one of Bertrice Small’s books. Of course, that didn’t have a happy ending for the HFN hero.
Apr 19, 2012
6:15 am
One of my favourite books is Trade Wind by M.M. Kaye. Their feelings for one another grow through the book but they are finally thrown together by cholera. Cholera is spreading through the island and leaving lots of children orphaned in the streets to die. So the hero, Rory, offers the heroine (confusingly called Hero!) his home as an orphanage.
Also Eloisa James’ When Beauty Tamed the Beast when Piers goes after Linnet having realised she is ill and saves her life, so lovely.
Oh and I second Beebs on the Julia Quinn one, very funny use of illness to bring characters together.
Apr 19, 2012
1:02 pm
LL, I loved loved loved When Beauty Tamed the Beast, how he saved her from the chicken coop and in that wretched house and how she “lost” her beauty and he loved her with such fierce loyalty and humor. It’s fabulous!
Apr 19, 2012
1:14 pm
Oh me too. Loved that scene in when Beauty Tamed the Beast. I cried.
Apr 19, 2012
3:46 pm
I cried like a little girl at that bit, too, Katharine & LL….when he’s crawling on the floor to get her water? OMG. DYING.
Apr 19, 2012
7:32 am
This past winter was a mild one in my area. We only had one major snow storm and it cancelled Halloween for some kids. The mild winter also led to a MASSIVE cold that struck our area. Even though it is the middle of April, we are still coughing up a storm. The cold holds onto you, so I hope you don’t have that type of strain, Sabrina.
As for books, I do like S&S. I love how Mrs. Palmer totally freaks out – makes me wonder what she would think about all the coughing and such around my area. I love how Colonel Brandon wants to do anything he can. Even Willoughby shows up. This act alone, makes me believe he is NOT the bad fellow that all make him to be. He did love Marianne, but not enough. Elinor standing by her sister – I thought she may come down with the disease, too.
I like how the heroine/hero comes to the others aid. I think about Anne of Green Gables and how Gilbert’s illness makes Anne finally believe (after books) that this man was always the man for her.
There are too many books to think of right now, but I do love how the hero/heroine is like “don’t die on me, I need you.” It really tugs at the heart strings.
Apr 19, 2012
1:15 pm
Thanks, Jamie. I think this has been a fairly mild cold over all. I’m just coughing and sniffling my way through the comments here.
What’s that, Albert?
< < Squawk! >> Anne and Gilbert! < < Squawk! >>
I think he’s a big L.M. Montgomery fan. And I totally agree.
Apr 19, 2012
8:34 am
The two books that instantly came to mind were both by Lisa Kleypas.
In “Devil in Winter”, Sebastian takes a bullet for Evie and she nurses him back to health and that brings them closer. It really is lovely.
And in “Seduce me at sunrise”, Merripen and Win already have feelings for each other but her going through scarlet fever nearly ruins their chances. Merripen nurses her back to health but has a self concocted potion of deadly nightshade (i think it was) to take if Win were to die. He didn’t want to carry on living without her! It was so beautiful, I cried. I’m such a sop!
Apr 19, 2012
1:16 pm
Lisa Kleypas is really good at the whole illness/injury leads to love thing.
Apr 19, 2012
3:47 pm
Both of those are in my top favorites, Sabrina…<3
Apr 19, 2012
10:55 am
Sabrina, I hope you start to feel better!
What a great topic. I *love* scenes where the hero or heroine has to nurse the other through illness or injury. *spoiler alert* There might be something sort of like that in A Lady by Midnight. But that’s all I’m saying about that.
So many great examples already mentioned!
Trying to think of more… Beth gets sick in The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie, and it causes Ian to better understand what he feels for her. In one of Eloisa James’ Duchess books (Duchess in Love? The one with Jem and Harriet), Jem’s little girl gets sick from a rat bite, and it’s just gutwrenching.
Apr 19, 2012
11:05 am
I love your books Tessa, I am so excited to hear any details about your next book! I really enjoyed “A Week to be Wicked”!
Apr 19, 2012
12:29 pm
Oh, I forgot about those scenes when Ian nursed Beth, they were wonderful.
Thorne is more than welcome to come and nurse me the next time I’m feeling poorly.
Apr 19, 2012
1:18 pm
Oooh! I forgot about the Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie illness scenes too. Totally. And when children get sick, it’s worse than anything else.
Looking forward to finding out what this scene is in A Lady by Midnight!!!
Apr 19, 2012
11:59 am
Great topic Sabrina! And I hope you’re feeling better!!
I just recently finished reading Lisa Kleypas’s Rainshadow Road where the heroine Lucy gets into an accident while riding her bike, and ends up at the hero Sam’s house for a few days to recuperate. It definitely heightened the emotional and physical intimacy stakes between them since this happens very soon after they first meet.
There is a great scene in Julie James’s About That Night when the heroine Rylann has come home from a horrible day at work with a vicious migraine and the hero Kyle comes over to take care of her instead of going out to celebrate a huge work win, and he tells her there’s nowhere he’d rather be. Such a sweet tender moment.
Then of course there is the classic example of James and Georgina in Johanna Lindsay’s Gentle Rogue where Georgina can’t understand for the life of her why being near James makes her nauseous, until he explains it’s desire…for him. lol
Apr 19, 2012
1:19 pm
Thanks, Lisa. And thanks for reminding me of Gentle Rogue. I totally had that whole nauseous thing when I was first dating! (TMI? lol)
Apr 19, 2012
1:09 pm
I’m so very sorry to hear you’re under the weather, Sabrina. Here’s to your speedily improved health!
Just yesterday morning I started Laura Kinsale’s The Prince of Midnight, which begins with the heroine taking ill and the hero nursing her back to health. It’s positively gut wrenching and wonderful, as all of Kinsale’s stories are!
And there seems to be a rash (pun intended) of infirmity-inspired intimacies going around the ballroom; I’m writing one too right now.
Apr 19, 2012
1:20 pm
Thanks, Katharine. I have Prince of Midnight at home, but haven’t cracked it open yet. Maybe today is the day to do that.
And I’m excited to read your infirmity scene too! I’m with Jamie, those types of scenes definitely amp up the drama!
Apr 19, 2012
1:14 pm
Hi Sabrina, I know how you feel. I’m down with the flu right now. It’s April, I thought I was in the clear. My brain doesn’t want to work very well right now but I remember reading a romance many, many years ago about a gypsy who is won in a card game and even though he doesn’t want her with him, he takes her along. I remember her trying to kill herself after she loses a baby but he stops her and nurses her back to health. He even buys her beautiful gold bands to wear over her scars. Wish I could remember the name of the book.
Apr 19, 2012
1:21 pm
Feel better, Amy! And omg, that book sounds like a must read for me. I will be googling madly to find out what it is.
Apr 19, 2012
9:05 pm
Sabrina, I know I have a copy of it around here somewhere … still have too many books packed in boxes. If I find it I will tell you the name and author.
I keep hoping when I wake in the morn that I’ll feel better … I’d rather have a cold … this flu is kicking my butt! : )
Apr 19, 2012
9:22 pm
Sabrina, I found it. The book is DANGEROUS OBSESSION by Natasha Peters. Wow, that’s an old one – harkens back to the ‘bodice ripper’ style of romance but I liked it. Rhawnie is a tough character and ends up in total control of her life.
Apr 19, 2012
9:38 pm
Oh awesome! I just added it to my Amazon cart for my next order. I know it’s totally unPC but I love the old bodice rippers. Grew up on them. They were more about the woman’s journey and the adventure than about the romance.
Apr 19, 2012
6:06 pm
Awww! Hope you feel better soon, Amy. Flu is awful.
Apr 19, 2012
2:03 pm
Sorry you feel sick, Sabrina. Sending over some cyber chicken soup (sorry, Albert).
Mary Jo Putney had a wonderful book years ago called One Perfect Rose where think he’s dying and the heroine is part of a traveling actors’ troupe. From the same era, there’s the classic Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, where the hero’s had a stroke which is seen by some as his punishment for a libertine lifestyle, and the pure, virginal Quaker heroine helps him recover. It’s pretty incredible. He’s depicted and thinks of himself as “mad” because this smooth-talking, ladies’ man, imperious duke can’t even speak anymore or tie his own shoes or anything. (It’s a romance, so of course he gets better by the end.) Both these books are on my keeper shelf.
Gaelen
Apr 19, 2012
9:40 pm
Thanks for the chicken soup. (Apologies to Albert, too.) I actually had some today.
I’ve never read Flowers from the Storm though it is on my must read TBR list, so I will get to it at some point! LOL.
Apr 19, 2012
2:14 pm
I’m not big on characters falling ill. I prefer to shoot them (in the shoulder, naturally.) That way, they become bedridden doing something heroic — or possibly stupid — that makes the other characters who must care for them, put away their petty grievances and get to the meat of their feelings.
But maybe I’m just naturally more violent.
Apr 19, 2012
3:56 pm
Haha! Yes, I love the injury leads to illness version of this as well. I *almost* mentioned Black Lyon among others.
Apr 19, 2012
3:21 pm
So sorry you are under the weather, Sabrina. Thank God for Albert. I adore that parrot. Would any of my fellow authoresses mind if I tucked him under my pelisse and took him home? On second thought, Lady B would undoubtedly object. Violently.
Great books suggested by all. I think these sickness scenes feed our fantasies. In my experience men can be a PITA when they are sick, and pretty useless when we are. I may just have a scene in my next book where the heroine is unwell (actually you helped me with it) and the hero is FABULOUS.
Apr 19, 2012
3:49 pm
” I think these sickness scenes feed our fantasies. In my experience men can be a PITA when they are sick, and pretty useless when we are.”
HA! I just spewed water. This is so, sadly, true!
Apr 19, 2012
3:58 pm
Lol. Yes.
I have to say, my husband (then boyfriend) has been (before the days of ereaders) known to go to the store to get me romance books when I was sick.
Apr 19, 2012
6:02 pm
That’s the hunter-gatherer instinct. (Even if he would prefer to go slaughter a bison.) But would he make you chicken soup and make up your bed with clean sheets?
Apr 19, 2012
6:13 pm
Lol. He’d heat up a can of soup. Or order some from my fave deli. Clean sheets? Not so sure about that one…