Tasha Alexander’s novel And Only to Deceive grabs readers from the beginning and moves at a cracking pace. The novel tells the story of the young widow, Emily Ashton, a somewhat assertive woman for her era. Emily finds herself in the midst of a mystery involving antiquities in late Victorian England. This is made doubly difficult because she has to cope with her mother’s anxiety for her to remarry as well.
And Only to Deceive begins with Emily’s husband’s mysterious death on a hunting expedition in Africa. Emily is not at all upset by Phillip’s death – quite the opposite, in fact! She only married him so that she could get away from her pushy mother and acquire a semblance of independence. The self-reliant heroine is now happy to be alone so that she can read her beloved books and enjoy outings with her friends.
Is Emily In Love With Her Dead Husband?
However, there are a few problems. As Emily learns more about her husband, she discovers from reading her husband's journals that he collected rare antiquities. She determines to find out more about this so she enlists the help of experts and makes expeditions to the British Museum. Here she learns about the wondrous beauty of the Elgin Marbles and various other antiquities. She decides to become a Greek scholar - an unusual hobby for a lady in the 19th century.
She also decides to learn ancient Greek because she wants to feel closer to her husband. She discovers from his journals that his nickname for her was ‘Calista’, a beautiful Greek name, and she is fascinated to learn about how much he loved the world of ancient Greece and his devotion to his collection. She begins to read Homer and delight in his glorious poetry.
She also finds out how much he loved her. As she reads about his delight in dancing with her and his descriptions of her beauty and innocence, she begins to fall in love with Phillip. The problem is that she is being pursued by two men, Andrew Palmer and her husband’s friend, Mr Hargreaves. Emily doesn't enjoy this as much as she should because she starts to miss her now beloved Philip and she yearns to get to know him better. Her hopes leap when she learns that there is a chance that Philip is still alive!
And Only to Deceive and Stolen Antiquities
Emily soon finds herself in the midst of an exciting mystery involving murder and theft. The puzzle concerns rare antiquities which have been stolen and Emily has to discover the truth. Her adventures lead her to Paris where she realises that she is being followed. Her hotel room is ransacked. She even has to deal with possible threats to her life. She starts to wonder what role her husband had in the mystery. She also has to find out who she can trust. Can she trust Andrew Palmer, who wants to marry her, or the enigmatic, but handsome Mr Hargreaves? Was even Philip, Viscount Ashton, trustworthy?
There are many questions Emily must answer during the course of her adventures. She will have to be very clever to figure out the truth.
This is a beautifully written novel with vivid descriptions of London and Paris. And Only to Deceive makes the reader want to visit the elegant and glamorous locations of "Emily's world", such as the luxurious Hotel Meurice in Paris and Berkeley Square in London. It captures the world of the Belle Époque era and the role of women in it. This novel will probably appeal mostly to women because Emily, the heroine, is a likeable character and easy to identify with.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series which promises well-rounded characters, lots of excitement, and excellent writing.
Sources
Alexander, Tasha, And Only to Deceive, Harper Press, London, 2006.
Lisa Sanderson - Lisa has been a freelance-writer for many years. She used to write for the topic, British Social History, for Suite 101 under the ...
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