Sarah Green

Mrs. Green. Who is the Bridegroom? or, Nuptial Discoveries, a Novel

London:  A. K. Newman and Co., 1822

Synopsis of Who is the Bridegroom?

Mr. Edmund Ayscough, who just came back from the East, is a gentleman with great fortune (a so-called 'nabob'). At the British Gallery, while he is talking with a friend, Sir. Lucius Torrington, he finds beautiful ladies of the Ashton family. Lady Ashton is a representative example of class escalation by marriage. She is now a rich widow, but she was originally low-born, uneducated and illiterate: she often daunts people by asking, foolishly, if Portugal is in Lisbon, or France is in Paris. However, thanks to her beauty, she is loved by Lord Ashton and gets a lucky chance to marry him. After marriage, Lord Ashton tries to make her literate, but his effort is in vain. Because of her illiteracy, her improper use of language, and her overall lack of education, she is generally ignored by society and even by her eldest daughter. Nevertheless, Lord Ashton gives an endless affection for her. After his death, her only wish is to see her two daughters married to men of title and fortune.

Miss Eliza Ashton, the eldest daughter, is a character with a high ambition. She attracts men's attention with her astonishing beauty and wit. While she is seen as haughty and pompous, she has sincerity and faithfulness in her mind. Sophia, the youngest daughter, also has beauty in her appearance, but hers is different from Eliza's. Her beauty is pure, modest, and angelic, and she is praised more by her moral virtue. She is beneficent and truly sincere. When the Ashton family, accompanied by the young Marquise of Rainsbury, enters the Gallery, Mr. Ayscough is attracted to Eliza. After this meeting, he visits Eliza's house and shows great affection for her. Eliza, who first fell in love with the Reverend Werter, thinks that Mr. Ayscough is much more wealthy and influential. She is an ambitious woman who would not give up fortunes. She determines her mind to take Mr. Ayscough as her husband.

However, his love for Eliza is hindered by Mrs. Horton. When he was in the East, Mrs. Horton was, at first, a good friend to him. However, she came to love him and expressed her mind in public even though she was married. Mr. Ayscough couldn't bear her recklessness and felt a conscientious qualm. When he comes back to England, he asks a person to inform her that he had died on the way back home. After her husband's death, Mrs. Horton returns to England and happens to meet Mr. Ayscough at the Gallery. Having a strong passion to get him back to her, she invites him. However, he decisively tells her that he has another person he loves. Captured by jealousy, she intrigues a revengeful plot. Knowing that his love is Eliza, she attempts to hinder their wedding.

Her vile scheme is to destroy the Ashton sisters. Volume 1 of the novel is about how Sophia is entrapped by such vice and why Mr. Ayscough's wedding with Eliza is delayed. By this wicked scheme, the young Marquise of Rainsbury, who had Sophia in his mind, gets confused and severely disappointed at her. Sophia, who attended a boarding school when she was a youth, becomes a friend of the imprudent and artful Elinor Hawthorn. They promise a truthful and faithful friendship. During the school days, Sophia shares her allowance with Elinor, knowing that she is not sufficiently well off financially. Later, Elinor elopes with a libertine gentleman, and at last is deserted by him. She wants to be forgiven by her father, Mr. Hawthorn, and to return home. However, she is refused and leads a wretched life. Even at this time, Sophia helps her financially. Lady Ashton, who disliked Elinor due to her base nature, discovers their relationship and prohibits Sophia from meeting her. However, Sophia is still worried about Elinor's conditions and life because she believes in the value of sincere friendship. One day, Sophia happens to meet Elinor accompanied by Mrs. Horton at the Exhibition. Sophia was with her sister, Mr. Ayscough, and the Marquise. Elinor gives a letter to Sophia. However, Sophia suddenly faints. The Marquise, who was deeply interested in Sophia, catches a glimpse of the letter, and brings it secretly. He expects that the letter would give him additional information about her. Out of curiosity, he opens and reads the letter. However, after reading it, he falls in a deep confusion because the letter implies that Sophia is not theinnocent virgin of his dream, but instead a corrupted girl who abandoned her virtue and gave a birth to a son secretly. He is afflicted that he was deceived by her innocent look, which he now believes is the opposite to her true nature.

Some time after this occurrence, Mr. Ayscough goes to the play with Sophia. Miss Ashton could not go together with them because it was the day before the wedding and she suffered from a severe headache. There, Sophia and Mr. Ayscough by accident meet Mrs. Horton and Mr. Hawthorn, the father of Elinor. Sophia faints again and is carried home by Mrs. Horton's carriage. The Marquise pays a timely visit to this house. Mrs. Horton tells Lady Ashton and the other people that Mr. Ayscough has an improper relationship with Sophia. Before she tells about the illegitimate child, Sophia and Eliza quit the room. Eliza decides to delay her wedding after hearing from Mrs. Horton. Although she considers what Mrs. Horton said to be a lie, she doubts that there might have been an improper relationship between Mrs. Horton and Mr. Ayscough. The Marquise's confusion and disappointment get heightened at such a fabricated lie. From his distraught mind, the Marquise realizes how much he loved Sophia. Nevertheless, he cannot admit Sophia's guiltiness. He strongly feels that he should go back to his supposed future wife, Lady Diana Wentworth.

Lady Diana Wentworth is a cousin of the Marquise, and his father appoints her as his future bride when he died. However, Diana is somewhat masculine. She likes sporting outside. The Marquise is not attracted by her. Diana also knows that his mind is not attached to her, so she often tells him that when he is ready, she will marry him and even though his mind is changed, she is completely resigned to the situation. Diana and Sir. Lucius Torrington are truly good friends, but people circulate a rumor that they are attracted by each other. And their aunt, the Duchess of Arlington, advises that Diana is not fit for the Marquise, considering their different characters. Lord Pyrwater wants him to be married to Diana, even though he notices the Marquise's affection for Sophia, because he cannot allow any relative to make a relationship with a girl who has an illiterate, low-born mother. Lord Pyrwater has been very jealous for his brother and nephew's fortune and title. He tries to hinder the happiness of the Marquise. Because he knew that the Marquise would be struck if he should have a moment to part with Sophia, the Marquise tries to separate them.

In Volume 2, people of fashion, including Sophia, attend a masquerade presented by the Duchess of Arlington. Here, the dramatic tension reaches its peak. After unmasking, the invited people were having a dinner when suddenly a man with a baby appears and gives it to Sophia. Sophia is very surprised, but she does not say a word about it and carries the baby with her. Sophia insists on her innocence to her mother and sister, but she conceals the secret. She thinks the baby is her friend, Elinor's, and as a friend, she decides to keep this secret forever. Her mother and sister show a strong trust in her. Mrs. Netterville, a complete scandal-monger, and Mrs. Horton spread the rumor that a father of the baby is Mr. Ayscough. Sophia decides to leave England and the whole family for a moment goes to Normandy. There, she brings up the baby as if he is her own. In spite of all these mishap, Mr. Ayscough does not leave Eliza. Eliza decides not to marry him until her sister is vindicated from the guiltiness. And at the same time, she realizes how wonderfully a good person Mr. Ayscough is and sees him differently. The deeply disappointed marquise decides to propose Diana to marry.

Volume 2 is focused on revealing the truth. Surprisingly, it was Diana who has a key to solve the mysterious and noxious schemes. There was another hidden story regarding Diana. Diana fell in love with Lucius' brother, Lieutenant Torrington. But they were too young to marry. So they met very secretly. Diana gave a birth to a son and bid a country woman to nurture him. After some time, the lieutenant, who was given three months' break from the regiment, was on the way to the Cape and pushed into the sea by a person named Lord Albany after a sudden quarrel. He luckily survived, but in another sailing, he died, at last, of illness. Diana, grieved by his sudden death, now chases his track to Lisbon. Around this time, she hears about the gossip about the Ashton family. She, who always felt a true friendship with Sophia, goes to Normandy. And she finds that her baby is raised by Sophia. She thinks there is something vicious working around Sophia. She dishevels the mystery and finally reveals the truth. It turns out that everything was artfully planned by Mrs. Horton out of her devious passion and revengeful mind. Diana pretends to accept the Marquise's proposal, but she already knows how much he loves Sophia. On her wedding day, she invites the Ashton family and pronounces that Sophia is innocent and the baby is hers in public. Moreover, she accuses Mrs. Horton of being a criminal who slandered an innocent woman. Mrs. Horton cunningly employed in her scheme Sophia's friend, Elinor, her father, who once loved her, the Lord Pyrwater, and Lady Netterville. Elinor willingly sold her friend for being forgiven by her father. Mr. Hawthorn, who had a strong antipathy against the Ashton family, joined Mrs. Horton's wicked plan. Lord Psywater, of course, wanted to hinder the nephew's love affair. Lady Netterville was bribed by Mrs. Horton. However, no matter how hard Mrs. Horton tried to stop Mr. Ayscough's marriage, she found that it was useless because they seemed to become bound to each other much stronger. After all, her plan ends with a failure. Mr. Ayscough marries Eliza and the Marquise of Rainsbury happily marries Sophia.

-- Prepared by Hyejung Jun, University of Nebraska, April 2006.
© Hyejung Jun, 2006