The Corvey Novels Project at the University of Nebraska
Studies in British Literature of the Romantic Period
Sarah Green
Mrs. Green. Gretna Green Marriages; or, The Nieces. A Novel. 3 vols.
London: A. K. Newman and Co., 1823
Synopsis of Gretna Green Marriages; or, The Nieces
The novel opens on a middle aged English couple discussing the impending
marriage of their niece. Mr. Proser, a pompous, overbearing retired wax
chandler has arranged for his seventeen year old niece Rosa to be wed to
Sir Bernard Merriton, a man old enough to be her grandfather. Mrs. Proser
is against the match, for she loves Rosa as her own daughter, and doesn't
want her life to be bound to an "old coxcomb" as she put it. However,
Mrs. Proser is a very submissive woman, so she bends to the will of her
husband.
Rosa is the daughter of Mr. Proser's brother who died in the West Indies
when Rosa was just a year and a half old. Mr. Proser brought his portion
less niece, for she had no inheritance, home along with a young Negro to
act as his footman. Pembroke, as he was called, felt a great attachment
to Rosa and was one of her confidantes.
Rosa first became acquainted with Sir Merriton at a party hosted by Lady
Harriet, a very rich and influential woman, who had taken Rosa under her
wing. Sir Merriton had been determined to die a bachelor, but fell in love
with Rosa's youthful good looks and offered to marry her without a dowry.
This stipulation was especially favorable to Mr. Proser who had no intention
of leaving his niece anything in his will, and had made this fact known
to her many times.
Sir Merriton insisted that the wedding be kept secret until it had been
performed. Therefore, Rosa felt she could not confess her situation to anyone
that might offer help. She determined to run away. While counting her meager
supply of money, she happened to drop a coin out the window. It was found
and returned by a handsome young major, Augustus Montague. Rosa is immediately
drawn to him, but she feels desperate to escape her approaching wedding
and continues her preparations for leaving.
In the meantime, The Prosers have been invited to a party held by the town's
banker, Mr. Aylesbury. There Rosa first meets their son Charles. The Aylesburys
had long hoped the two would marry, not knowing that Mr. Proser will not
provide a dowry for Rosa. They are delighted when Charles appears to take
an interest in Rosa, although she feels nothing for him.
The wedding fast approaches and Rosa is prepared to leave her home for
London, when Pembroke stops her, assuring her the wedding would not take
place. The next day, a letter arrived from Sir Merriton who said he was
calling off the wedding and leaving the country for a few weeks. Rosa felt
a great relief and in the ensuing weeks began to spend time with Augustus.
He too had no inheritance, as it had been squandered by his late father,
Colonel Montague. He could have found a lucrative position in India, but
his clinging mother could not bear to have him leave. Rosa was quite intrigued
by Augustus, realizing that she had fallen in love with him. However, Charles
Aylesbury had determined that he was in love with her. This suited Mr. Proser
now that Sir Merriton had gone away, or so we thought.
Rosa soon was given a letter written by Sir Merriton asking her to meet
him secretly, saying he loved her and had proposals for her uncle. Rosa
was aghast at having to deal with this suitor again. She quickly packed
a few belongings and set off for the home of Mrs. Spicer, a laundress she
knew. She hoped Mrs. Spicer could offer her shelter and find her work. When
the Prosers realized Rosa was missing, they went to several different homes
around town looking for her. One place they looked was at the home of Mrs.
Goldfinch. They didn't realize that Charles Aylesbury was attending a party
she was throwing and heard about Rosa's disappearance. He also hears Mrs.
Goldfinch say that Rosa had probably run off with Augustus Montague. Charles
quickly took off in pursuit of her. When Sir Merriton learned she had run
away he fell into a fit and lost the ability to speak. So ends volume 1.
As the second volume begins, Rosa is traveling to Mrs. Spicer's home. Mrs.
Spicer takes Rosa in and soon finds her a job as a maid at the London home
of one of her employers, a widow by the name of Mrs. Oddly. Mrs. Oddly ran
a lodging residence out of her home. So imagine Rosa's surprise at finding
Augustus Montague staying there. So surprised, in fact, that she faints.
Augustus soon realizes who she is, for she had been wearing a disguise.
He convinces her to return home, saying that her uncle has placed an advertisement
in the newspaper saying they forgive her and will not torment her anymore
(with talk of marring Sir Merriton we presume.) Before he can escort her,
though, Augustus has to fight a duel with Charles Aylesbury. Augustus does
not want to fight and only shoots Charles in the arm. Jealously he passes
Rosa to Charles to accompany her home.
When Rosa returns, everyone is happy, but the whole town is saying she
had a fling with Charles Aylesbury. He finds this a good reason for the
two of them to be married, even though his parents now disapprove of the
match. Rosa flatly refuses Charles' proposal. She is still in love with
Augustus and has promised her love to him. His mother died so he took a
position in India. He didn't feel right asking for Rosa to marry him when
he didn't feel he could keep her in a manner to which she had been accustomed.
They agreed to marry when he returned in three years.
The Prosers decided to take a trip to the country and rented the house
of a couple planning to take a trip to France. They did not realize the
couple was friends with Charles Aylesbury and he planned to go to France
with them. While in the country, Rosa received a letter from Lady Harriet,
who had been friends with Augustus' mother, saying that he had switched
posts with another man, and was now in England again, She also discovered
a letter to her uncle from Sir Merriton saying he was returning to England
to claim Rosa. She again made the rash decision to run away. Only this time
as she was leaving, she was kidnapped by the gardener that worked at the
house her uncle was renting.
It is at this time the author goes off on a completely different story,
giving us some background on Sir Merriton. In his youth he fell in love
with a French girl. Her father was opposed to the match, so they married
secretly. Unfortunately she died while giving birth to his daughter. He
took the child to England and gave her to his sister, to act as her mother,
and he as her uncle. He determined never to marry again, until he saw Rosa
and she looked so much like his dead wife.
The story then comes back to Rosa with the gardener. As he is taking her
away, he reveals that he is actually Charles Aylesbury. He had never left
England as everyone thought and had been disguised as the gardener the whole
time. He was determined to take Rosa to Gretna Green and force her to marry
him. On the way, their coach has an accident and Charles is injured. Rosa
used this as a way to escape. She hires a wagon driver to take her to London,
and he promises not to reveal to anyone that he has a passenger. So ends
volume two.
Volume three opens with the Aylesburys in France asking after the health
of their son, as he has not written in a very long time. His friends tell
them he is in England, but do not reveal that he had never been in France.
The author again takes off on an ill placed narrative to unveil a new character,
Lady Sinclair, the young charming wife of Sir Malcolm Sinclair. We will
not find out until later in the novel why she has been introduced to us
We are then brought back to the story of Rosa She has finally made it to
London, although she was almost discovered by Charles Aylesbury once as
he went flying by on a horse. She travels to the home of Mrs. Spicer again.
Mrs. Spicer tells her that after she ran away again, Mr. Proser had her
home searched for Rosa and that she had better lodge elsewhere, or be discovered.
Mrs. Spicer finds her a place to stay, but before she has been there ten
minutes, Augustus Montague walks through the door. He informs her that he
has inherited a great sum form a relative and can take of her now. They
run off to Gretna Green and are married.
The story then shifts to a party held by Mrs. Goldfinch. Lady Sinclair
is in attendance. Someone tells the party how Charles Aylesbury kidnapped
Rosa and lost her, and that now he is with his parents in Brighton trying
to forget her. This is the first time Mrs. Sinclair has heard out Rosa.
When she learns that she is the niece of Mr. Proser and she had been born
in the West Indies, she goes into a fit. She reveals to the whole party
that Mr. Proser is her uncle, and she is Rosa. She has no idea who the girl
they are passing off as their niece is. Lady Sinclair soon recovers and
goes to visit Mrs. Aylesbury. Here she meets Charles for the first time.
They are both attracted to each other instantly.
During this time, the Prosers have returned to town, and secluded themselves
in their town house with Sir Merriton. They still have no idea where Rosa
is, and Lady Sinclair will not leave them alone. Rosa returns to town and
instantly goes to the Prosers' home to let them know about her marriage.
Here she encounters Sir Merriton who reveals to her that she is actually
his granddaughter, Rosalie Beverly. The child he left with his sister had
been school friends with Mrs. Proser. She eloped with a military officer
named Beverly, and Sir Merriton never forgave her. His daughter and her
husband moved to the West Indies. The climate did not agree with her husband
and he soon died. She was ready to follow after him when Mr. Proser's brother
died and he went to the West Indies to settle his affairs. He met Mrs. Beverly
and she begged him to take her daughter. He agreed, but after she died,
he ransacked her house and burned her will so her daughter would not know
of her inheritance. He dismissed her nurse, who then dressed up like a man
to get hired by Mr. Proser. This was Pembroke. Mr. Proser's real niece had
been taken in by her rich grandmother, so he told everyone that Rosalie
was his niece. When Pembroke realized that Sir Merriton unknowingly planned
to marry Rosalie, she went to him and revealed the truth. The two letters
that caused Rosalie to run away were just Sir Merriton's way of saying he
wanted to talk to her and tell her the truth. After all was revealed, Mr.
Proser agreed to give Rosalie back her money and possessions.
As Augustus and Rosalie had married under a false name and without Sir Merriton's permission, their marriage wasn't legal. Sir Merriton isn't going to allow them to marry until he sees how much they really love each other, so he holds a small wedding for them. Lady Sinclair is caught having an affair with Charles Aylesbury, so her husband leaves her and sues Charles. Soon after, Mr. Proser, who never really recovered from the embarrassment of having been caught stealing from a dead woman and her 18 month old daughter, dies. His wife soon follows him and their estate is left to the former Lady Sinclair. Now she and Charles can live comfortably and they are married. Everyone is happy.
- Prepared by Jamie Mraz, University of Nebraska, December 2002