Elizabeth Thomas

"Bridget Bluemantle" Monte Video; or,The Officer's Wife and Her Sister. A Novel. 4 vols.

London: A. K. Newman and Co, 1809

 

Synopsis of Monte Video or The Officer's Wife and Her Sister

Monte Video reads like a Jane Austen novel. This shouldn't be surprising since Elizabeth Thomas is Jane Austen's contemporary and they published novels during the same time period. What is surprising, though, is that Elizabeth Thomas is a relative unknown compared to Jane Austen. She writes extremely well. Monte Video is a rich and vivid tapestry of filial love, romance, societal influences, adventure and several chapters full of suspense. The emphasis is on family here, with a lot of moral judgements in favor of prudence and fidelity and against the evils of a dissipated society. Monte Video has an amazingly enterprising plot and surprises the reader with strong female characters and the resilience with which they handle the many complications their lives, inevitably, seem to develop. The book is divided into four volumes and they each have chapters preceded by an excerpt from a selection of poetry or prose that best captures its essence.

At the heart of the story are the Mountstewarts. Mr. Mortimer Mountstewart resides in the country at Landrenden. Several, hitherto unknown, misfortunes have persuaded him to relinquish society and live in relative seclusion with his twin daughters, Constance and Eleanora. The twins were brought up with an excellent education and firm moral grounding. As they grew up to be exceptionally beautiful young women who will soon need good matrimonial alliances, Mountstewart realizes the setbacks of his withdrawal from society. This soon changes when, one day, Mountstewart and his daughters see a beautiful gondola sailing near their property. The girls are enraptured. The people in the gondola are Mountstewart's neighbors, the Linzees, and their friends who are equally captivated with the girls' beauty. They effect an introduction and this is the end of the Mountstewarts' naïve solitude. Lord Frederic Montague, from among the Linzees' friends, pays court to Eleanora and soon they were married. Lord Frederic introduces Eleanora to all the pleasures of the ton, convinced she will forsake them for domestic felicity. Eleanora, influenced by all the admiration she receives and beguiled by fashionable society soon becomes a part of the dissipated lot that gamble deeply and live carelessly. Lord Frederic is unable to convince to change her lifestyle. While Lord Frederic is out of town, Eleanora is informed that her father is dead and suffers a miscarriage. Meanwhile, at Landrenden, Constance was being wooed by Mr. Maningham, a friend of the Linzees. He was of excellent character, but obscure background. Having confessed his love for Constance he left town on business. Within days we see the demise of Mr. Mountstewart. Lord Frederic comes to Landrenden to help Constance out at this trying time. Mountstewart's will is read and apart from monetary matters, he wills that Constance should live at Landrenden for the rest of her life and that her husband take the name of Mountstewart. There are also provisions made, through solicitors, for a mysterious woman named Eleanor Verney. Eleanora is, meanwhile being taken care of , assiduously, by a Mrs Wilson. They form a close and uncommon attachment. Eleanora recovers from her losses only to lose herself in the ton again. Wilson tries to influence her to give that lifestyle, with very little success. Eleanora finds herself pregnant, again, and goes to Landrenden to wait out her pregnancy and keep her sister company. This after Lord Frederic pays off the enormous amounts she owed due to her gambling.

Mr. Maningham is at Landrenden again, paying court to Constance. When asked about his family, he says he only knows that he was the son of Mr. Archibald Campbell who died while in service in India and was later put into the care of a gentleman in London. He also believed he had a younger brother who died in battle. Constance relates the terms of her father's will, with regards to her marriage and since Maningham does not object to them, they make an informal engagement.

Eleanora and Lord Frederic come to stay at Landrenden and they are blessed with a son. Lord Frederic's father, the Earl of Fairwater, convinces them to let the child nurse with another woman. Eleanora and Lord Frederic repair to London, where Lord Frederic soon learns that he is to be stationed in Lisbon. Eleanora is unable to leave with him because their child falls ill. Slowly she is lured by the ton's dissipated habits and foolishly becomes indebted to a Colonel Rosalie. Rosalie has designs on Eleanora and when his advances are rebuffed, he spreads rumors about her entertaining him. Eleanora is sobered by these events and realizes her folly. Wilson extracts a promise from her mistress to never gamble again and somehow repays Rosalie. She soon leaves Eleanora's service with a brief note and a keepsake ring for Eleanora. Eleanora leaves with her son to Landrenden in the midst of a society enthralled with rumors about her. She found Constance distressed and unhappy and learned that her engagement with Maningham was now off. Maningham and Constance, due to a series of coincidences come to believe that they have the same mother, Eleanor Verney. Mortified they agree to dissolve their engagement and Maningham vows to find out more about the matter. He finds out that Eleanor Verney was married to his father Frederic Maningham Verney and that she bore him a son whom she left to the care of her father. She later was married to Mr. Mountstewart. Maningham was now determined to find Eleanor Verney and confirm her identity.

Eleanora, meanwhile, is grappling with the fact that her husband has not contacted her. The Earl, because of the rumors about her, accuses her of adultery and takes her son away from her. Eleanora falls ill and all of Constance's letters to the Earl, to this effect, are ignored. The Earl also successfully convinces Lord Frederic to ignore his wife. Eleanora convinces Constance to report that she is dead. She vows to clear her name , while in disguise and win her husband back. Lord Frederic embarks on a long voyage to the southern part of America. Eleanora disguises herself as a young black boy, Cary Redbrook, and manages to get on the same ship her husband is in. Lord Frederic falls ill and Cary Redbrook agrees to be in his employ and take care of him. They become very close and Lord Frederic comes to rely on Cary Redbrook very much. Eleanora, in her disguise, wins Lord Frederic's admiration. In several trying circumstances, abroad the ship, she exhibits a sterling character. It is discovered that she is a female and still maintaining her disguise as a black person, Eleanora remains Lord Frederic's companion. Lord Frederic is increasingly attracted to Cary Redbrook and they make an unofficial engagement. Lord Frederic is called to question his treatment of Eleanora through several conversations, cleverly engineered by her. He has a chance meeting with Colonel Rosalie and, on his deathbed, Rosalie confesses to spreading rumors about Eleanora and apologizes for the same. Lord Frederic is torn with guilt. He returns to where the company is stationed to find Eleanor waiting for him, without her disguise. He is overwhelmed and begs her pardon. They have a happy union and the Earl is informed of their circumstances.

Constance has been lonely and depressed at Landrenden all this while and she eagerly accepts an offer to accompany the Linzees to Bath. There she is exposed to all the vices of a dissolute society and ends up trying her hand at the tables as well as lending a lot of money to Mrs. Linzee. Maningham happens to witness this and is disappointed in Constance. Mrs. Linzee encourages the attentions of a certain Lord John and Mr. Linzee makes inappropriate advances towards Constance. Constance rebuffs him and decides to leave for home. Mrs. Linzee elopes with Lord John and Maningham to save Constance's reputation (since people might assume the fact that Mrs. Linzee left Mr. Linzee because of her) leaves her under the protection of a good friend Lady Jane Mackey. Lady Jane had suffered an abusive marriage and had lost her only daughter. She now only had her son-in-law, Sir Charles, as a companion and they were as close as mother and son. Lady Jane and Constance became very close and Lady Jane desired that Constance make a match with Sir Charles. Constance accompanied Lady Jane to her home in Scotland and remained with her till she passed away. Sir Charles proposed to Constance many times, but though Constance respected him, she could not forget Maningham. Sir Charles escorted Constance back to Landrenden. On the way Sir Charles injures himself and they stay at an inn where they meet Mrs. Wilson whose health is failing. Constance at length agrees to marry Sir Charles. Constance grows close to Mrs. Wilson and she takes care of her at Landrenden. Mrs. Wilson turns out to be Eleanor Verney, Constance and Eleanora's mother and she reveals that she was married to Frederic Maningham Verney but that she did not bear him any children. Maningham was the child of Verney's first wife. Maningham and Constance are thrilled to hear the news, but Constance is determined to keep her promise to Sir Charles.

Eleanora arrives at Landrenden with her family and the sisters have a happy reunion. Eleanora is reunited with Mrs. Wilson, now revealed to her as her mother. Mrs. Wilson dies with her family around her. Sir Charles releases Constance from her engagement after hearing about the fact that she is free to love Maningham and after having witnessed some passionate exchanges between them. Constance and Maningham joyfully get married. Eleanora and Lord Frederic leave for London, where Eleanora behaves prudently this time. Mrs. Linzee and Lord John live with the scorn of everyone around them

-- Preparted by Bridget Raju, University of Nebraska, December 2002