Whether she was sipping tea in a European salon or
charming politely in a Mexican villa, emerald-eyed Thea was not only a woman of
elegance -- but also an American spy. When the stunning young beauty became the
bride of a dashing aristocrat, no one guessed the marriage was a sham and that
Thea was marrying for love of her country, not for love of her man. And as
their perilous mission swept them into a whirlwind of excitement and danger,
Thea no longer wanted her "husband" to be merely her partner --
suddenly she needed him to be much more!
A reread of one of my favorite books. The story takes
place in 1904, partly in New York City and partly in Mexico. The two main
characters, Thea and Charles, are wealthy, intelligent, and willing to go the
extra mile when asked. The setup of the story is fairly long and involved, but
gives the necessary background, especially Charles's, that is needed to
understand their actions. They don't meet until about one-third of the way
through the book, but the pages fly by quickly.
Thea is one of a new type of woman for the age. She is
rich but wants something more out of life. She turns a flair for decorating
into a thriving interior decoration business. Her first client was longtime
family friend President Theodore Roosevelt, who hired her to do one of the
private rooms at the White House. Her intelligence and discretion also led to
Thea doing a few favors for the government, mostly involving Americans who
acquired European artifacts that needed to be quietly returned to their
rightful owners. As the story opens, TR asks Thea if she can go to Mexico with
an as-yet-unnamed male companion to "look in" on the German embassy.
Rumors abound that the Germans plans to create problems for the US's plans to
complete the Panama Canal. I enjoyed this part, which covered Thea's trip from DC
to St. Louis in Roosevelt's private railroad car, her stay in St. Louis (and
visits to the St. Louis World's Fair), and her arrival in San Antonio, where
she meets her partner, Charles. During her time in St. Louis, there is also
time spent with a man who appears later in the book.
Charles is the youngest son of a French Comte. Seven
years earlier, he had become a seminarian with the Jesuits, but after five
years, it was clear that he wasn't suited for that life. Unfortunately, because
of it, he suffered a nervous and physical breakdown that took him two years to
recover from physically. He is also haunted by some things that happened during
that time. He plans to finish his recovery, then buy a small house and devote
himself to scholarly pursuits. However, as his section opens, Charles discovers
that his strong-willed mother has other plans for him. She sends him off to New
York, to good friends Alix and Henry Thorpe (Woman of the Century), hoping to
rejuvenate his spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed this part. Charles's utter
bewilderment on his arrival in New York was heart-wrenching as he tried to
acclimate to a lifestyle that was opposite to what had been. I loved watching
the changes he experienced, and the return of his confidence and love of life. They
weren't without some pain and awkwardness, and I couldn't help laughing even as
I shook my head at some of the situations he got into. His unexpected meeting
with TR was a shock, especially when he heard the President's request. I loved
his response and how it showed his sense of honor.
The fun really began once both Thea and Charles arrived
in San Antonio. Though they have many mutual friends, they had never met until
then. I loved their first encounter. Both are mature, practical people, with
more in common than they knew. I liked their honest conversation about
expectations and their evident respect for each other. The proposed plan that
they pose as husband and wife during their time in Mexico hit a snag, and they
ended up married for real. What neither expected were the sparks that flared
between them. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop as they played the
part of happy newlyweds while staying with friends. Thea recognized her
feelings first but despaired of having her love returned. Charles fought his
feelings because the traumas of his past made him feel unworthy of having a
happy future. It took interference from an unexpected source, and advice from a
friend for Charles to see the light. Thea tearing into him finished the job,
and finally opened their eyes to a bright future together.
From here, the story mainly focuses on Charles and Thea's
mission to discover what is cooking in Mexico City. I loved the insights into
some of the diplomatic machinations surrounding the building of the Panama
Canal. As a friend of theirs said, "Everyone pretends to get along, but
it's all a lie." I could feel Charles and Thea's frustration as the time
passed, and they learned very little that would be of any use. There was a
fantastic scene at one of the parties when Thea rather forcefully corrected an
Austrian partygoer's misinformation about President Roosevelt, later commenting
that "The whipped cream at Demel's (a restaurant in Vienna) is smarter
than she is." As they came closer to the end of their stay, Charles
decided he was going to be a little more proactive in his investigation. The
scene at the German Embassy's ball was intense as he played the spy with
unexpected results and consequences. I was on the edge of my seat as the
results of his action put both him and Thea in danger. The final confrontation
was a nail-biter, and I loved the way it went down.
The second part of the book also showed the growth and
deepening of Charles and Thea's love for each other. It wasn't all sunshine and
roses. His past still haunted Charles until Thea fought through his protective
walls and got him to talk about it. It was a profoundly emotional scene that still
makes me cry whenever I read it. There are also outside forces that try to come
between them. The man from St. Louis continues to pursue Thea, refusing to
believe that she is in love with Charles. I enjoyed watching her stand up to
him, with limited success. I loved Charles's protectiveness and his method of
solving the problem. At the same time, one of Charles's old lovers is in Mexico
City and is determined to lure Charles back to her bed. Charles is blind to
what she does, but Thea sees right through her. Thea's attempts to warn Charles
fall on deaf ears until it is almost too late. Although both Charles and Thea
suffer through some jealous moments, their love for each other survives the
test. I loved the ending, which takes place back in New York City.
One thing that the author excels at is her vivid
descriptions of the fashion, furnishings, and lifestyle of her characters. I
love taking those descriptions and, using google, find pictures of the real
thing. While some might find them tedious or too detailed, for me, they added a
depth of realism to the story. The same goes for the people themselves. I loved
her descriptions of Roosevelt, Charles and Thea's military contact, and their
various friends. Everyone had unique personalities and were easy to either like
or dislike (and in some cases, detest). Relationships were also vividly
portrayed.
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