To survive, she had to be strong and reliant only upon herself. To ask for help would cause more problems than it solved. Besides, no one could help her. She was married to a monster and if she left him, she would have no home and no money.
The Tobacconist's Wife by Anne Marie Brear is a historical romance set in Victorian England.
York, 1855
Thea Goodson had loving parents, and enjoyed serving customers in their cobbler's shop. Her mother died when she was 18, and two years later he father had a stroke. Their savings dwindled, and the shop closed. Ernie Goodson, "an acquaintance of her father's suddenly became a close friend... His polite manner and gracious smiles warmed Thea to him". He seemed to be genuinely kind to her father, and when her father suggested she should marry Ernie, she gave it considerable thought. Evicted from her home by the landlord after her father's death, "alone, without money or a home, she accepted Ernie's marriage proposal".
Being a single woman without means is a hard lot in any times, and Thea's options are very limited.
"To be a married woman would give her status and security. She liked the idea of running her own home, of creating the family life she hadn't properly felt since her mother died".
Within four weeks of burying her father, Thea is married and moves into the rooms above Ernie's tobacconist's shop on Coney Street. She is eager to start this new chapter of her life.
"However, on her wedding night the man she married showed his true colours. Gone was the kindness and soft manner, replaced with a short temper, flying fists and impotence to consummate the marriage".
And now Thea is trapped, chained to a man who abuses her daily. In front of the shop's customers she has to pretend that everything is fine, and she is happy. If she doesn't smile to their customers, her husband will beat her up later. "Mostly, he hit her where it wouldn't show. He was proud of his business and didn't want customers, many of whom were the wealthy folk of the area, to see her in a battered state."
Their closest neighbours, the Joneses, are aware of her predicament. Their drapery shop is just next door, and they can hear the sounds of abuse. Sadie becomes another mother to Thea. When the Joneses decide to move to Australia to join their son, they invite Thea with them, hoping to take her away from the life of domestic violence.
"How could she possibly go? She'd be forever tied to Ernie, and not free to marry again should she meet someone else. A tiny voice in her head whispered, what would that matter? She'd be free of him."
When Sadie and her husband leave England, Thea is left alone in the world. She endures the beatings, powdering up her bruised face, and smiling to the customers in the shop.
Her husband Ernie, a nasty bully, has great ambitions of bettering himself in the society and building a big house in the prestigious area of the city. He has secrets of his own, which he doesn't share with his wife. His dealings on the wrong side of the law bring danger close to their home. "Whatever Ernie was up to, she wanted no part in it".
Adam Fitzwilliam rents the premises next to the tobacconist's (that used to be the draper's). He comes from a wealthy family, but has no aspirations to follow in his father's and older brothers' footsteps.
When Adam announces that he wants to open a shop for his furniture-making business, it causes a huge row with his family - "numerous arguments with his father, fits of rage from his mother and laughter from his siblings".
His mother is particularly vicious about his ambitions, she leaves him in no doubt of her disgust at the whole venture, "It won't do for them to know that you're lowering yourself to become a member of the trading class. Think of your family. Why should we suffer the gossip and humiliation because of your selfish decision to work with your hands like a common labourer?"
(Adam's mother is clearly not aware that King Louis XVI of France was a skilled carpenter and locksmith. Nowadays, even a member of the Royal family can have his furniture-making business. David Linley makes bespoke furniture. If you've ever visited Blenheim Palace, you might have seen his work, Blenheim Bureau)
From the moment Adam moves into Coney Street, there is an immediate attraction between Thea and him. But Thea is married, and Adam has a casual relationship with a willing maid from the pub.
Adam and Thea are drawn to each other, but they cannot be together. Is there hope for their love?
Written with great empathy, The Tobacconist's Wife evokes the social norms of the Victorian England, where a woman's lot was to marry and have children. That was the main goal of a woman's life. Their rights were extremely limited. They were expected to endure their husband's control, domestic violence and sexual abuse, as well as economic deprivation.
A moving family saga, rich with historical detail, this novel speaks to the strength of the women in the most hopeless circumstances.
Potential triggers: domestic violence, death of a child.
Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tobacconists-Wife-emotionally-absorbing-Victorian-ebook/dp/B08G9N75NX
US - https://www.amazon.com/Tobacconists-Wife-emotionally-absorbing-Victorian-ebook/dp/B08G9N75NX
Author Bio – Award winning & Amazon UK Bestseller AnneMarie Brear has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, travelling, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate - not always in that order! She is the author of historical family saga novels.
Social Media Links –
http://www.annemariebrear.com
http://www.facebook.com/annemariebrear
http://www.twitter.com/annemariebrear
http://www.instagram.com/annemariebrear
Happy publication day to The Tobacconist's Wife and her author!
Many thanks to AnneMarie Brear and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!
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