cbr square – Scandal
In 1785, Jonah Hancock, an unremarkable middle aged widower, receives strange news from his partner and captain of his trading vessel. Instead of returning to London with a full ship of spices from the Far East, his partner has traded the whole shipment, ship and all, for a mermaid. At least that is what he claims it to be. It is nothing like those in the fables, however, being a fierce deformed little monster, and quite deceased. But it ends up being the latest sensation, and Mr. Hancock is convinced to loan it to Mrs. Chappell, mistress of the most fashionable “nunnery” in London.
Angelica Neal is one of Mrs. Chappell’s collection, pretty and frivolous, and perfectly content with her life. Of course, she does hope to ensnare some wealthy handsome young gentleman into providing a more secure, long-term arrangement, but for the time being, this life suits her fine.
Matters come to a head when Mrs. Chappell features the mermaid in an over-the-top sexual extravaganza for the peak of London’s gentry, and Mr. Hancock, thoroughly scandalized by the affair, insists on taking his mermaid back. In the confusion, Angelica, thinking that he is her young lover, runs into him and is taken aback by the middle-aged mermaid owner, who likewise doesn’t have much use for her either.
It isn’t long after though that Mr. Hancock, despite the opinion of his relatives, becomes smitten with her, and Angelica becomes the titular Mrs. Hancock, for the lack of better prospects. He buys a lovely estate for her, complete with an underground seaside grotto, and oh look! His captain is once again bringing back another mermaid!
This mermaid turns out to be a very different creature from the previous one, a veritable Schrödinger’s mermaid, if you will, and the effect on Mr. Hancock, as well as anyone else that encounters it, is devastating. Angelina is, though, no longer the flighty young thing she once was, and has become a formidable foe. Finding herself very much in love with her husband, she fights to regain the peaceful life she had once thought unspeakably dull. Magical beasties are no match for her.
A very entertaining read (and Mrs. Chappell’s “entertainment” is truly LOL in a horrifying way. Scandalous indeed!)