Play Fair With Love

by Patricia Robins

When Harriet Rothman's father dies suddenly leaving her penniless, the chance of renting out the family house, Swallow Grange, seems a temporary soulution to her immediate financial problems. But by renting Swallow Grange to young widower Martin Blake, Harriet exposes herself to Blake's private, tormented world - and that of his autistic son, Peter. Unlike Martin's sister-in-law, Molly, Harriet has a way with Peter and she willingly postpones her university studies to care for the boy. But Molly's jealousy, Martin's worry and Peter's needs weigh heavily upon her, as do the expectations of Justin, her husband to be....

250 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1972

About the author

Patricia Denise Robins was born on February 1, 1921 in Sussex, England, where she also spent her early school years. She was the daugther of Arthur Robins, a corn broker on the Baltic Exchange and of the popular romance author Denise Robins, who after their divorce, remarried with O'Neill Pearson. Patricia has two sisters, Anne and Eve. She comes from an artistic family, numbering musicians, writers and painters. Her maternal grandfather was Herman Klein, a musician and her maternal grandmother was the writer K. C. Groom. Her maternal uncle was Adrian Cornwell-Clyne, who wrote books on photography and cinematography, another uncle was an artist, as is her daughter.

Patricia began writing at the age of ten, encouraged by her mother, who was the first president of the Romantic Novelists' Association (1960-1966). At 12, she published her first children's novella, The Adventures of the Three Baby Bunnies, ilustrated by Grizel Maxwell (aged 14). Patricia worked on the editorial team of a woman's magazine, her post gave her a unique insight into the world of publishing, but it was during the Second World War that her writing career as children's author became established. She produced a serial for Woman's Illustrated, and although her first love was always children's novellas, she could not find a publisher for her work and turned to romance fiction like her mother. She wrote romantic short stories and light romantic novels as Patricia Robins, publishing her works with Hutchinson, Hurst & Blackett and other publishing houses. In the later 1960s, she decided to use a pseudonym Claire Lorrimer, to write longer novels and family sagas. Her historical novels under this penname are characterised by meticulous detail and feeling for the period, often highlighting the situation of women. She believes that once started, a story writes itself. In 2007, she wrote her autobiography: You Never Know.

Although, Patricia has travelled extensively around the world, she has made her home in a four hundred year-old, oak beamed cottage in rural Kent. She enjoys such outdoor activities as gardening, tennis, ski-ing and golf. Her other interests include reading, travel, meeting people and entertaining, but her life is centred mainly around her three children, eight grandchildren, her work and her lovely home and garden.

Reviews

[Jo Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little quick read. I urge anyone that reads it to keep in mind it was written 50 years ago and has not aged well as far as Autism awareness goes. Some may even go as far as to be offended by the lack of understanding. But if you read it keeping that in mind, it's quite sweet and progressive for the era.

[Naksed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2026 winner of The Gloriously Bad Hall of Fame. It was absolutely, breathlessly entertaining from the first to the last page. High Camp all the way. As I turned each page of this 1972 offering by Patricia Robins, it just got better, or worse, depending on your point of view. This author shamelessly uses the trope of a 4 year old autistic boy to bring about a hot romance between his pseudo-psychologist 19 year old nanny and his 32 year old man about town father. It all takes place at ye olde English manor in a quaint English village. The author goes to great lengths to develop the grooming, age-gap theme as the hero muses over seducing the heroine, who turns him on like no other with her boyish figure clad in a schoolgirl pajama and dressing gown ensemble. While the heroine wonders why she isn’t attracted to her beta, age appropriate fiance. It’s because he is too sweet and she needs a dom, that’s why!!! “I wish you’d push me around… like when we were kids” she hints at him only for him to chuckle at his darling.

None of that deserves a Gloriously Bad Hall of Famer Award however. What really cinched it for me was the description of one of the most unhinged, most fantastic villains of all time in the person of the hero’s sister-in-law. Part Whatever-Happened-To-Baby-Jane, part Mrs. Danvers, part Briony Tallis, part Dolores Umbridge, part Buffalo Bill and part Gollum.This singular character has been obsessed with the hero for years, hating her younger sister who managed to marry him, rejoicing in her accidental death because it left her unrequited lover “free,” transferring her odious sexual longings on his little son and managing to traumatize him into a catatonic state, coveting, scheming, sweating, calculating, frothing at the mouth for years on end, waiting for the hero to finally take notice of her. She doesn’t merely want to make love to her brother in law or marry him, she wants to put the lotion on his skin and wear it.

He is her PPPPPpppppprrrreeeeeCCCCCcccccciiiiiiiOoooooUUUUUSSSSSSsssss.

Truly a Tour de Force characterization by the author. It all culminates in her plan to suffocate the poor infant to death and lay the blame at the heroine’s feet so that her imaginary lover fires her. Of course, he rescues the child in the nick of time and calls the paramedics. The book concludes as the hero and heroine are locked in a passionate embrace, making plans for marrying, and the hero promising to send his son away to an institution so he won’t bother the hot newlyweds, while the paramedics are still strapping in the crazed loon to the gurney and wheeling her off to a sanitarium.

Bravo 👏