1750: Jacqueline, The Legend of Nimway Hall by Stephanie Laurens - 2.5 stars

[Theresa]

This historical romance is a retelling of some parts of the Lady of the Lake legend around Nimue and Merlin.

Nimway Hall, located in Somerset, England, is built on top of the ruins of a cottage on the edge of the lake. Yup, you guessed it - Nimue's cottage, the Lady of the Lake herself, Merlin's lover. Nimway Hall and its environs are protected by ancient magic, somehow connected to the Guardian of Nimway Hall (always the eldest daughter who has sole ownership and authority by deed and willing acceptance) and a mysterious artifact - a large moonstone set in a claw-like gold setting similar to the top of a staff. This orb has a way of appearing at times of great need and then disappearing when either it's work is done or safety demands, and is said to encompass the powerful love of Nimue and Merlin.

It's 1750, and the current Guardian is 25 yr old Jacqueline, besieged by unsuitable suitors, protected by her loyal servants and wheel-chair bound uncle, and quite averse to marriage for anything other than love but has little hope of that. The stream feeding her rich farmland has dried to a trickle, and desperate to find more water, Jacqueline brings in a dowser to locate the spring that once fed the lake behind the Hall which has been dry for over 30 years. What do they find? This mysterious orb has 'plugged' the spring, and once removed, the lake refills. As Jacqueline handles the orb, it suddenly glows briefly.

Enter Richard Montague, the younger son of a powerful family, extremely wealthy in his own right. After an attempted kidnapping in London (all part of an effort to compromise him into marriage), Richard has sneaked out of town, heading to visit his uncle, the Bishop of Wells, to hide from society while he figures out what to do with his life. He's also averse to love for any reason other than love as women only seem to want to marry him for his money. While within 20 miles of Wells, Richard becomes lost in a wood, something that is quite the conundrum given his skill as a hunter and woodsman. Cue the woo-woo music as this is no ordinary wood, but the legendary woods of Nimway Hall which have been know to direct the true loves of the Lady of the Hall who stumble in them onto the right path.

Ultimately Richard and his horse Malcolm the Great (who is one of my favorite characters in this story) ends up at the Hall, and you know exactly what happens - he ultimately saves fair maiden and wins her love and hand. And the orb disappears again, presumably to reappear at a later date and help another Guardian of Nimway Hall.

If you are into Arthurian legend, I suspect you might like this story - the first in a series all set at different times at Nimway Hall and involving the orb, and all written by different authors. It is rather slight, and not one of Laurens' better books. In fact, much of her story here is just a thinner, version of her excellent Cynster book, Scandal's Bride about Richard Cynster and the Scottish Catriona, Lady of the Vale.