A review of "Miss Arnott's Marriage" by Richard Marsh

"Miss Arnott's Marriage" is one of the much under-rated Richard Marsh's long stories. The plot revolves around the events which occur after Violet Arnott's husband, Bob Champion (not the Grand National winner, obviously!)  is sent to prison.  Violet decides to revert to her maiden name and forget about her wayward spouse.  Initially, her task seems to be made easier as she comes into a large sum of money.  She quickly leaves London and her troubles behind her and takes up residence at Exley Park.  At Exley, she attracts the romantic attention of Hugh Morice who owns the adjoining estate.  Mr Morice's suit is met largely with scorn by Miss Arnott but events will eventually change that...

The critical moment of the story is reached when Bob Champion, after his release from prison, tracks his erstwhile wife down at Exley Park.  Violet confronts Bob at a remote spot, one evening, and informs him that she wants nothing more to do with him.  She leaves him in rude good health and sets off back for the house.  Bob comes to an untimely end soon after.  A shot is heard and Violet sees Mr Morice running away near the scene of the crime.  The estate's gamekeeper, Jim Baker, is also abroad that night and he is known to hold grudges and be somewhat trigger happy after a few drinks.  The behaviour of Miss Arnott's companion, Mrs Plummer, also seems a trifle odd.  The police investigate with only limited success and it is left to others to find the guilty party and release the innocent from real prisons or those of their own minds.  The final denouement is dramatic and unexpected.  I will not spoil it by describing it here.

One of Richard Marsh's many strengths as a writer was his ability to outline his female characters as well as their male counterparts. Women are the central characters in a number of his books including "Violet Forster's Lover" and most notably in "A Duel".  Miss Arnott does not seem a particularly likeable character at the outset of the story but the reader's sympathy grows as the tale unfolds.

Most of Richard Marsh's books hook the reader from almost the first page and the tempo of the story is kept up. "Miss Arnott's Marriage" is somewhat different in that the story builds from a slow beginning to a crescendo.  In many of Marsh's books, the ending sometimes seems a little weak and almost added as something of an after thought. The train crash which sees the destruction of the Beetle in the book of the same name is perhaps an example. There is certainly no lack of tension in"Miss Arnott's Marriage" as the murderer is revealed.

Many of Richard Marsh's books rely on almost unbelievable coincidences to make the plots work. In "The Crime and the Criminal" as an example, a long separated man and wife happen to find themselves alone many years later in a railway carriage travelling from Brighton to London which leads to a tragedy at Three Bridges.  Near the end of "Miss Arnott's Marriage", it becomes apparent that Bob Champion has had relations with another resident of Exley park in the dim, distant and seemingly unrelated past.

"Miss Arnott's Marriage" describes a bygone world in an entertaining manner.  The motor car was just beginning to become a plaything of the upper classes and the world of chamber maids, butlers and game keepers still existed.

Whilst I would not say "Miss Arnott's Marriage" was the best or most amusing of Richard Marsh's books, it is certainly worth reading. It can be found on project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37963

I understand that Crawley Library are planning a Richard Marsh exhibition in the summer. More information about this event can be obtained by contacting the library.  It is a shame that I am based  200 miles away in Sheffield. I would have liked to have seen what they have uncovered about this great author.