2019/73: Behind These Doors -- Jude Lucens

“Actually… I’m not sure I’m up to this level of—of sophisticated aristocratic entanglement.”
“I’m sure it’s not exclusive to aristocrats.”
“Oh really?” Lucien glared at him. “D’you think anyone else has the time for this kind of complication? We’re a bit too busy earning our daily bloody crust for that!” [p. 226]

Lucien Saxby is a society journalist, writing for the Daily Mail (though in 1906 that was a more reputable organ than it is now). He meets the Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe at the theatre one night, and goes home with him: and that should be that, except that one of Aubrey's companions at the theatre takes it upon himself to complain to Lucien's editor about Lucien's behaviour towards Lady Hernedale. Disentangling and defusing this potentially-ruinous accusation brings Aubrey and Lucien together again, despite working-class Lucien's distrust of the nobility and Aubrey's fear of blackmail and exposure.

It's not as though Aubrey's unhappy with his polyamorous relationship with Lord and Lady Hernedale, also known as his childhood friends Rupert and Henrietta. And Lucien is close to William, with whom he was brought up, and has other occasional lovers. But neither of them feels that marriage to a woman is desirable, and neither has experienced any emotional connection like this before.

Behind These Doors also features Miss Enfield, a female journalist who's far better at political reporting than Lucien but will never get plum assignments because of her sex; the delightful Henrietta, who is quite vehement on the subject of women's rights herself; Lucien's childhood friend William, now an invalid; Aubrey's pragmatic manservant Grieve; the redoubtable Rupert, and his slimy brother-in-law Lowdon. It's a larger cast than in many romances, and there is quite a bit of plot that doesn't impact on the various relationships, at least not directly -- though Lucien fights fiercely for his independence and reputation as a journalist, and Aubrey finds himself having to deal with drastic changes, not only in his personal affairs but in his understanding of his own, hitherto unconscious, privilege.

I frequently complain about lack of communication in novels, especially romances, but I would like to stress that this is not an issue in Behind These Doors. They talk a lot. None of the characters are very good, initially, at telling one another the things that really matter, whether practical ('these people are also my lovers') or emotional ('I really l-l-like you'): all of them get much better at it over the course of the novel. There is plenty of examination of privilege, both class- and gender-based: the focus on the women's rights movement -- with a great deal of accurate historical reportage -- and on the involvement of aristocratic women in that movement was well-handled, as on a more intimate level was Lucien's upbringing on the fringes of the aristocracy and his exasperation with Aubrey's naivete.

A good interview with the author, in which she discusses Behind These Doors and planned sequels.