A Fair Mystery


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.6 stars; 19 reviews)

(Written by Charlotte M. Brame under the pen name Bertha M. Clay.)

Honest Mark Brace is about to lose his farm, land of his ancestors, home to his wife, Patty, and small daughter, Mattie, when out of a dark and stormy night comes the answer to his prayers. A tiny babe, tender and fair, left on their doorstep with a note asking Mark and Patty to bring the child up as their own, to raise it to be good, like themselves, and to accept for their troubles a hundred pounds a year.

The farm is saved, and all is peaceful for a while as the beautiful baby, Doris, grows into an even more beautiful child. But as she grows, so too grows her awareness of her own loveliness, of her difference from the humble farmers who raise her. Doris hungers for luxury, jewels and velvet, bright fetes and ardent admirers. Confident that her ethereal beauty and native wit will bring her everything she deserves, she focuses her energies on obtaining these things and sets in motion a chain of events that will break hearts, rip at the mystery surrounding her birth, and culminate in the greatest tragedy of them all.

A story of love in many forms, A Fair Mystery is part romance, part tragedy, and part social commentary, one which asks us to pause a moment and reflect on what it is that is truly worth having in this life. (Summary by Elanor Sakamoto) (19 hr 11 min)

Chapters

A Voice and a Face in the Night. 11:29 Read by Lynne T
A Fairy Changeling. 11:30 Read by Lynne T
A Daughter of Patricians. 10:43 Read by Arie
The Marble Psyche. 7:22 Read by Arie
'I want to be just like you.' 7:55 Read by Lynne T
Faithless and Debonair. 7:21 Read by Lynne T
All, All is Vanity. 10:38 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The Young Coquette. 14:00 Read by Gabriela Cowan
Poet and Gentleman. 10:42 Read by Elanor Sakamoto
A Wasted Warning. 10:17 Read by Elanor Sakamoto
The Foster-Sisters. 9:35 Read by Elanor Sakamoto
Beauty Becomes Immortal. 12:31 Read by Sandra Estenson
'Faithless and debonair.' 11:07 Read by Sandra Estenson
'I will be true--forever.' 12:04 Read by Sandra Estenson
A Betrothal Day. 11:36 Read by Sandra Estenson
A Shining Memory. 11:15 Read by Sandra Estenson
A Woman Averse to Marriage. 14:39 Read by Sandra Estenson
A Prospective Pleasure for Doris. 14:20 Read by Sandra Estenson
'They tell me, child, that you are really promised in marriage.' 16:19 Read by Sandra Estenson
Her Eyes Invited Him. 17:08 Read by Sandra Estenson
'I shall never be a model woman.' 11:31 Read by SamR
The Coquette and the Man of the World. 10:28 Read by SamR
An Impassioned Wooing. 11:53 Read by SamR
The False Lips of Woman. 11:08 Read by SamR
The Last Happy Day of His Life. 11:03 Read by SamR
How She was Tempted. 10:20 Read by Petra
A Woman Resolved. 12:12 Read by Petra
The Flight at Midnight. 11:30 Read by Lynne T
A Thorn in the Garden of Roses. 10:30 Read by SamR
'I could sooner plunge a dagger in his heart.' 11:00 Read by SamR
'I am a man, and I will have justice.' 11:11 Read by SamR
There is no True Love Except the Love of a Mother. 10:30 Read by SamR
'After so many years of dread has it come at last?' 9:49 Read by SamR
'I must tell you my secret.' 11:42 Read by SamR
Lady Estelle's Story. 11:12 Read by SamR
'He made me believe that I was the whole world to him!' 11:45 Read by SamR
The Punishment of Folly. 11:14 Read by SamR
A Mother's Confession. 11:35 Read by SamR
A Clew at Last. 11:36 Read by SamR
'I claim you as my own; I will never release you!' 11:33 Read by SamR
'This is your revenge--to humiliate me.' 14:42 Read by Marsha Payne
The Coquette's Blandishments. 13:28 Read by Marsha Payne
The Nobleman's Oath. 13:36 Read by Marsha Payne
An Appeal for Forgiveness. 14:10 Read by Marsha Payne
A Thunderbolt in a Ducal Palace. 14:58 Read by Marsha Payne
The Duke's Plan. 15:05 Read by Marsha Payne
An Important Letter. 14:40 Read by Marsha Payne
'Welcome, my daughter, to your father's heart.' 14:09 Read by Marsha Payne
'Only one other person knows my secret.' 14:18 Read by Marsha Payne
A Nobleman's Generosity. 13:39 Read by Marsha Payne
'Be kind to her, as though you were her own child.' 15:55 Read by Marsha Payne
A Young Lady Pleasantly Occupied. 14:50 Read by Marsha Payne
'I must bear it for his sake.' 14:29 Read by Marsha Payne
'My queen rose of the rosebuds.' 17:31 Read by Gabriela Cowan
'When she was young, perhaps she loved some one like me.' 16:35 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The Yearnings of a Mother's Heart. 16:43 Read by Gabriela Cowan
Before the Queen. 17:27 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The New Beauty Discussed. 17:22 Read by Gabriela Cowan
Doris Affects a Little Curiosity. 14:55 Read by Gabriela Cowan
'I might have been so happy, but for this!' 15:28 Read by Gabriela Cowan
'I have seen some one like her.' 15:45 Read by Gabriela Cowan
Lord Vivianne Perplexed. 16:03 Read by Gabriela Cowan
A Terrible Trial. 14:07 Read by Gabriela Cowan
'If she refuses, let her beware!' 19:17 Read by Gabriela Cowan
A Little Artifice. 15:02 Read by Gabriela Cowan
A Quiet Wedding Advocated. 16:41 Read by Gabriela Cowan
A Clew at Last. 16:26 Read by Gabriela Cowan
Lord Vivianne Proposes a Little Discussion. 15:09 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The Price of a Secret. 16:09 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The Coward's Threat. 16:14 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The Earl Reluctantly Assents. 15:46 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The Countess Becomes Curious. 17:20 Read by Gabriela Cowan
A Last Vain Appeal. 16:46 Read by Gabriela Cowan
'Heaven save Earle!' 15:30 Read by Gabriela Cowan
'I shall wake up and find it a dream.' 17:08 Read by Gabriela Cowan
Trying on the Wedding-Dress. 15:10 Read by Gabriela Cowan
A Midnight Visitor. 16:06 Read by Gabriela Cowan
Why He Suspected. 16:37 Read by Gabriela Cowan
What Happened After Midnight. 17:28 Read by Gabriela Cowan
The Silent Bride. 12:30 Read by Mike Pelton
How the News was Told. 13:10 Read by Mike Pelton
The Captain Asks Strange Questions. 12:58 Read by Mike Pelton
A Mother's Anguish. 12:21 Read by Mike Pelton
A Surprise for Lord Linleigh. 12:53 Read by Mike Pelton
Haunted by a Dead Face. 13:54 Read by Mike Pelton
Silent Love Rewarded. 4:58 Read by Mike Pelton

Reviews

A Fair Tragedy


(3 stars)

The summary is dead on. You'll have Earle in your heart from start to finish while having conflicting feelings about Doris. While I like the overall story, some parts were too drawn out. Doris & Lord Vivianne meet twice & discuss an ultimatum. So why at the 3rd meeting does Doris ask what he wants & why does he go into detail about it & about their past yet again? Why make us suffer through this? There were a couple of offbeat moves as well. When Lord Linleigh offers to not have Lord Vivianne visit anymore Doris doesn't encourage this. Going by Doris' character & her feelings for Vivianne she'd naturally go for this but doesn't in the story. Lastly, the exact manner of a character's story ending seems very hard to believe. It actually is silly to me. Still, if you're willing to devote a large chunk of time to 1 story then give this a listen. If it were cut down I'd definitely have given it a higher rating. Oh, & Gabby will be difficult to understand unless you're not distracted & are in a quiet room/area.