The Lavender Garden
A Novel by Lucinda Riley
1998 – Emilie de La Martinières grew up alone. A poor rich girl ignored by her socialite mother all her life. Having lost her beloved father when she was only fourteen, Emilie feels distant from her family’s history and her inheritance.
1944 – Constance Carruthers is a strong smart woman who decides to take a job offer at MI-5 when her husband leaves to fight in WWII, only weeks after their marriage. For four years she lived in fear of receiving the telegram that would tell her that her husband was missing in action. And suddenly it had arrived. She knew all too well that the chances of her Lawrence still being alive after two months missing receded by the day. She no longer particularly cared if she lived or died. She then accepts an offer to work as a spy for the F Section, that had the sole purpose of frustrating and handicapping the Nazi regime in France.
Although these women’s lives are separated by decades, the connection between her father and Connie will help Emilie feel a deep pride in her inheritance, heal her broken heart, and find a new purpose in life.
After an initial sympathy for Emilie, who loses her mother on the first paragraph of the story, I must say that I developed an antagonism toward her as she lingers in a paralyzing stupor. She meets the charming Sebastian, and allows this complete stranger to take over her life, even make financial decisions for her. Does he have good intentions? What lies under his handsome façade? Her unreserved trust and lack of determination exasperated me. I wanted to slap her and yell, “Snap out of it girl!”
Connie, on the other hand, delighted me and I found myself rooting for her at every step of the way. After an intensive period of training in England she’s sent to Paris to join the Scientist network, nonetheless the spy network has been discovered and she must hide at Édouard de La Martinières’ house. His contacts assured her he’s an ally to their cause, but she finds him entertaining German top officials. Who is this man? She wants to join her fellow spies in the field; instead she becomes the center of Colonel Falk von Wehndorf’s attention, the powerful Nazi responsible for dismantling the Scientist network. Against her better judgment, she must stay under Édouard’s orders and accept Falk’s advances to avoid exposing the secretive Frenchman.
Both narratives evolve in parallel and as Emilie makes sense of her father’s mysterious past she finally takes control of her life. As she gradually changes her passive attitude, so changes my perception of her. The Lavender Garden is the first book from Riley I read and I admired her ability to navigate two extremes and build such intriguing characters.