The Mermaid’s Song by Marianne Willman is an historical novel that combines romance with the mythological mermaids.

Katherine McCall is on the run from the Bow Street Runners and is living under the assumed name of Flora O’Donnell.  Falsely implicated in a brutal murder she is now teaching in an exclusive boarding school for girls. 

But her safety is threatened when the murderer she fell in love with escapes from prison and she knows that he will do everything in his power to track her down and silence her forever.

Blaise Cheney is the uncle of Johanna Cheney, a boarder who remains at the school throughout the holidays as her family has apparently abandoned her.  Now she has reached her final year at the school and it is time for her to leave and enter Society.  Blaise’s arrival at the school appears to be fine timing to collect her but his shock at her appearance shows that he had no idea that the years had passed so quickly.   However Flora is quick to remedy this and tells Blaise in no uncertain terms of his duty towards his niece.  Together Blaise and Johanna leave the school and Flora believes that that is the last she has seen of the Cheney family.

However Blaise’s return shortly after she has been pursued nearby surprises her.  As does his proposal of a marriage in name only so that she can travel back to Breton, France with him and Johanna and help Johanna in securing a husband.  After a period of two years she will be free to leave with a sum of money to help her and during the marriage she is free to see whomever she chooses as long as she is discreet.

Flora can sense that something about the deal does not seem right but she has no idea what.  Furthermore the timing of the deal seems perfect and she quickly accepts and heads to France to begin a new life.

The crossing to France is terrible and made worse by Johanna’s maid who claims that the merfolk at trying to claim the payment of a member of the next generation of the Cheney family.

Slowly Flora pieces together the tragic story of Johanna’s parents who were drowned at sea like so many of the family.  The legend of the mermaids has survived through the centuries and although Flora scoffs at it she cannot deny that her new homes in Paris and later at Chateau Morgaine do seem to have a mermaid theme to them and that even the educated Blaise appears to believe the tales.

The more she learns about her new family the more she realises that there are secrets being kept from her.  However the secrets are pushed to the back of her mind as she finds herself falling in love with her new husband.

Hints are given to the fact that Blaise is keeping a dark secret from Flora and I will not spoil it for the reader by giving it away.  However suffice to say that the secret is bad enough that he fears it will tear them apart should she discover it.  His only hope is that he can bind his new bride to her with a love so powerful that she will forgive him anything.

But events overtake them and both Blaise and Flora find their secrets are out.  Can Blaise and Flora repair the damage in time to save their newfound love.

With lots of dark secrets and twists this novel is a wonderful blending of myth and magic that is as compelling at the legendary mermaid’s song that called sailors to their doom on the rocks.

An excellent addition to any shelf!
 

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