The Phoenix Bride
Cecilia Thorowgood and her adored husband travel to London in 1665 to visit her sister Margaret and husband Lord Eden. But their London merriment turns tragic as soon as the couple return home. Her precious Will, husband of less than a year, is now dead of the plague. Back in the city she hates for what it has taken from her, she is living in her sister’s townhouse. Drowning in grief, Cecilia is wasting away. A desperate Margaret sends for numerous doctors to help. Trying to avoid the latest new doctor, Cecilia observes Dr. Mendes from her hiding place. She is fascinated by this foreign-looking man. David Mendes is a Jew who fled the Inquisition in Portugal to make a new life with his father, but in London he remains an outsider.
In chapters alternating between Cecilia and David, their friendship unwisely grows into love. But Lord Eden wants Cecilia married off to Sir Samuel Grey. David has enjoyed intimacies with other men, but an impulsive and starry-eyed Cecilia has upturned his life. He is tormented and torn by his desire for her while remaining devoted to his Jewish faith. Siegel writes of the struggle of Jews forced from their countries to start new lives. As David helps Cecilia out of her despondency, her life blooms. Now Margaret is no longer in control, and this creates great conflict between the sisters. My favorite character is Samuel. Flamboyant, flashy, and feminine, he doesn’t want to marry Cecilia any more than she desires to marry him. It is his kindness and friendship to Cecilia that helps her navigate her world of no options.
Siegel has created terrific characters to love and hate. Set with the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London as a backdrop, this is a delightful read infused with serious issues of Jewish displacement.
