The Education of Mrs. Brimley by Donna MacMeans

Emma Brimley is excited about her new post as an instructor at Pettibone School for Young Ladies. She’s teaching a subject she loves, Literature. However, she’s also been asked to teach another subject: how to prepare her young students for the intimacies of marriage. This wouldn’t be a problem since Mrs. Brimley is a young widow. But Emma lied in her application and she knows if she’s caught as a fraud, the powers that be at Pettibone will throw her out.

Emma does what any enterprising young woman would do. She seeks the help of someone who knows the information that can teach her about what a husband can expect. The person she turns to is Lord Nicholas Chambers, or “Lord Bedchambers”, a local eccentric and rather reclusive artist with a seductive reputation.

Nicholas doesn’t know what to do with Emma when she arrives on his doorstep with her odd request, so he sets out to shock her. When she remains persistent in her quest he offers a dangerous bargain. He will enlighten her in the actions in the bedroom if she’ll pose for him. As the goddess Artemis, in the nude.

Though Emma knows it’s a dangerous, scandalous and inappropriate suggestion, she agrees to pose so she can remain safely hidden at the school. And running into Nicholas’ arms is more agreeable than what she’s been running from, especially when Nicholas educates her in the true meaning of pleasure with a man and falling in love.

Emma, being the intelligent girl she is, knows she can’t resign her fate to someone else’s hands, that of her belittling uncle, and she runs from London so that she can make her own way in the world. She’s got spark and spunk and like any normal Victorian girl, she’s scared of men, to a point. As she falls for Nicholas, it’s for his humor and intelligence as well as his dashing and rakish good looks.

Nicholas is not really a rake, though he puts that idea out there. He just wants to be an artist and is painting in Yorkshire because he doesn’t like the dirtiness and his family in London. His family is definitely a group of people I wouldn’t want around unless I was unfortunately related to them. He’s also got a limp, which is endearing, since when he’s around Emma it starts to be less of a bother for him.

I think one of the best (and steamiest) scenes is when Nicholas is expounding on painting and the different brushes and brush strokes and uses her as the canvas. It’s oh so sensual and the tactile details add to the blossoming romance. And of course since he’s painting her as Artemis, in the Grecian fashion, Emma spends quite a bit of time in nothing but her chemise and rose petal pink corset.

The secondary characters where cute and well rounded, but didn’t overwhelm the story. The sisters who run Pettibone, Lady Cavendish (who “referred” Emma to Pettibone), and Nicholas’ loyal servants give depth to the leads and show the good points of their characters. Nicholas’ family and Emma’s uncle are great foils, and as semi-villains move the plot along, and don’t overshadow the goodness of the main characters.

Perhaps the only flaw of the book is right after Nicholas and Emma are together the first time, he leaves. Though it does fit with the plot and is necessary to show the the hero and heroine’s need and love for each other, it was a little irking to have it happen as it did.

Donna MacMeans is a debut author, and it’s a great book to read for a charming character driven love story and gives a few laughs along the way.

Grade: B+