12 h 22 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 22 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Midnight strikes, a wealthy widow presses her suit, and a jealous man watches from behind the curtains.
In Annie G. Savigny’s A Heart-Song of To-day, Mrs. Tompkins wants Captain Trevalyon’s love, and she offers her wealth along with her heart. Over champagne, she tells him about Colonel Haughton’s proposal. Trevalyon urges her toward his friend, while his own thoughts keep returning to Vaura, whom he has missed seeing.
Then George Delrose steps out from concealment, turning an intimate conversation into a contest of wills. Mrs. Tompkins orders him away; he refuses to leave her with a rival. Beneath the polished manners, desire becomes a struggle for control. Money, jealousy, and wounded pride make every courteous gesture feel uncertain.
What you’ll discover
- A widow who pursues Mrs. Tompkins speaks her desires plainly, determined to win the man she wants.
- An unwelcome midnight guest Delrose interrupts the champagne supper, bringing open jealousy into a room arranged for intimacy.
- A heart turned elsewhere Trevalyon answers flirtation with composure, but his thoughts of Vaura give the encounter another pull.
- Wealth against affection A marriage offer raises the uncomfortable question of what money can persuade a heart to do.
- Manners under strain Follow sharp exchanges where a polite farewell becomes something neither pride nor passion easily permits.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you like Victorian romance with sharp social comedy, clever women and scheming rivals, travel through Paris and Italy, and the pleasure of watching a scandal built and answered.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A midnight supper starts the plot
- Haughton Hall, old secrets and a picnic
- Paris brings Trevalyon and Vaura together
- A mountain monastery and a villa in Rome
- Why Trevalyon cannot marry or speak
- Back at the Hall on Twelfth Night
- Gold, rumour and the art of telling
Who’s who
- Lionel TrevalyonA handsome former soldier, influenced by his father's distrust of women, who falls deeply in love while a rumour clouds his name.
- Vaura VernonColonel Haughton's witty niece, raised at Haughton Hall and educated in Paris, who is admired by many men and wants a partner of kindred nature.
- Kate TompkinsA rich American widow who marries Colonel Haughton for position while longing for Trevalyon, and who spreads the rumour that keeps him from Vaura.
- Major George DelroseA bold, jealous officer who loves Kate fiercely and hates Trevalyon, and who is ready to do anything to keep her.
- Colonel Eric HaughtonA kind, honorable squire who marries for money to save his family home and wants only his niece's happiness.
- Lady Alice EsmondetVaura's godmother, gentle and worldly, who has quietly loved Colonel Haughton for years and guides her goddaughter.
- Blanche TompkinsKate's small, sharp-eyed stepdaughter, who plays detective and has plans of her own for money and marriage.
- Sir Tilton EverlyA cheerful little baronet in debt, who must marry an heiress and is smitten with Vaura.
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A Heart-Song of To-day
by Annie G. Savigny · 1886
A widow with millions plots to keep Captain Trevalyon from Vaura Vernon by spreading a story of a hidden wife.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What does a rich widow do when the man she wants loves someone else? In Annie G.
A Heart-Song of To-day at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 15 min5 h 45 min fast, 8 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 104,000 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1886by Annie G. Savigny
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A midnight supper starts the plot
The novel opens at midnight in the boudoir of Mrs. Tompkins in Eaton Square. Captain Trevalyon has come at her written invitation, phrased so that he cannot refuse. A little champagne supper stands on a small table between two chairs.
Kate tells him that Colonel Haughton proposed to her that morning. She asks him to say whether she should refuse. Trevalyon answers with easy charm. He tells her to marry his friend and kisses her hand as he laughs. It is the wrong answer. She loves him and half hoped he would speak for himself.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1886
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 8 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Savigny, Annie G. A Heart-Song of To-day. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-heart-song-of-to-day.
Savigny, A. G. (2026). A heart-song of to-day. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-heart-song-of-to-day (Original work published 1886)
Savigny, Annie G. A Heart-Song of To-day. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-heart-song-of-to-day.
@book{savigny2026heartsong,
author = {Savigny, Annie G.},
title = {A Heart-Song of To-day},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-heart-song-of-to-day},
note = {First published 1886}
}
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What is A Heart-Song of To-day about?
It follows Captain Trevalyon and Vaura Vernon as a scheming widow and a jealous major spread a rumour that he has a secret wife. The story moves from London and Surrey to Paris and Rome, with love, money and gossip at its centre.
Who is Kate Tompkins in the novel?
Kate Tompkins is a wealthy American widow who marries Colonel Haughton to gain social position and a grand house. She is secretly in love with Trevalyon and uses a scandal to try to keep him from Vaura.
What is the hidden wife story?
It is a rumour, revived by Kate and Major Delrose, that Trevalyon secretly married Fanny Clarmont after she left her husband years ago. The gossip spreads through clubs and newspapers and blocks his path to Vaura.
The author
Annie G. Savigny
1838–1901 · Canadian novelist
Annie G. Savigny was a Canadian novelist born in 1838. She wrote A Heart-Song of To-day, a novel published in the nineteenth century. She lived during the Victorian era and died in 1901.
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