12 h 22 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 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
For readers who enjoy drawing rooms, ballrooms and grand journeys, who like a love story with a scheming rival, and who relish witty talk about money, fashion and gossip.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A widow plots at midnight
- Haughton Hall and a girl's past
- The picnic and the wedding
- Vaura returns and the rival rises
- Paris: a ball, a promise and a difficulty
- The hunt for Fanny and the road south
- Rome, a parting and a promise
- Money, masks and gossip
- A story told with a wink
Who’s who
- Vaura VernonA bright, warm-hearted young beauty raised by her uncle and godmother, who loves Captain Trevalyon and refuses to marry for money.
- Lionel TrevalyonA handsome, weary soldier who has promised his dying father never to marry, falls for Vaura, and must clear the false story of a hidden wife.
- Kate TompkinsA rich, bold American widow who marries Colonel Haughton to win a place in society and stay close to the man she loves.
- Colonel Eric HaughtonA kind, old-fashioned master of Haughton Hall who weds for money to save his home and to give his niece a house.
- Lady Alice EsmondetVaura's gracious godmother, a widow in poor health, who secretly loves the Colonel and watches over the young lovers.
- George DelroseA black-bearded, jealous Major, Kate's old lover and Trevalyon's enemy, who wants her all to himself and will go far to win her.
- Blanche TompkinsKate's tiny, pale stepdaughter with red-rimmed eyes, who spies on everyone and plans her own revenge against her stepmother.
- Sir Tilton EverlyA small, cheerful London baronet with big debts and two schoolmistress aunts, who hunts for an heiress yet longs for Vaura.
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A Heart-Song of To-day
by Annie G. Savigny · 1886
A rich widow spreads a hidden-wife rumour to keep Captain Trevalyon from the beautiful Vaura Vernon.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Gossip can build a cage around a good man. A Heart-Song of To-day, by Annie G. Savigny, is a Victorian society novel set in London, Surrey, Paris and Rome between June 1877 and Twelfth Night 1878.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A widow plots at midnight
The novel opens at midnight in a boudoir in Eaton Square. Kate Tompkins, an American widow, tells Captain Trevalyon that Colonel Haughton has proposed. She hopes Trevalyon will beg her to refuse. Instead he laughs and gives his blessing.
Behind a curtain, Major Delrose, her old lover, has been listening. From him Kate learns that club gossip gives Trevalyon a secret wife, tied to an old affair with a woman named Fanny Clarmont. Kate sees a weapon. If people think him a bigamist, no good family will give him a bride.
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- First published
- 1886
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 8 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
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What is A Heart-Song of To-day about?
It follows Captain Lionel Trevalyon and Vaura Vernon as they fall in love, while a wealthy widow, Kate Tompkins, and a jealous Major, George Delrose, spread a rumour that Trevalyon has a secret wife. The story moves from London to Paris, Rome and Surrey.
Who is the hidden wife in the story?
The hidden wife is a rumour, based on an old scandal about a woman named Fanny Clarmont. Society gossips, newspapers repeat it, and Trevalyon sets out to find the real woman and the truth behind it.
When is A Heart-Song of To-day set?
The story runs from June 1877 to Twelfth Night 1878. It moves through the London season, the Paris exhibition year, a winter in Rome, and a Christmas ball at Haughton Hall in Surrey, and it mentions real events and public figures.
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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