History Literature / ThePerilousGard

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Kate doesn't believe for a second that the Fairy Folk aren't entirely human. The only thing she can't explain is [[spoiler: who the Guardian of the Well is, and why his robe washes up with a few old bones after the flooding of the Hill.]]

** "The grief of a wound" is taken from Falstaff's soliloquy on honour in ''Theatre/HenryIVPart1'', while "tilly-vally" and "fire-new" are obsolete words found in ''Theatre/TwelfthNight''. Pope was an English professor specialising in Shakespeare.

This is followed by the revelation that the 'Elvenwood' really is the haunt of honest-to-God 'Fairy Folk' (or surviving pagans) who pay a teind to Hell (or their gods) of one human life.

* BeautifulTears: Kate sees a faint sparkle of tears appear on the lashes of Alicia "like jewels on a fringe."

* BeautifulTears: Kate sees a faint sparkle of tears appear on the lashes of her sister, Alicia, "like jewels on a fringe."

* RescueRomance [[spoiler:Of course the usual sex of rescuer and rescuee is reversed.]]

Alicia, a beautiful ditz, writes the queen to complain about the conditions at Hatfield. Her Majesty takes offense but elects to punish ''not'' Alicia (who she's sure isn't responsible), but instead her older, plainer sister, Kate. Kate is sent to live under house arrest at Elvenwood Hall in the care of Sir Geoffrey Heron.

* CaveBehindTheFalls: One of the entrances to Fairy Hill is behind a waterfall.

* BigNo: When Alicia suggests fixing the trouble by writing another letter to the Queen Kate, Master Ascham and Princess Elizabeth all chorus a loud 'No!'.

* ScaryAmoralReligion: The Fairy Folk believe that power to protect their people is acquired by HumanSacrifice. They usually use mortal children like Cecily because, quite simply, children are easier to abduct. Kate tries to persuade them that Christ's sacrifice was so powerful that further sacrifices are unnecessary, but the Queen, though interested, is unconvinced.

* PoisonRing: The Lady's bracelet has a hidden compartment in which she keeps the drugs given to the maidservants.

* BringHelpBack: Kate's last-ditch attempt to summon help before disappearing into the Hill is to send Randal the idiot to fetch Sir Geoffrey from Norfolk by Hallowe'en. Unfortunately Randal fixates on ExactWords and she realises right away that she's confused him about the timing.

* NotSoDifferent: After her first impressions of Christopher as a melodramatic hero of ChivalricRomance, Kate is bewildered to discover that his true interests are as mundane as hers: he has [[CallToAgriculture a passion for farming and strong opinions about drainage.]]

* FairytaleMotifs: Aside from the numerous references to "Tam Lin" and other ballads, Kate thinks of Christopher and Alicia as the kind of beautiful, unworldly people found in [[KingArthur Arthurian]] [[ChivalricRomance romances]]: Christopher as the KnightInShiningArmour putting HonourBeforeReason, Alicia as a naive heroine.

[[caption-width-right:264: Or "the dangerous castle", if you were wondering]]

* TheKlutz: Kate is always tripping over her own feet, despite the efforts of her family to teach her how to move gracefully. It's Gwenhyfara, one of the Fairy Folk, who finally manages to show her how. By the end of the novel, Kate has learned how to move not just gracefully, but silently.

* FromBadToWorse: Kate is reminded of a joke about a man whose dog died...when his house burned down...during his mother's funeral... [[spoiler:when Alicia tells her that she just adores Christopher, and he's rich now, and he's got an engagement ring... She means it's for Kate and that she, Alicia, loves Christopher like a brother.]]

* TheKlutz: Kate is always tripping over her own feet, despite the efforts of her family to teach her how to move gracefully. It's Gwenhyfara, one of the Fairy Folk, who finally manages to show her how.

Alicia, a beautiful ditz, writes the queen to complain about the conditions at Hatfield. Her Majesty takes offense but elects to punish ''not'' the beautiful Alicia (who she's sure isn't responsible), but instead her older, plainer sister, Kate. Kate is sent to live under house arrest at Elvenwood Hall in the care of Sir Geoffrey Heron.

She soon discovers she has walked into a somewhat fraught family situation: Sir Geoffrey's small daughter and only child, Cecily, disappeared under mysterious circumstances while in the care of her uncle, Christopher Heron, who of course is now Sir Geoffrey's heir. Everybody draws the obvious conclusion and Christopher's Byronic posturing does nothing to help the situation.

* LovePotion: Of the [[LoveAtFirstSight Love First Person Sighted]] variety. [[spoiler: The Lady gives Kate one to use but Kate refuses to accept it because she is afraid of it being fake and would not want a relationship based on false feelings.]]

* HiddenDepths: Kate's strength of mind is not obvious to the Lady from her unprepossessing exterior, and Christopher keeps his agricultural dreams so close to his chest not even the Guardian of the Well finds out about them.

* FromBadToWorse: Kate is reminded of a joke about a man whose dog died...when his house burned down...during his mother's funeral... [[spoiler:when Alicia tells her that she just adores Christopher, and he's rich now, and he's got an engagement ring... She means it's for Kate and she, Alicia, loves Christopher like a brother.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Kate and Christopher very much earn and deserve a long happy life on their Norfolk manor.

* DeadpanSnarker: Christopher again. Most memorably his remark about hoping to get a spot next to Kate at the Last Judgment because he wants to hear her commentary on the proceedings. And that her mother ought to tell her that she needs to marry the man she's been spending all her nights with.

* TheUnfavourite: Kate's mother, who resembles and favours Alicia, appears to be at the root of her sense of inadequacy. Fortunately she's clearly her father's favourite, though he doesn't neglect Alicia.