Summary
Mary O'Rourke’s transatlantic odyssey from the verdant shores of Ireland to the vertical sprawl of New York City precipitates a quixotic charade of domesticity. Upon discovering her cousin Norah abandoned and destitute, Mary infiltrates the Stuyvesant’s patrician manor, only to be mistaken for the wayward son’s bride by a matriarch clinging to a gossamer thread of life. To avert a fatal shock to the invalid, Mary orchestrates a performance of spurious matrimony, navigating the treacherous shoals of high-society decorum. The narrative tension tightens with the return of John Stuyvesant and his cousin Fred, whose clandestine nuptials and pecuniary secrets converge in a liturgical showdown. Through a masterful application of Irish wit and strategic revelation, Mary unmasks the true 'John Frederick,' securing both a stolen legacy and her own unexpected romantic resolution within the gilded cages of the Manhattan elite.
Synopsis
When Mary O'Rourke leaves Ireland to visit her cousin Norah in New York, she finds that Norah and her baby have been deserted by her husband, John Stuyvesant. Mary goes to the Stuyvesants' aristocratic home, where Mrs. Stuyvesant, an invalid, mistakes her for her son's wife. Warned that the woman could die from shock, Mary reluctantly assumes the role of daughter-in-law and nurses her back to health. Meanwhile, John and his cousin Fred return from a trip, and Genevieve Harbison, John's fiancée, demands that they get married the following day to prove that he is not married already. At the church, Mary produces Norah's marriage certificate, which John notices is for "John Frederick," Fred's real name. Fred then explains that his inheritance requires that he not be married until the next day. Genevieve angrily leaves after John agrees to play Fred's role, but when Fred sees Norah, he acknowledges the marriage. Mary then confuses Fred's trustee with Irish blarney and wins the legacy for Fred. She then accepts John's proposal.
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