Rozella Lake also wrote as Roberta Leigh and Rachel Lindsay. The title, If Dreams Came True, is exactly what this lovely romance is about.
Characters and Plot Synopsis
Briony, 22, is an upcoming ballet dancer, on the cusp of moving from the corps de ballet to small solo roles. She’s dedicated to her dancing and to her older sister, Fay, who has limped from childhood and suffers from progressively worse moods and hysteria. Story opens when Briony comes home to their shabby apartment and finds Tom, their doctor and good friend, brought a friend with him, Christopher Clayton. Christopher and Briony are immediately attracted to each other and date for a couple weeks.
Christopher tries to entice Briony into bed with him; she resists but believes she is falling in love with him. He takes her to the Savoy where his mother sees them together; afterwards Christopher tells Briony that he is engaged, and although he loves her, he cannot get out of the upcoming marriage. He tells her that his older brother, Daniel, a neurosurgeon who controls the family fortune, is forcing him to marry Maureen so that Daniel can get the new hospital wing he wants. In fact Christopher tells her several bouncers, that Daniel will cut off his mother’s money, that he’ll force Christopher to dump Briony.
Both girls are shattered. Christopher had spent several hours with Fay and told her he planned to buy a bungalow in the country for them all which would have a ground floor space for her, and now she finds that was a cruel dream, nothing real. Fay tells Briony this and practically falls apart.
Fay repairs jewelry free lance and had been working on a very costly ruby and gold necklace. She wore this to the Savoy with Briony and Christopher and lost it. The necklace was not insured when Fay wore it and now that it is gone she must repay the jeweler 3000 pounds, about $25,000 today, an enormous sum for a dancer. Briony talks to Beloff, the ballet company director, who is willing to talk to the jeweler but who doesn’t have that much extra money either. Fay is devastated, hysterical, Briony is scared but determined to find the funds to keep her sister out of trouble.
A day later Beloff tells Briony that the jeweler told him that Fay had repaid him 2500 pounds, leaving a much smaller 500 pounds, still a tremendous sum for a dancer who is responsible for a crippled sister. Christopher’s brother, Daniel, comes to their apartment just before Briony dashes home still in full theatrical makeup and leotard. He is furious that Briony called Christopher and demanded money, blackmailed him to pay 2500 pounds to keep her from confronting his fiancée. Briony of course knows nothing about this, it was Fay who called, Fay who demanded money, and Fay who lied to Daniel claiming it was Briony and that she wanted the money to buy them a better flat.
A day later Daniel comes by again. He talked to Fay and learned that Christopher had promised much before betraying them and he offers to marry Briony himself and provide a home for Fay. He claims that he needs a wife for the usual social responsibilities and that having a beautiful ballerina as wife will be an asset as he raises money for his hospital wing. Briony is disgusted and at first declines, then accepts after Fay has a breakdown.
They marry in a cold business arrangement. Briony makes no secret that she dislikes Daniel and she still believes she is in love with Christopher. Over the next couple months she realizes that love wasn’t real (as she puts it, you love me “the way you love cream cakes or chocolate!”).
The night after Christopher marries Maureen Daniel suggests that he and Briony take a non-platonic holiday together. She realizes she loves him and agrees. He’s overly considerate and sends her to bed alone. The next day his Deirdre, his former fiancee calls him to South Africa to operate on her husband after a car crash. Husband dies and OW Deirdre gets Daniel to stay in South Africa for 3 weeks, then comes back to England with him, and makes no secret that she intends to marry him herself.
Briony believes Daniel still loves Deirdre, he was cold on the phone and took care of getting her settled before coming home, not the way a man acts who is in love with his wife and can’t wait to see her. She has ample evidence Daniel cares for Deirdre and he doesn’t deny it. He also makes it clear he believes Briony still loves Christopher and doesn’t much like himself. Both are too proud to stop this developing tragedy.
Finally Daniel sends Briony freesias at her debut dancing Giselle with a note saying he knows she doesn’t want his love but wishes her to find love somewhere. She replies urging him to not marry Deirdre, that he is worth far more and a final, second thought ps that she is dancing the next dance for him, implies she loves him.
Finally, both are truthful and open and happy ever after is on the horizon.
Use Dance as Metaphor for Romance
Briony has four challenges:
- Daniel
- Fay
- Paying for the necklace
- Dancing career
Briony’s dancing career blossoms during the book. She goes from the corps de ballet (the girls in the background who dance as a group) to small solos to dancing the lead role in some challenging and popular ballets. Simultaneously she finds Daniel.
Briony pays the last 500 pounds from the allowance Daniel gives her to buy a fancy dress and mink jacket for Christopher’s wedding, which makes Daniel furious. He doesn’t know to whom she gave the money, except that it was a man. It is when he learns the truth and apologizes to Briony that he suggests they go on a honeymoon.
It’s not clear when exactly Briony began to love Daniel, she stops resenting him early on, then the dislike mutes and eventually she realizes what a fine man he is, though she still does not think he loves her.
Daniel suspects Fay has a neurological problem and hospitalizes her for tests which confirm she has a brain tumor. He operates successfully, removes the tumor, which is benign, and Fay will have a happy life now with Tom.
Everything should be beautiful. Except Daniel seems to prefer Deirdre. But does he? He renews the honeymoon offer, but in an offhand manner that infuriates Briony. Here’s where I wanted to shout at her. All she had to do was point out that if the slept together, then Daniel and she could not get the marriage annulled and he would have to seek divorce, meaning he and Deirdre could not marry for a couple of years. Had she confronted him with that they could have cut through the nonsense.
Further, had Briony been honest and brave enough to tell Daniel she no longer loved his brother, even if she couldn’t tell him that she loved him, we’d have had a much shorter book.
As Briony’s career goes upwards, so does her heart, then she fears she has lost what she never truly had. Finally she resolves everything with Daniel and now is a prima ballerina, her sister is healthy, almost miraculous, and they acknowledge they love each other.
Conflicts in the Story
The obvious conflicts are between Briony and Daniel, with more conflicts between the sisters, and with Christopher and Deirdre. The biggest conflict is within Briony. She loves Daniel, doesn’t believe he cares for her once Deirdre arrives and is heartbroken. She decides several times during the story to forget romance and devote herself to dance.
This is a simple book on the surface, with a happy plot. Under the surface we see Rozella Lake (Roberta Leigh/Rachel Lindsay) creating a character who has to decide to risk her heart. She already risks her physical well being by dancing and now it is her emotions. She has to risk giving her sister the chance to stand on her own, to risk being near her former love Christopher, and to risk Daniel rebuffing her.
Overall
If Dreams Came True is a lovely story. Everything Briony dreamt about came true. She has love, a healthy and happy sister and a brilliant career. We all want to imagine having such a happy life – being top of the tree in our career, loving and being loved by our spouse, having our family healthy. It’s pure escapism yes, but Briony’s challenges are real and take the story from a lovely, sweet froth to a true romance.
5 Stars
I got my paperback copy from Thriftbooks and have seen copies on eBay and you can likely get it from other used book sellers. It is not available online in E format.