Through the Postern Gate: A Romance in Seven Days

In Short

Set in Edwardian England, this warm-hearted romance follows Guy Chelsea—nicknamed "the Boy"—as he lays siege to the heart of thirty-year-old Christobel Charteris over the course of a single week. Confident, aristocratic, and fiercely romantic, Guy uses the biblical siege of Jericho as his model, declaring that her defenses will fall on the seventh day. Standing between them is Christobel's self-imposed sense of duty toward a dreary, diffident professor who has silently hovered in her life for twelve years. The novel has endured for its sunlit charm, rich domestic atmosphere, and earnest idealization of romantic devotion.

The Story

The story opens in a serene garden in Cambridge, where Christobel Charteris presides over tea beneath an old mulberry tree. For two weeks, her young friend Guy Chelsea has frequented the garden under the pretense of courting her niece, Mollie. Once Mollie departs, however, Guy boldly reveals his true purpose: he has always been in love with Christobel. Though she is ten years his senior and inclined to view him as a charming youth, Guy refuses to accept her reservations regarding their age difference. He announces a romantic campaign modeled on the fall of Jericho. He promises to "march round" her heart for seven days, confident that on the seventh day the citadel will yield and she will accept his love.

Guy enters the estate freely through a private green postern gate in the garden wall, bypassing the rigid formal etiquette of the front door. Over the next several days, he fills the quiet grounds with his exuberant personality, talking of his daring aviation exploits, his family estate, and his vision of their shared future. Christobel finds herself deeply moved by his passion and vitality, yet her conscience creates a formidable barrier. For twelve years, her late father's associate, the dry and scholarly Professor Kenrick, has paid routine semi-weekly visits. Though the Professor has never declared his feelings, his delicate sister, Miss Ann Harvey, manipulates Christobel’s sense of pity by assuring her that the Professor silently adores her and relies on her companionship. Believing that self-sacrifice is her moral duty, Christobel resolves to reject Guy and accept the Professor when he inevitably proposes.

Heartbroken by her decision, Guy departs, leaving Christobel to face the grim reality of her self-imposed destiny. Pressure from Miss Ann mounts, culminating in a rushed, joyless wedding ceremony. As Christobel travels on a train with her new husband, the Professor hands her a newspaper containing a dramatic report: Guy has attempted a perilous cross-Channel flight in his aeroplane. The narrative shifts into a feverish sequence as Christobel watches the machine crash into the sea. She rushes down the cliffs, pulls Guy's broken body from the water, and slips from a stone breakwater into the sea while cradling him in her arms.

At this dramatic peak, Christobel suddenly awakens in her own bed at home. The harrowing marriage and tragic accident were entirely a stress-induced nightmare; it is only Wednesday, the seventh day of Guy's campaign. A letter arrives from the Professor announcing that he has received a lucrative academic appointment and explicitly stating that he wishes to remain unburdened by family ties. Liberated from her false obligation, Christobel joyfully writes back to decline any romantic match with him, announcing her intent to marry a man she has known and loved for years. Guy arrives at the postern gate, his seven days complete, and Christobel surrenders to the triumphant love that awaits her.

How It Unfolds

The siege begins Guy Chelsea drops the pretense of courting Christobel's niece and declares his long-standing love for Christobel herself beneath the mulberry tree. He outlines his seven-day campaign to win her heart, comparing her resistance to the walled city of Jericho.

The Boy invades the domestic sphere Bypassing formal entryways, Guy slips through the garden's postern gate, charming the stern housekeeper Martha and bringing vibrant energy into the quiet household. He shares stories of his flights as an aviator while mapping out grand plans for their future together.

Duty casts a shadow Miss Ann Harvey works behind the scenes to convince Christobel that the long-attentive Professor Kenrick quietly depends on her affection. Caught between her deep desire for Guy and a lingering sense of moral obligation toward the diffident Professor, Christobel feels forced to choose martyrdom over happiness.

The phantom tragedy Believing she must let Guy go, Christobel endures a dreary, loveless wedding to the Professor, followed by the agonizing news of Guy's aviation accident over the English Channel. She tries to rescue him from the waves, only to fall unconscious into the water.

The stone is rolled away Christobel awakens to discover the entire ordeal was a dream and that the seventh day has just dawned. A letter from the Professor releases her from any obligation, allowing her to head down to the garden gate to welcome Guy into the citadel of her heart.

The People

• Christobel Charteris: A noble, capable, and deeply caring woman of thirty who lives a quiet life in Cambridge. Desiring to do what is morally right, she nearly sacrifices her own romantic happiness out of pity for a man who has never formally asked for her hand. Ultimately, she learns to embrace the vibrant love offered to her.
• Guy Chelsea ("The Boy"): A wealthy, twenty-year-old aviator endowed with immense vitality, charm, and directness. He refuses to allow traditional conventions, age differences, or financial pride to stand between him and the woman he loves, pursuing Christobel with unwavering enthusiasm.
• Professor Kenrick: A dry, scholarly academic who has called on Christobel's family twice a week for twelve years. Punctual, detached, and entirely lacking in passion, he represents routine and intellectual duty rather than romantic love.
• Miss Ann Harvey: The Professor's delicate, invalid sister who orchestrates her brother's social life from a sofa. Through subtle guilt and delicate tears, she presses Christobel toward marriage with the Professor.
• Martha: The grim, fiercely loyal old housekeeper whose hard exterior melts in the presence of Guy's buoyant personality. She serves as a sharp-eyed observer of the unfolding romance.

In Its Own Voice

"He was to start at two o'clock. At that very moment he must be in mid-air."

Christobel discovers the halfpenny newspaper on the train, reading the dramatic report of Guy's cross-Channel flight while sitting beside her new husband.

"'Martha,' he said; 'I want you to let me carry out the tea-tray this afternoon. She doesn't know I am here. She will think it is you or Jenkins, till she looks round.'"

Guy cajoles the household staff in order to surprise Christobel under the mulberry tree, demonstrating his eagerness to enter her world through everyday domestic moments.

"The masterful man attracts; but, in the end, it is usually the diffident man who wins. The innate unselfishness of the noblest type of woman, causes her to yield more readily to the insistence of her pity than to the force of her desire."

The narrative reflects on the psychological trap that leads generous women to mistake dutiful self-sacrifice for true romantic calling.

What It's Really About

The novel explores the conflict between misguided self-sacrifice and authentic romantic love. It questions the Edwardian ideal of female martyrdom, suggesting that choosing a life partner out of pity or social obligation harms both parties involved. Barclay contrasts two visions of masculinity: the passive, overly cautious academic who waits twelve years without taking action, and the vital, earnest young man who pursues his purpose with bold confidence. Through the central motif of the seven-day siege, the story argues that true love requires active faith, enthusiasm, and the courage to disregard arbitrary social barriers like age or false pride.

Why Read It Today

This novel offers an inviting window into the cozy domesticity and gentle leisure of pre-WW1 Edwardian England. Readers who enjoy classic domestic romances will appreciate the sunlit garden settings, afternoon tea rituals, and earnest emotional clarity that define Barclay's narrative style. The prose moves with an unpretentious warmth, balancing quiet humor with high romantic sentiment.

While modern readers may find the melodrama heightened—particularly during the dramatic dream sequence—and the romantic idealization of "the Boy" somewhat quaint, the book's fundamental core remains engaging. Its strength lies in its cozy, confined setting and its direct examination of how duty can easily be confused with affection. It is a swift, reassuring read that captures a lost world of quiet English gardens, early aviation excitement, and unapologetic romantic devotion.