Feedback on this pairing for a historical romance, anyone?

[anaa1]

Ok, I write historical romance, for fun really but starting to think about one day submitting to agents. I would love some feedback on this pairing idea. It's a Victorian romance. Main pairing agree to marry for very good, strong, practical reasons, but not love/attraction at all at the start. He's 33, she's 21, so a bit of an age gap. They have not seen each other for three years when the book starts, but the reason they knew each other before was that he was a teacher at her posh school.
So my questions are:

1. Is the age gap off-putting? Bearing in mind the victorian setting.
2. Is the ex-teacher thing off putting? They meet as adults, and there's absolutely no suggestion ever that there was an iota of attraction before - I know there's a whole student/teacher subsection of romance books but that is not what this is aiming for at all. Would love some honest feedback on whether those things are squicky! Thanks in advance :-)

Hallo! For me it would depend on the context of how their relationship is to develop. For example, if he's to be a genuine love match and we're to 'like' him and take him seriously as her husband, I couldn't get over the fact he was her teacher and the power dynamic. However, if his character arc is around this and how unsuited they are, I could get on board.

I feel like the age gap alone wouldn't be an issue. It's adding the teacher element that would be off putting.

Hope this makes sense!

I don’t think there were many male teachers in Victorian girls schools. Actually, there weren’t many Victorian girls schools, most girls were ‘educated’ at home ( yes, I know Jane Eyre but that was really unusual).

What's the reason they get married? Ie what's the impetus for the marriage of practicalities/convenience?

Marriage of convenience is a popular trope but there's got to be some driving reason that being a couple works better for one/both than being single.

I’d ditch the teacher thing, it will put people off, definitely agents.

Dancing master maybe? Or a teacher at a local school where she used to volunteer to help children to read? He can be a teacher but not her teacher.

Age gap less important but I’d suggest max ten years.

So she is 21 now and they met three years ago when she was 18/19, is that right? Was that when she was at school? Or sometime after she had left the school?
Can you pin down the year a bit closer, as Victorian is quite a long period?

I think the age gap is pretty standard fare for historical romances. The teacher/pupil thing feels rather icky though.

I agree with the previous poster who pointed out that there weren't very many Victorian girls schools. Upper and middle class girls were educated at home.

Could your hero be her tutor? In George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, there's a musically gifted young woman (early twenties, I think) who is tutored by a virtuoso musician. He's a kindred spirit but beneath her in wealth and station, romance ensues.... Maybe something like that would be a bit less sleazy than the schoolgirl thing?

Could he have been her brother's tutor?

I'm not fussed about the school. Again, rare or not, a popular setting for daughters of gentry / lower rung aristos to find a place in the world in romantic fiction.

Small schools run by spinsters (invariably in Bath). Quite possibly a male drawing or dancing master.

Being honest, yes and yes. When you’re 21, a five year age gap is huge in terms of life experience, means etc. Being her teacher would mean I couldn’t enjoy the plot, especially a romance

Thank you all so much! Brilliant feedback, very helpful. I think I was definitely more worried about the ex teacher thing than the age gap and that seems that's the thing for you too. Hmm. I will re-think on that. I do want him to be a teacher but will work on making it more separate from her. I'm happy with the reason they marry - both have cast iron reasons which work ok, it was just this background. Can't thank you all enough, your feedback is sooooo helpful :-)

On board with other comments. Age gap in a historical romance is no problem (see G. Heyer etc). Teacher in a school is, unless he is a dancing master or a drawing teacher. Also allowable is a music tutor at home (like Fanny Burney's father) though girl would be chaperoned by her mother or a servant (there's a children's book by Trease - Thunder of Valmy - with similar theme though the man is a painter, painting the girl's portrait for her marriage). No resident male teachers in girls' schools and upper class girls were educated at home (governess, masters for various subjects coming in), middle class girls might go to school (see Railway Children - E. Nesbit was a middle-class Victorian and presumably wrote of what she knew). I'd get rid of the resident teacher bit. Brother's tutor is ok (Little Women has Meg marry Laurie's tutor btw) though. He needs to be roughly same social station by birth, but fallen on hard times, family poor etc if it's a romance (it it is to be gritty realism that does not matter).

Thank you, so helpful. My female main character is middle class and it's very late Victorian (1899) so I think having her go to school is within the bounds of normal? eg Cheltenham Ladies College founded in the 1850's. I'm going to make him a visiting music tutor I think, who had no dealings with the fmc. I hope that works. Perhaps he was paid to come in to tutor some of the more able girls? Or perhaps a choirmaster? So a familiar-ish figure to her but not someone she has ever been in a classroom with nor who ever had any kind of power dynamic with her?

North London Collegiate if it's set in London (this is where - I infer from what Nesbit writes - the Railway Children go, as father is a high ranking civil servant) is also a good choice. Cheltenham upper middle class, I think. Sounds a good story. Please get it published!

Sorry, got derailed. Yes, choirmaster possible in village setting, perhaps? Staying out of classrooms is good.

I don't think the ex teacher thing is a good idea. I never approve of these relationships. Brother's teacher wluld be ok.,

OP I think you're on the right lines with your later ideas. Sounds an intriguing story I'd be interested to read.

Oh thank you for the North London Collegiate idea - hadn't thought of that. Clearly need to look into Nesbit for a bit of research! Thanks so much for the help, and the encouragement, it really is much appreicated and I've re-written a chunk already based on this. :-)

Thanks - it's been so helpful to get a clearer view on this!

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I'd certainly let you know if it ever gets anywhere! I'm just enjoying the process right now.