Twisted Games

The Royal Marriages Law is a centuries-old Eldorran law that forbids people in the royal family from marrying someone who is not of noble birth. It was created at a time in which marriage was entirely political, and most people of Eldorra think that it means a monarch must marry before they take the throne, although this is not the case. The Royal Marriages Law permeates many personal and political issues in Twisted Games and is a symbol of the restrictions faced by royal characters like Bridget. Although she isn’t thinking about marriage at the beginning of the novel, Bridget has a vision for how her marriage will likely proceed. She says, “Maybe I would fall in love with a prince who’d sweep me off my feet, but I doubted it. Most likely, I’d end up in a boring, socially acceptable marriage with a boring, socially acceptable man” (17). In the beginning, the only realistic possibility for Bridget is a loveless marriage for political convenience.

The Royal Marriages Law restricts Bridget’s love life in the same ways that her status as a royal and a public figure restricts other aspects of her private life. However, whereas other restrictions are often only implied, the law has specifically decreed who Bridget can and cannot marry.