In Regency-era Bath, twenty-eight-year-old Abigail Wendover seeks to protect her niece, Fanny, from an unsuitable marriage to a fortune-hunter named Stacy Calverleigh. Her intervention brings her into contact with Stacy’s uncle, Miles Calverleigh, a man who has returned to England after making a fortune in India. Miles is an outcast with a cynical temperament and little regard for the rigid social protocols of the ton. Unlike the polite society Abigail knows, Miles speaks with blunt honesty and refuses to act the part of a conventional gentleman. As they navigate the family crisis, Abigail finds her own predictable life challenged by Miles’s irreverent wit and their shared intellectual rapport.
This novel is written for readers who appreciate Regency historical fiction grounded in sharp dialogue and social observation. It appeals to those who enjoy the trope of a mature protagonist finding unexpected companionship. Readers walk away with a clear understanding of the tension between individual autonomy and family reputation in the early nineteenth century. The story provides a detailed look at the manners of Bath society through a plot driven by character chemistry rather than external melodrama.
Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1966
- Language
- EN
