With horror, Lord James Ellerby watches his younger brother, Walter,
careen his curricle into an on coming coach. Walter and his friend
Henry are unhurt, but the coach has nearly overturned and one of the
passengers, a young woman, has bee thrown out. The other occupants of
the coach and the coachman are unhurt. James assumes the coach is the
regular coach from London. While the coachmen are righting the coach,
James, over their protests, has the young woman carried to his home,
nearby Hardwick Manor.
When she regains
consciousness, the young woman can’t remember who she is. The
amnesia is persistent. Although she calls herself Beth, she has no
idea if that is her real name. The Ellerby family decide to take
care of her until her memory returns, or her family arrives to claim
her.
With the young woman
ensconced in Hardwick Manor, strange things begin to happen: an
attempted break-in, the death of a young servant girl, and mysterious
visitors in the village. It all appears to be related to the young
woman for whom James feels increasingly protective.
If you enjoy Regency
novels, you will enjoy the accurate background in the novel. I also
liked the characters particularly Walter because he was so much the
teenage boy trying to be older and more sophisticated than he is and
failing clumsily in his attempts to help. James and Beth are quite
typical lovers. James is gallant and Beth, plucky.
The plot is rather
slow. There’s lots of mystery, but mostly people sit around talking
about what the strange incidents mean. The action doesn’t heat up
until very near the end. Even though it’s slow, it’s an enjoyable
read if you’re a Regency enthusiast.
I received this book
from Net Galley for this review.
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