The third in the Pevensey series, and another corker. The author is exceptionally skilled at drawing characters with deep family secrets, and at classic murder mysteries; this book (indeed, the whole series) is a stunning combination of both.
Here’s the premise: the Aldine family has gathered in London at Christmas for an unexpected celebration – the heir to the viscountcy, Will, just twenty-one, is betrothed to the lovely and besotted sister of the Duke of Tilbury, Lady Helena Angiers. Will’s older sister, Maud, is as surprised as anyone that flighty Will is prepared to settle down at such an early age, and Helena’s brother, the duke, is clearly not pleased about it. But Maud has her own problems. She’s a widow, only recently escaped from the depths of Devon, but past events threaten her future, and finding an unwelcome attraction springing up between herself and the duke only complicates matters. And then there’s a sudden death and things get *really* complicated.
The whole book plays out over the twelve days of Christmas, and the return of the eccentric Bow Street Runner, Jacob Pevensey, livens up the second half. Pevensey comes more to life with each book, and now that he’s apparently joined forces with the Cecil brother and sister, one can only hope for a long series to watch further developments.
This book is somewhat unusual in featuring a heroine several years older than the hero. It’s loosely based on real events in the middle ages, and frankly it seems to work pretty well. Maud’s reservations about Geoffrey’s youth are perfectly understandable, but given that he had inherited his title at an early age and was used to being in charge, his maturity was plausible. Although perhaps his propensity for duels might argue against it!
The murder was wrapped up rather neatly, the romance likewise and my only grumble was that the unworthy cousin got to inherit in the end. I was so badly hoping that there had been a secret wedding and a potential heir to cut him out of the inheritance! But the author stuck closely to the historical precedents and I can’t fault her for that. There are a smattering of Americanisms (bussing, passed, gotten and the like) but nothing that particularly bothered me. On the whole, the author’s portrayal of the Regency is very convincing, and I look forward to the fourth book in the series with great anticipation. Five stars.
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