Lady in the Mist

By Laurie Alice Eakes

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As tensions mount between England and  the United States in 1809, a coastal Virginia town midwife, Tabitha Eckles, not only becomes embroiled in the personal secrets of the women she cares for, but she learns about recent impressments of men into the British navy.

Tabitha’s Christian faith has been tested since her fiancé’s abandonment and the deaths of her mother and grandmother.  She has stopped attending church, and has resigned herself to a single life, even after her intended returns and resumes his courtship.  Along comes charming and handsome (and Scarlet Pimpernel-like) Dominick Cherrett, a British aristocrat whose mysterious past has now made him an indentured servant.  Kidnappings, death threats, public disgrace and secret meetings keep the two busier than their stations in life, but by the end they have sorted out good from evil-doers and have their Christian commitment restored.

Well researched and full of incident, Lady in the Mist felt curiously bloodless.  Characters who whine about simple tasks like picking strawberries or cutting meat do not endear.  Chapters that end before the scene’s building conflict, only to be talked about later, may be partly to blame too, especially once the technique becomes predictable.