The Unassuming Curator
1790. This Georgian romance pairs Henry Buckland, a naturalist at the British Museum, with Emily Norton, sister of Lord Dunsbourne, who would rather commune with nature than make her impeding London debut among hordes of people. They meet as Henry digs up a plant specimen from a hedgerow and renews their acquaintance at a dinner party in town. Henry is handicapped by being colorblind, when a curator must be able to describe colors. And jealous colleagues believe Henry is being favored by their superiors. Emily directs Henry to a scientist studying colorblindness and gives advice on how he might handle one colleague. As their romance progresses, Emily has a chance to help when Henry is assaulted by another curator determined to prevent Henry being promoted.
I question a few word choices: using “gentile” instead of “genteel” and giving a London townhouse a patio, but those are minor quibbles. I enjoyed the engaging characters and humorous elements, such as Emily repelling an unwanted suitor by dirtying her hands in a plant pot and speaking of worms in the drawing room. I liked that Emily has an active role as problem-solver, rather than the hero rescuing her from trouble. Recommended.
