A Lady To Treasure
All the familiar tropes of a Regency romance are here, except that the young couple whose love story is beset by misunderstandings and misfortune are Miss Louisa Silverton and the Honourable Miss Sarah Davenport.
In the summer of 1812, Louisa, an American businessman’s daughter, travels to England at her father’s behest to stay with relatives in order to secure a wealthy husband who will bring much-needed investment to the family firm. A wealthy husband would also solve many of Sarah Davenport’s problems. Her beloved family estate is mired in debt, her father is ineffectual, her stepmother extravagant, and her stepbrother an unpleasant young man with a gambling habit.
From Sarah and Louisa’s first meeting – with Sarah, seated in the branches of an apple tree, wearing boots and breeches – there is a spark between the two women. Sarah, who already guesses that she loves women, challenges Louisa’s openly voiced determination to catch a wealthy husband, but Louisa is set on doing what she sees as her duty to her father and is wary of any emotional attachment.
Occasionally, the use of ‘Austenesque’ language and construction feels a little awkward, and it is disconcerting to read that someone’s ‘eyes flew to the ceiling and then to the window’. The use of various ‘handwriting’ style fonts in the letters exchanged by characters may look more authentic but could prove problematic to readers with eyesight problems.
I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Sarah, whose has a touch of the historical Anne Lister (aka Gentleman Jack) about her, but whose pride and plain speaking are almost her undoing. Among the supporting cast, the galumphing young sportsman, Henry Mulcaster, made me smile. There is, overall, much to enjoy in the travails of Louisa and Sarah as they journey towards their happy ending.
