The Lily of Ludgate Hill (Belles of London)
When Anne Deveril lost her father six years ago, she also ended her engagement to Felix Hartford, childhood friend and lifelong love. Society, and Hart, think Anne has lost her luster in the shadow of her bereaved mother. Anne thinks Hart is a charming rogue with no sense of duty or responsibility.
No one, including Anne, knows that Hart has, for the past seven years, been running a successful crucible manufactory and supporting his father’s old mistress and her family. As his half-brother racks up debts, Hart fears that his father’s secret will ruin his uncle’s political career and break his grandfather, the Earl of March’s heart. Society, and Anne, have severely underestimated his steadiness, loyalty, and discipline, but Hart has always loved Anne and, when she asks him to escort her to visit a friend she fears is in distress, he sees his opportunity to woo and win her back.
Matthews’ historicals feel wonderfully true to the Victorian period in their language and sensibility. Her characters are lively and their conflicts convincing, even in the case of Anne’s stubborn mother; there is no real villain here beyond the usual human self-interest.
The first half is quiet in terms of dramatic tension, and when Anne told Hart to go away, I was tempted to put the book down and do the same; I didn’t see a path for these two. But Hart responds to this dismissal with a dedicated campaign, and Anne comes around eventually, fleeing to his side when thugs attack and she discovers his deep integrity. Though Lily lives up to the quality of Matthews’ other well-written, charming historicals, the real sparks fly when Stella, the fourth horsewoman, meets her match, and I am eagerly awaiting her book.
