A Courtesan’s Worth
Carefully researched, amusing and written in a direct punchy style, this is an entertaining, rapid read. Set in 1812, the story focuses on Kitty Preece, one of a family of courtesan sisters who live together in a Mayfair mansion, their many children conveniently kept out of the way in the attic. Kitty has been untroubled by pregnancies despite many years in the business, making her particularly popular with the wealthy clients who provide luxurious homes in return for personal services. However, as the story opens she is facing adoption by a particularly unattractive man, the ugly Duke of Gillingham, whose financial muscle deters any other candidate for her affections, and even incites her oldest sister to assist his evil purposes.
She has one friend, a curate, Sidney Wakefield, who attempts to provide her with an alternative keeper of equivalent financial standing, but this stratagem is doomed to failure, not least because of the growing physical and romantic attraction between clergyman and prostitute. This proverbially comic situation is handled very deftly. We empathise with the lack of choice then facing women. There is genuine suspense as the plot proceeds, with believable dialogue and vivid descriptions of fights, chases, and the eventual sex between the unlikely lovers. Wakefield’s respectable reputation is of course destroyed, but he hopes to manage without his family’s goodwill, and to find a new source of income.
I felt the historical background was very solid, with one exception – in 1812 a bath with running hot water would surely have been unknown. Still, this remains an escapist read with propulsive action, humour and eroticism balancing each other to ensure the reader’s avid attention.
