Rose whom we met in the first book about Somerton was
a
busy housemaid and has now been revealed as a by-blow of
Lord Westlake and his housekeeper. Taken into the family,
she is adapting to her altered circumstances but is the
focus of sly remarks about keeping too many servants
around, in this class-conscious time. DIAMONDS AND DECEIT
seem to be standard fare in upper crust society, while
servants won't converse with her any more, so is she really
better off?
Miss Charlotte Westlake by contrast had expected to marry
well, but now in London the young man she'd set her cap at,
Laurence, announces he is to wed someone else, quiet Lady
Ava. This is Charlotte's third season and she must find a
husband soon. She also knows Ada's secrets.... Back at
Somerton the servants gossip to entertain themselves, but
automobiles, factories and telephones are intruding upon
everyone's way of life and the young people of the
household, wealthy and staff, are conscious that the world
is changing. Priya, the Indian nanny, has seen more change
than most. Annie, a housemaid at Somerton, leaves her post
to come up to London to work for her friend Rose. But Rose
can't take her on now, she feels it would be wrong. The
scheming Charlotte hears the story and promptly engages
simple Annie herself, hoping to undercut Rose that way.
I felt quite a lot of sympathy for some of the characters,
such as Rose, thrust into a world where she is politely
received but widely scorned, and Countess Westlake, forced
to accompany her husband's love-child to balls. There is
occasional mention of the Kaiser, of anarchists and the
Irish question, but everyone is far more preoccupied with
their own daily lives and hoped-for futures. In London the
ladies stroll in the Royal Academy's art exhibitions and
shop at 'the relentless modernity of Selfridge's.' Plenty
of detail brings this world to life, a world on the cusp of
change.
I preferred the original story Cinders and Sapphires in
which Lord Westlake and his family arrived back in England
from India, because the contrasts were immediate and
humorous, but now everyone has settled in to English life
and there is rather less amusement. Leila Rasheed however
tells a good story and leaves this one at a point of
national crisis, to whet our appetites for more.
A house divided... London is a whirl of balls and teas,
alliances and rivalries. Rose has never felt more out of
place. With the Season in full swing, she can't help but
still feel a servant dressed up in diamonds and silk. Then
Rose meets Alexander Ross, a young Scottish duke. Rose has
heard the rumors about Ross's sordid past just like everyone
else has. Yet he alone treats her as a friend. Rose knows
better than to give her heart to an aristocrat with such a
reputation, but it may be too late. Ada should be happy. She
is engaged to a handsome man who shares her political
passions and has promised to support her education. So why
does she feel hollow inside? Even if she hated Lord Fintan,
she would have no choice but to go through with the
marriage. Every day a new credit collector knocks on the
door of their London flat, demanding payment for her cousin
William's expenditures. Her father's heir seems determined
to bring her family to ruin, and only a brilliant marriage
can save Somerton Court and the Averleys' reputation.
Meanwhile, at Somerton, Sebastian is out of his mind with
worry for his former valet Oliver, who refuses to plead
innocent to the murder charges against him--for a death
caused by Sebastian himself. Sebastian will do whatever he
can to help the boy he loves, but his indiscretion is
dangerous fodder for a reporter with sharp eyes and
dishonorable intentions. The colorful cast of the At
Somerton series returns in this enthralling sequel about
class and fortune, trust and betrayal, love and revenge.
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