The lovely Miss Frédérique Murcherson, Freddie, is also
known as Fred Merchant, a pudgy little chap who works as a
tinker-makesmith. Freddie is brave, resourceful, and very
smart; she is also the daughter of Rutherford Murcheson,
manufacturer of clockwork devices as well as spymaster to
Her Majesty.
Mr Murcheson has noticed Frédérique's frequent absences,
and has decided yet again, to have her followed by one of
his spies. This time, the poor soul is a certain Barnabas
Smith-Grenville, who is to play the part of a suitor and
follow Freddie around, pretending to be madly infatuated.
Barnabas is unremarkable, somewhat dull, a bit of a fop if
he could dress a trifle better; he ought to be a perfect
spy. The problem is, Barnabas is also rather clueless,
hapless, and not that brave; he is so obviously unsuited to
the job that Freddie is on to him in a matter of minutes.
Barnabas is aghast at being discovered and terrified he
will hang for treason. Freddie decides that since she needs
someone to accompany her, and she is stuck with Barnabas,
he might as well be the one to accompany her when she roams
London as Fred Merchant instead of her father's footman.
Barnabas confesses to Frédérique that his brother Phineas
is said to have been involved with opium smugglers and that
he was supposedly in the American Dominions, but rumour has
it, he was recently spotted in London. Smith-Grenville
feels he might use the opportunity to find his brother
while keeping an eye on Freddie.
Freddie overhears that fishermen are disappearing, the
number of fish is dwindling, people are talking of a giant
monster with tentacles and mysterious submersibles; she
decides to look into the matter. That's when things get
very complicated; very mysterious and unsettling things are
happening on the waterfront. And Freddie and Barnabas
discover they have much more in common than they initially
thought ...
GILDED LILY is the third instalment in Delphine Dryden's
brilliant Steam and Seduction series and can
definitely be
read as a stand-alone. It's entertaining, romantic,
captivating, and very beautifully written. The story moves
along seamlessly, there are no plot holes, and Ms. Dryden
possesses an astounding command of the English language:
every sentence is flawless, and the dialogues are clever
and witty. It's the Victorian era come alive with steampunk
elements, and still everything remains totally believable.
The villains are not over the top, and Freddie and Barnabas
are truly the most appealing, charming, delightful couple I
have read in a long time, if not ever. Their chemistry is
organic, palpable; it's oh so romantic, you cannot help but
smile. GILDED LILY is an enchanting book!
Frederique Murcheson’s introduction into society hasn’t gone
smoothly—some would even call it a disaster. Only Freddie
considers her debut a success. Her scheme to become a
makesmith has gone off flawlessly. The only thing that could
upset her plans now would be if someone discovered that
brilliant tinker Fred Merchant is, in fact, a lady in
disguise.
Wooing a spoiled heiress is not exactly Barnabas
Smith-Grenville’s idea of high espionage. However,
considering his brother disappeared on the job, supposedly
into the most iniquitous of opium dens, he cannot expect
much better. At least the assignment will afford him time to
search for his brother, whom he suspects is in spy-related
trouble rather than a drug-addled haze.
But when Freddie proves to be both irresistible and the key
to the answers he seeks, Barnabas finds himself not only
entwined in a scandalous mystery involving lethal
submersibles and deranged dirigibles, but also in a
dangerous game of the heart…
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