Set in stifling Victorian days, this boundary-breaking tale
of two classes proves an enjoyable read. A village girl
who became a lady's maid has taken her leave to marry, but
at the last minute she bows out and returns to London to
fulfil her life's wish of designing dresses for wealthy
ladies. In order to set herself up in a shop she will need
a loan, and that's where the real trouble starts.
In MISS MOLLY ROBBINS DESIGNS A SEDUCTION her employer's
older brother, Carver Danforthe, is an Earl and given to
dissipation. He's still drunk when he signs a contract to
loan Molly money. The girl has made good use of her time,
learnt to read and sew, and doesn't wish to end in an early
grave like her mother who bore eleven children. Somehow
Carver would rather the mousy chit stay around town,
though he doesn't entirely approve of servants learning to
read and getting above their station.
Once he gets out to the shabbier streets, Carver takes note
of urchins, including a promising stable-boy, and he
decides that if Molly is to make a return on his
investment, she needs customers. A dressmaker cannot
approach
a lady directly, but both Carver and his sister put
recommendations Molly's way. Needing to dress more
stylishly, Molly starts to blossom. Carver experiences more
attraction to the creative, determined girl than he would
have allowed himself to feel toward one of his own servants.
There's a stop to his gallop however - written there in the
contract. No Tomfoolery!
I think it's high time that a romance showed a class
barrier being crossed for reasons other than impoverished
estates and wealthy mill-owning families. Author Jayne
Fresina has delved into the fashions of the day, the gigot
sleeves and broad collars as well as the stays and
tippets. She depicts Carver as a quiet reformer, sending
London guttersnipes to be taught a trade on his country
estate. There is more than a touch of Shaw's 'Pygmalion'
in Carver's protestation that Molly is an ingrate of the
lower classes; like Henry Higgins, he is all bluster.
Molly can't admit to being jealous of his lordship's loose
women but cherishes her independence. She's a charming
heroine and I also liked the variety of secondary
characters, the easy banter and entertaining frolics.
MISS MOLLY ROBBINS DESIGNS A SEDUCTION is both an adult
romance and a comedy of
manners, a fine read indeed.
Molly Robbins is finally stepping
into the spotlight. Her unique dress designs have caught the
eye of London's elite. And if it means her own dress shop,
proper Molly will make a deal with the devil himself—the
notoriously naughty Earl of Everscham. But becoming his
mistress is not a part of their arrangement. It's right
there in the contract's fine print: No Tomfoolery.
He's an Expert at Taking Them Off
Carver Danforthe has a reputation for beautiful
mistresses, cutting remarks, and shirking his
responsibilities—not for indulging the ambitions of his
sister's maid. He must have been drunk when he signed that
blasted contract. The stubborn female may thing she's gotten
the best of him, but what this situation calls for is a
little hands-on negotiating...
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy