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!