Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, the heroine of this insightful and unusual Victorian romance, is stifled at the Buccleuch family’s home. Her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, have invited a large number of friends to their Scottish home, Drumlanrig Castle. Lady Mary organises the moorlands shooting party, after she’s come to the attention of Colonel Walter Trefusis. He finds her A MOST INTRIGUING LADY.

The two main characters are based on real historical people, about whom not much is known. As Mary did not marry during her first Season, like many titled young ladies, she demonstrates the life of a single woman. Basically; boring. She has only pin money, must attend her mother on travels, and is accompanied by a chaperone until she turns twenty-five, after which she is hardly considered marriageable anyway. To put her great talents to use, and exercise her mind, Mary turns into a subtle detective. Colonel Trefusis, whom she calls Tre, is suffering from the shock of the Crimean War, and not considered to be a good match. He works at Whitehall and is establishing the Intelligence Service. While he swiftly falls for Mary, they can’t marry.

From an early adventure seeking a stolen brooch, and moving on to a firm’s missing money and intelligence documents purloined by a gang of thieves, the chapters are set a few years apart. Our characters meet, feel attracted, and gracefully withdraw, until the time should be right. The movements are like a stately dance, the elegant surroundings counterbalanced by frequent chats with the working staff and a Nellie Bly-like escapade. The details are excellent, such as the outlay upon a picnic for the shooting party, and Mary’s tweed skirt having a strip of leather along the hem to protect it from brambles. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is undoubtedly writing from experience, and her co-writer Marguerite Kaye is famous for the in-depth research of her many historical romances.

This is a writing partnership to be reckoned with, and I love the strong characters and the sense of women’s fiction they have produced. Other historical figures are drawn upon, from the Wingfield and Wellesley families particularly, and a note at the back explains what is known and what is created to fill the gaps. A previous book, HER HEART FOR A COMPASS, began this Buccleuch Family series. A reader can jump straight into A MOST INTRIGUING LADY and pick up the story. Look forward to a sumptuous and exciting tale with characters who grow and learn.