In 1902, Lady Mariah Lyons was delightedly preparing for Christmas at her home, the Earl of Castleton’s Plumford Manor in the Peak District. As she is a stepdaughter, she won’t legally be able to inherit the house. CHRISTMAS AT SUGAR PLUM MANOR will decide who does inherit and who will win her favour.

Young Cyril Lightbourne, a distant cousin of the Earl, used to spend summers here as a lad. Now he’s a man about town – though he was absent during Mariah’s London Season. He’s the nearest male relative who can be found, so the kindly Earl has made arrangements for Cyril to spend Christmas week with the family, which includes Mariah’s older, widowed, sister, Louise. Rumour has it Cyril’s romantically attached to Lady Pearl Kingeland, who won’t be attending.

A Danish lord enlivens this historical romance. Lord Gyldenkrone is keen to obey the Prince of Denmark and find an English-titled bride, to link the ruling families. Mariah seems perfectly suited to his quest. Gyldenkrone actually reminded me of Prince Charles, under an obligation to wed, needed a suitable young lady and was not too concerned about her feelings. This was just how the nobles generally married in 1902. 

Roseanna M. White has sprinkled some well-written characters, from an elderly toymaker and tutor, Professor Skylark, to the quiet Louise, who knows she’s had her chance in life and, childless, gets a widow’s portion and no more. Women like her often ended up as companions or clergymen’s wives. The village children, who seem healthy and happy, get to perform a play – Mariah’s doing, as she earnestly tries to entertain the guests. To young Mariah, life is still or should be about sugarplums and snow. At least, as Gyldenkrone points out, there is a lot of snow in Denmark.   

I did find the first half of the tale a bit slow, as people tell versions of the same story over and over – a brawl, which was absolutely not gentlemanly behaviour – but the action gets underway in the second half. CHRISTMAS AT SUGAR PLUM MANOR is light and lively, suitable for any age reader over twelve, and it will keep you chuckling and plotting. Based loosely on The Nutcracker, this book would grace a stocking and keep the Christmas spirit alive for the rest of the year.