Category: Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks
ISBN-13: 9781402213496
Pub. Date: August 2008 (reprint)
Date Read: December 2008
"Depend upon it, Lord Worth has forgotten our very existence, because you know all the arrangements about the money we should have were made by the lawyers, and whenever there is any question to be settled it is they who write about it. So if he does not like us to come to London it is quite his fault for not having made the least attempt to come to us, or to tell us what we must do. I think him a very poor guardian."
Miss Judith Taverner and her brother Peregrine decide to travel to London after the death of their father. They plan to meet their guardian for the first time but will be quite surprised to learn that Lord Worth is not some doddering old man but only a bit older than them and not as easily dealt with.
As they try to settle into their new life in London the pair will realize that being well-to-do heirs carries a certain responsibility. For Peregrine this means that every time he gets into a scrape at gaming or being called to a duel, his guardian will step in and remind him of just how he must behave as he's still not fully in charge of his finances.
In Judith's case, she'll be sought out by men hoping to marry an heiress but she's a bit more interested in learning the ways of society. She'll constantly be at odds with her guardian, thinking him a most autocratic man.
With scenes steeped in period detail, the story is engaging and filled with witty dialogue. There is also a bit of a mystery to resolve at the end as Peregrine's life seems to be in danger on several occasions.
Of course there is a love story as well but I found this a bit hard to accept because it seemed that most of the story was spent on just how domineering and vexing Lord Worth could be towards Judith. I did like how Judith struggles with her feelings towards Lord Worth and I just wish there had been a bit more of that from him as well.
What I particularly liked though was reading about Judith and Peregrine. Whether they were talking about watching a boxing match, trying out snuff or driving in a curricle, it was exciting to see what the two would get up to next and how they would try their guardian's patience.