Review: An absolute delight!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 16, 2013
What a delightfully entertaining read!Miss Penelope Winifred Rose Spebbington Fairweather, whose mother had died in childbirth, was travelling to her mother's dearest friend's residence to be prepared for the London season, so she could find a husband. Blackthorne Mansion was the home of the elderly Sir Henry Woodville, his daughter the dowager and her daughter Lady Anne Radclyff and son Charles, the Duke of Blackthorne.Penelope was from a little village called Finnshire, where she lived with her father, step-mother and five sisters, along with all manner of animals. Penelope's favourite and most beloved of the animals was Lady Bathsheba, a goat. And so, of course, Lady Bathsheba travelled with her to Blackthorne Mansion, along with Mary, her maidservant.After her disastrous arrival, her meeting of the Duke, followed by the dinner where she met Sir Henry, she couldn't see how she could possibly stay. In the short space of a few hours, she had made a fool of herself, had made the Duke extremely angry, and injured herself quite significantly. The Duke demanded she leave....but the dowager was determined to help Penelope, she had promised her mother, and she would keep her promise. So they hired Madame to coach and train Penelope in all things necessary for the season in London....As the days went by, Penelope's nerves kept getting the better of her, and the problems she encountered were catastrophic! But Madame persisted, until they were working day and night. The adventures and misadventures which seemed to follow Penelope wherever she went just kept on occurring, with her wondering if she could ever do the right thing, and also if she would ever meet a husband!I thoroughly enjoyed this light and entertaining foray into the vagaries of London society and the difficulty young women encountered when trying to marry. Rarely did they marry for love...money and convenience was first and foremost for the majority of families with eligible daughters. Anya Wylde is a very entertaining author and I would have no hesitation in recommending her work.Thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.