Lady Gwendolyn Investigates

LADY GWENDOLEN INVESTIGATES
By ANNE ASHLEY
Published by
Mills and Boon.
ISBN 978-0-263-86251 5



This Regency romance has as the central figure, Lady Gwendolen Warender recently widowed. Her late husband, Sir Percival Warender being many years her senior had succumbed to a fever while travelling in India. Now back in England after five years travelling in her husband’s company Gwendolen had forgotten just how cold and windy England could be in March. She was travelling to her husband’s home in the West country with her companion/maid who had been with her all of her life. Miss Martha Gillingham. Gillie, was devoted to Gwendolen thankfully, for she now had no living relatives.

Bumping into a gentleman as she went through the front door of an inn, she apologised but he was quite curt with her and when she said it was entirely her fault he agreed with her. There were no private rooms available, as the inn was extremely busy, so she made her way to the settles as near to the fire as was possible. The settles were back to back and she overheard a conversation in which the gentleman she had bumped into described her as an idiot. Gwendolin was tempted to give him a piece of her mind but she remained on her seat with her back towards him. In the next breath he did remark on her pretty hair but then he wondered if it was natural, which further annoyed her.

Arriving at her husband’s home she is greeted with the news that there was a flue epidemic in the area and that her housekeeper had succumbed to it. The poor woman tried to get up to greet her new mistress but was ordered to stay in bed and Mrs Warender as she preferred to be called, not Lady Warender, sent for the doctor to attend the housekeeper. This kindness to her staff was appreciated and made the staff very easy with her. From them she learnt a lot about her neighbours, especially her nearest, a certain Mr Jocelyn Northbridge of Bridge House, who was at present the employer of Gwenolin’s dearest friend, Miss Jane Robbins. Gwendolin hoped to persuade Jane to give up her post at Bridge House and become her live in friend and companion, it was something that she had been looking forward to since the death of her husband because neither Jane nor herself now had any living relatives and they had been brought up as sisters.

Gwendolin set out with Gillie to visit Mr Northbridge, she had no idea what revelations lay in store for her at her first meeting with this Gentleman. The news that she learned at Bridge House, was to alter her life and was to turn her into an amateur detective and lead her into untold dangers, which Mr Northbridge did not sanction at all. But he was to learn that there was more to Gwendoline Warender than he had ever envisaged.

Would Gwendolin succeed in winning his heart where countless beauties had been unsuccessful and could it all lead to happiness or disaster. An Historic romance, with a difference and well worth reading. I award this book 5 Red Roses,AS