Appointment in Bath
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- ¥750
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- ¥750
発行者による作品情報
A chance meeting between the sheltered daughter and the forward-thinking son of rival Victorian families sparks a forbidden romance in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews's fourth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.
Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She's more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There's only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father's sworn enemy.
Ivo Beresford doesn't believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he's looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Miss Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents' oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.
Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest—at least where innocent young ladies are concerned—Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret acquaintance. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn't as though there's any danger of the two of them falling in love…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The sweet and simple fourth Victorian romance in Matthews's Somerset Stories series (after Return to Satterthwaite Court) finds shy young Meg Burton-Smythe falling for the handsome son of a rival family. Ivo Beresford returns to England from a grand tour of the continent eager to introduce railways to Somersetshire. After meeting Meg while riding, he is immediately enchanted, despite their parents' lifelong hostilities. Meg, who stutters, is afraid both that Ivo merely pities her and that her father will be angry if he discovers their friendship. To escape her problems, she runs away to Bath, where her former governess lives. Surprisingly, Meg's father joins her in Bath and agrees to introduce her to society there. When Ivo defies his family and follows them both to Bath intent on proposing, it's merely a matter of time before the adults agree to tolerate one another for the young couple's sake. The plot is straightforward and gentle, lacking the suspense and sexual tension found in Ivo's parents' adventure (in the series' second book, Gentleman Jim), but Matthews's ease with romance conventions and extensive knowledge of the era add appeal. This tender outing may not be a page-turner, but for readers seeking comfort, it's got the goods. (Self-published)
