Quadrille

I know Margaret Mayhew as a writer of books set in the Second World War so when I came across "Quadrille", a Regency she had written, I thought I'd give it a go. It was a pleasant and enjoyable read. Lord Nicholas Strickland's aunt Augusta has decided he needs to settle down from his gambling, drinking and womanising ways and has told him that unless he marries Miss Charlotte Craven, or one of four other ladies, by his next birthday she will change his status as heir to her house, Maplethorpe, which he loves. Of course initially Nicholas refuses to be persuaded into marrying Charlotte, someone he last saw as a young girl of eight years old, but then changes his mind. When he meets her he is pleasantly surprised and starts to woo her - but then she is informed about his ulterior motive and resolves to refuse him. At the same time there is a second budding romance between Amelia Beauclerc, friend to Charlotte, and Captain Young, Nicholas's friend. It's a lighthearted and fun book and even the "baddie" characters aren't THAT bad. It all works toward the dénouement of an elopement with carriages chasing each other on the road. With regard to period detail and conversation this book seemed more accurate than a lot of the modern Regencies (perhaps the English author helps) and also, unlike most others, there are no sex scenes. However I didn't consider it a brilliantly written book as we don't really get any insight into the characters' thoughts, we only know what they say or do.