The Virgin and the Unicorn

This is a Regency romance (the Virgin and the Unicorn) that I first read as a library book. I now own a copy and can read it as often as I like. Miranda (Sissie) is visiting Ashmead, helping Lady Hersham repair old tapestries. The title refers to a tapestry hanging in Miranda's guest bedroom at Ashmead. Because of her interest in tapestry, Miranda is a frequent visitor to Ashmead. Lady Hersham is very fond of Miranda who shares her hobby. The son of Lady Hersham and heir to Lord Hersham, Lord Rotham has returned for a visit at Ashmead. He has been serving as a diplomat at the Congress of Vienna. Rotham has brought home a mysterious locked trunk from his travels. His younger brother Pavel and Sissie (both the same age who behave like sister and brother) are consumed with curiousity. What is the secret in the trunk that is being guarded 24 hours a day? They devise ruses to get a peek in the trunk. Pavel and Miranda eavesdrop, through a closed door, on an argument between Rotham and his father. Rotham has done something that is going to cause trouble and it has something to do with the contents of the locked trunk. Paval and Miranda are more anxious than ever to find out what is in the trunk. The antics of Pavel, Miranda (Sissie), and Rotham are entertaining. Witty repartee, something which Joan Smith does deftly, can be found in this novel. Being thrown together with the spunky Miranda due the circumstances surrounding the contents of the trunk (hint: a tapestry of course), Rotham ends up becoming interested in Miranda who he had never considered in a romantic way before. If you liked Joan Smith's "Drury Lane Darling" you will also enjoy this story too.