Search - Lady Sparrow (Signet Regency Romance)

Minerva, the widowed Lady Sparrowdale is the daughter of a cit and Lord Lowell, the endearing second son who doesn't have enough money to live up to the standards expected of him, gradually fall in love whilst looking for a seemingly unlimited number of by-blows from Minerva's late husband.

Although Metzger is a master of the beautifully written regency comedy, she does here hit on a number of serious points. Minerva's late husband pursued virgins in a quest for a "cure" for rampant VD (based on fact - this was a well known belief at the time); the by-blows grow up in poverty; Lord Lowell denies himself a family because of his straightened financial circumstances and Minerva shoulders responsibility for a financial empire. Some meaty issues here which provide a background note to the banter and comedy Metzger does so well.