Red Jack, a born military man, has fallen in battle. Although Jack's inheritance is entailed, he sends a letter (reaching her two years after the fact) telling Jessica Eastwood, his only child, of a legacy he has for her. Jessica idolized her father even though he would have preferred Jessica to have been a son.
Her guardian, Sir Selby, encourages her to come to London to await inquiries of Mr. Jeffers. But unfortunately, the inheritance resides with one of Red Jack's friends on the Continent. So while waiting for news of the estate, Jessica stays with one of Sir Selby's best friends, Lady Grantham.
Jessica, freshly arrived from Yorkshire, needs city polish. Lady Grantham encourages her nephew, Lord Leith, to help introduce Jessica around and soften her rough edges. However, Sir Selby, Lady Grantham, and Leith have determined that the best recourse for Jessica is to find a husband. Tom Preston, a friend from home, and Anton Von Keller, a cousin from Austria, express interest in marrying Jessica.
Leith is impressed with Jessica's lack of womanly whiles; she's honest and forthright. However, there was hardly enough conversation between them to accept that they were likely to be good life partners. Instead, we have a trio of men vying for Jessica's attention. It seemed a bit crowded for such a short novel.
This novel could have been so much more than it is. I didn't understand the need for Anton. I thought the interplay between Jessica and Leith was underdone. This story didn't grab me; My overall score = 3.5 stars.
Her guardian, Sir Selby, encourages her to come to London to await inquiries of Mr. Jeffers. But unfortunately, the inheritance resides with one of Red Jack's friends on the Continent. So while waiting for news of the estate, Jessica stays with one of Sir Selby's best friends, Lady Grantham.
Jessica, freshly arrived from Yorkshire, needs city polish. Lady Grantham encourages her nephew, Lord Leith, to help introduce Jessica around and soften her rough edges. However, Sir Selby, Lady Grantham, and Leith have determined that the best recourse for Jessica is to find a husband. Tom Preston, a friend from home, and Anton Von Keller, a cousin from Austria, express interest in marrying Jessica.
Leith is impressed with Jessica's lack of womanly whiles; she's honest and forthright. However, there was hardly enough conversation between them to accept that they were likely to be good life partners. Instead, we have a trio of men vying for Jessica's attention. It seemed a bit crowded for such a short novel.
This novel could have been so much more than it is. I didn't understand the need for Anton. I thought the interplay between Jessica and Leith was underdone. This story didn't grab me; My overall score = 3.5 stars.
