Betty Neels Collection - Book 129

A Neels novella with all the trademarked touches, pared down to their minimum given the shorter length. Eulalia, or Lally, is a hospital Canteen Lady in Outpatients. She takes care of her aged relative and they scrape by (with their faithful housekeeper Jane) despite living in a posh townhouse in London because they are posh-broke for special plot-related reasons. When the aged and beloved relative dies, Lally is rescued by a Rich Dutch Doctor who falls in love with her at first sight, persuades her to marry him, and whisks her off to his old family home in central Amsterdam (right off the Herengracht but on a quiet side street of course).

Lally is of the "splendidly built and beautiful" school of Neels heroines, so she combines the need to be rescued with a comforting amount of self-esteem. The RDD, who is variously referred to as Aderik and Dr. van der Leurs (sometimes in the same paragraph) is 38, large (probably vast), with blond hair going to gray. He's of course incredibly eminent in his specialty, which means quick trips to Scotland and even Albania (perhaps a first for Neels?).

In Amsterdam Lally doesn't do much but get to know the city, meet English wives from previous Neels novels, and occasionally get taken about by Aderik/Dr. vdL to see Amsterdam, Friesland, and his place of work. And to shop because of course Lally has no suitable clothes. Charlotte Russe? Lobster Thermidor? Check. Sint Nikolaas? It's the holidays, so of course! Jersey, taffeta, velvet and cashmere dresses and coats? Check. It's all here, written briskly and competently. Oh, and there's a hospital explosion!

And it was just right for what I wanted to read at the time. ( )