Sheila Bishop (1916–2009)

For some strange reason the couple depicted on the cover are from the regency era while in fact it takes place in the 16th century.

It all begins when an old goldsmith dies and the effect it has on the lives of his family and employees.

He was a bit of a tyrant and his death enables his widow to finally try to find her illegitimate grandchild,her daughter ran away with a nobleman and became pregnant out of wedlock dying after giving birth to her child.

The widow tempts an young goldsmith that worked for her husband to try and find her grandchild,if he does he will get a reward. He accepts and follows the trail to an orphanage where the likeliest person (in his mind) is Grace,a beautiful 16 year old girl.

He decides he might as well bring her back since she resembles the dead daughter so much.

Meanwhile at the goldsmiths home/shop the heir Laurence has arrived to take over and immedietaly clashes with the widows ward Philadelphia (the heroine..well one of them),who believes the rumor she had heard about him being lazy and having run away from his duty as the goldsmiths heir.

Things get even more complicated when Grace arrives and is accepted by her grandmother at sight,but Laurence harbors suspicisions and refuse to believe her to be who she claims to be.

I enjoyed Philadelphia/Del s character and viewpoint ,much more than Graces,who was this wideyed innocent character wich abounds in romances.

This is one of those historical romances that are low on actual romance but high on historical accuracy(as far as I can tell)

Some might find this unbearably dull and while I didnt hate this book,it wont go on my list of favorites either.

In the end the couple (one of them) declares their feelings for each other and you are left a bit dumbfounded as to when exactly these strong feelings developed.

I could never really see Laurence as someone attractive since he is described as having a goatee and a foot high ruffle AND a pearl earring.

But... it was fashionable for the time *shrugs*… (meer)

I should probably have been more gracious in my scoring and rated this book higher. It was certainly very well written and very engaging. I cried at several points. Reading an older romance does remind me what a good writer can do without sex scenes, and makes me wonder why so many more recent books fail to carry these qualities over into the more liberal world of sex-filled historicals.

SPOILERS.

The real problem I had with this book I only discovered in the last few pages. I had been rooting for the wrong man! First Edith falls in love with Sam and is disillusioned. Then she has a wretched passionate but entirely chaste affair with a married man (the Duke). This ends badly and leaves her with a guiltly conscience. The Duke is widowed and Sam steps into the breech when the Duke declares to Edith that he will never re-marry. Yes! I think. Good old Sam wins the day. But no, the Duke is all of a sudden somewhat redeemed, and shown to still love the heroine, and all is nicely settled within the last few pages. Wonderful in fact, if only I had been expecting it and had been championing the hero!

I couldn't help wonder as well at the fact that in marrying as she does she will be distancing herself from the illegitimate daughter, which seems a little cruel. But then... in truth I was a little squeamish at the idea that Edith would otherwise be bringing up the late Duchess's child and always have a strange tie to the Duke.

All credit to Sheila Bishop for producing such a moral tangle and not tying everything up at the end in a pretty bow. I'm off to find out the extent of her back-list.… (meer)