The Lady's Maid

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The child of a noblewoman born out of wedlock is also in her care after she found the mother already in labor by the river. In this novel, they just seem to happen upon each other, in the wrong part of the country and for no apparent reason other than that it needs to happen to continue the story. One was of Romany heritage and one from higher social standing but circumstances swapped their upbringing. Two desperate young mothers give up their babies on the same day, and while Kate grows up in poverty, Josie lives a privileged life. Two female babies denied their birth mothers and brought up in very different, yet side by side circumstances.

From the start, the story regarding two babies born on the same day and delivered by the same woman seemed a bit unlikely. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.Another flaw is that several times when the principle characters are at rock bottom, rescuers suddenly appear out of nowhere. Although the reader can see the way the book will go the reader stays interested and needs to find out how things unwind. She lived in the rat infested stables with the smell of horses clinging to her hair and clothes, while Josephine Damerell, the spoilt, petted and over-indulged daughter of the house, dwelt in luxury. The story begins with an awkward friendship between a spoiled, manipulative lady and her lifelong friend who begins the book as a beleaguered housemaid. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.

Kate hurried homeward as fast as the iron-clad pattens would allow, wrapping her thin shawl a little tighter around her head and shoulders. The Romany grandmother finds a safe home for this girl as well, both children growing up believing themselves legitimate. Other than being Dumbledore's name in the Harry Potter books, I am not sure what the term meant in this book, as it wasn't used as a name, but I laughed when I figured this out.This novel set in the 19th century about two babies born to very different circumstances is compelling. Still, rather than being bitter toward her childhood friend, Kate does her best to help Josie come safely through whatever wild plan she’s dragged Kate into. I also feel these books should have a glossary to show the meaning of some words as I always have to refer to a dictionary for a number of words.

Some parts of the book seemed a bit contrived to fit the story and didn't really represent natural occurrences. One of the men, despite being smitten, leads another girl on for almost the entire book and although there are suggestions that it's to protect her honour, this is suspect and doesn't quite ring true given the circumstances. This was a good "guilty pleasure" historical romance, as tasty and insubstantial as a box of chocolates. As the years have passed, Kate has grown up knowing only poverty and servitude, whilst Josie's world is one of privilege and luxury.It begins in the night on a hill where a Romany woman awaits the birth of her daughter’s illegitimate child for whom she has arranged a home. This is the second historical novel I have read by Dilly Court, and once again, she sunk me into the period with all the prejudice and classism endemic in the 1800s. I especially appreciated the clear presentation of the way different strata of society lived, demonstrated both in description and simple comments about how only the wealthy have the luxury of not knowing how much coin they possess.

Kate, on the other hand, takes charge of every circumstance with her practical hard working personality, overcoming every obstacle except her sense of place.The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged.