Daughter of Trade

Sebastian Delamain, the Viscount Holly, saw Miss Dinah Driffield for the first time across a crowded ballroom. His breath was stolen; she fairly sparkled with life and energy.

Dinah tried to keep her jaw from dropping as she saw the extremely handsome man enter the room; she only barely succeeded. He was obviously aristocracy and far above her station. Her large family is in the wool manufacturing trade and she, in spite of her attraction to the viscount, knows that he is unattainable. Dinah is a bit of a snob, albeit in a reversed sense of the word, but her attitude only serves to cover up her true feelings for Sebastian. She considers him to be among the foppish, idle rich and the epitome of everything that is wrong with England, but her heart is in danger of overcoming her convictions.

Sebastian is confused by Dinah’s blatant dislike and barely veiled rudeness toward him, while at the same time he is oddly and most definitely attracted to her. He searches for a way past her defenses, and finds the perfect opportunity in giving her horseback riding lessons, all the while becoming more captivated by Dinah’s charms.

Their fragile relationship is then threatened by the combination of a scorned suitor and the Luddite uprisings against the modernization of England. Can their love survive these difficulties?

Daughter of Trade is written in the classic formal Regency style, and is a very entertaining story. Ms. McLeod does a fine job with the language and customs of this period, and is to be commended for her accuracy. Her characters inspire empathy; Sebastian is a rich but lonely man searching for the certain something that is missing from his life and Dinah is a young miss trying to overcome the dictates of class barriers. The secondary characters are amusing, likeable, and add both fun and depth to the story. I am pleased to rate this lovely piece as a “Recommended Read”.

Reviewed by: Michelle