Scandal’s Daughter

Lady Sarah Sands is aghast when she learns that her nephew, Dominic Thornton, the eighth Marquis of Brightwood has finally married… and to a woman that she considers to be a trollop.

Lady Sarah had always envisioned her rakish nephew dying young and leaving the title and entailments to her own son, Sir Owen. She knew that she deserved to be the mother of a Marquis, a woman who would be respected and always on the top of invitation lists. Determined not to have her dearest wishes thwarted, Lady Sarah tries to start some denigrating rumors about the new Lady Brightwood, Octavia. Octavia, known by her friends as “Tavie” is the only daughter of the Duke of Rambourne. Her father had raised her in the country and kept her out of society so she ran away, which was just where Dominic had found her, by the side of the road. Tavie’s mother had not lived up to society’s expectations, so her parents had divorced whist she was very young. Tavie now realizes that with her new husband, they may now have to weather the storm of her mother’s scandalous past.

The false rumors state that Tavie was locked away because she is unstable, like her mother, and that Dominic had to marry the chit that he had foolishly compromised. She is cruelly tagged the “Camelopad”. Unfortunately, Lady Sarah has underestimated her opponent, Tavie and her allies, Dominic’s two doting elderly aunts, Elf and Ally. They plan to throw a house party to show the world that this is a love match, inviting carefully selected members of the ton. Understandably, Tavie is distressed by the problems that she has caused her new husband, and hours spent planning menus, preparing rooms and invitations are taking their toll on the young bride. She is becoming so scared of letting him down that she has forgotten that they are still on their honeymoon. Dominic has finally found the love of his life and he will not let his spiteful aunt Sarah destroy their happiness with rumors and vicious letters. The house party has only just commenced when Dominic begins to receive death threats in the mail…

As with most newly-weds, Dominic and Tavie believe that their love for one another can overcome any obstacles. They understand the rules of propriety that they must follow but it seems absurd to Tavie that a young woman is judged by her parents’ past behaviour. Her many efforts to fit into a society that she does not know firsthand are sure to endear her to readers. The growing love between the couple is obvious and it is refreshing to read a book where the emphasis is not on a constant friction between the main characters. Scandal’s Daughter is a traditional style Regency where sexual dalliances are implied only, not described. Many of the secondary characters are well-established, enriching the relationship of the couple as they interact with long-standing friends and family. Jeanne Savery understands the Regency period and it is enjoyable to sit back and read a book where there are no obvious jarring faults. The author has quite an impressive backlist and this reader is keen to seek these out.

Reviewed by: Naomi