The picture of innocence, Miss Mabel Anderson, and the sister of a cleric. But many people in her port town of Salford lived in poverty, their only chance at making a decent living being the smuggling trade. Mab inadvertently found herself the leader of this group, but a government agent, Sir Stamford Wicklow, was come to town specifically to discover the leader’s identity—and imprison the villain.
Humour
Talk of the Town by Joan Smith
This book reminds me (in a good way) of the classic Faro’s Daughter by Georgette Heyer.
From the book blurb:
Daphne Ingleside’s visit to her Aunt Effie in London was meant to add a little spark to her placid country life. And it did—once the two women decided to write Effie’s memoirs. For Effie, a faded divorcée, had been the beauty of London in her day, and many of the ton feared their misbehavior would be disclosed. The Duke of St. Felix, misinterpreting their project as a means of blackmailing his family, antagonized the sharp-witted, beautiful Daphne to his peril.
Escapade by Joan Smith
One of my all-time favourite Joan Smith books.
From the book blurb:
Ella Fairmont, as the anonymous Miss Prattle, has taken the Duke of Clare to task regularly in her gossip column. The duke, unsuspecting, includes Ella and her aunt in his week-long country houseparty. He has also included the blue-blooded Lady Honor, the strikingly beautiful Miss Sheridan, and the multi-talented Miss Prentiss. How could one “ordinary” young lady with a sharp tongue compete with three sterling debutantes?
A Bachelor Establishment by Isabella Barclay
The blurb: Elinor Bascombe, widowed and tied to an impoverished estate, has learned to ask little of life. With no hope of leaving, the years have passed her by. Lord Ryde, exiled abroad after a scandal, has returned to strip his estate and make a new start in America. A chance encounter changes their plans, […]
Aunt Sophie’s Diamonds by Joan Smith
The blurb: Claudia Milmont has lived most of her joyless life with her grandparents, though her mother enjoys the fringes of society in London. When Claudia’s Aunt Sophie dies, a whole new world opens up for her. Cantankerous Sophie has instructed that her diamonds be buried with her—and Claudia is determined to help her cousin […]