Fourth Season [Paperback]

The main sub-plot is farcical in the extreme - third cousin of hero tries to ruin his reputation with the ton. Why? And what does Purtwee stand to gain from it? Why would he bother? Burlingham is already poverty-stricken, and if Purtwee really wanted to destroy him all he'd need to do was see that fact become common knowledge. No need to invent barely-credible scenarios whereby Burlingham insults one of the Patronesses after being drugged. Purtwee himself is a poorly-caricatured, unbelievable character.

As for the hero and heroine, it is unbelievable that it took them so long to realise the truth of each other's financial situations. What ladies of Quality would fail to employ a butler or any manservants? That would have given the game away to Burlingham immediately, as would the re-used teabags, the worn garments, the neglect around the house. Likewise, Burlingham's lack of the usual gentleman's accessories would have shown Bets the truth.

In any case, there is no way at all that the ton would have been ignorant of the true circumstances of each. Bets and her mother wore gowns which were already two or three years old, made over and redecorated. Any member of the ton, lady or gentleman, would have noticed this immediately and realised its significance. Likewise, there is no way Burlingham's situation would have gone unnoticed - tradesmen talk, as do servants, and gossip would have got around that he was unable to pay his debts, didn't maintain his own stables and only had one threadbare curricle. Completely incredible scenario, therefore.

And then there is Douglas's lack of research on the period: for instance, she allows Burlingham and Bets to eat together in an *inn,* for heaven's sake! She would have been ruined immediately had anyone heard about it - as they would. Then there is vocabulary: she has Purtwee use the word 'tosspot' to Bets when describing Burlingham. No gentleman would ever have used any coarse term in front of a lady, and especially a young unmarried lady. In any case, I sincerely doubt that Douglas understands the meaning of the word herself - I can't imagine she'd have a character use it if she did know what it means. Does she seriously imagine that one aristocrat would use a very coarse expression referring to masturbation when referring to another aristocrat?

And then, at the end, when she's tying up loose ends in a barely credible manner, she refers to house prices. One large town house in London was apparently worth over sixty thousand pounds. Is she joking? This is over two hundred years ago, when sixty thousand pounds was an absolute fortune. House prices in that part of London may be high, but even *one* hundred years ago that kind of house could have been obtained for perhaps six thousand pounds.

What a waste of time and money!