Emma is an orphan and an heiress, so why has she been relegated to the garret room in her own home? It has to do with her step-cousin Archibald and The Incident that gave him The Scare. Since The Incident, Archibald has had it out for her, and used his guardianship of her finances (until she comes of age) to purchase dozens of expensive silk dressing gowns and to purposefully lose at the races. Emma must use her considerable force of will to regain control of whatever fortune she has left, and find a way to support herself on a very limited income. She is recruited to become the less attractive foil of her very wealthy friend, and by that gains entrance into the center of London Society. She also rents out part of her domicile to a mysterious stranger whom the neighborhood ghost called "a man of war." She finds she likes the brooding tennant, and looks forward to the notes that get passed under the garret dividing wall. But he is not the only man of intrigue in her life. There is the sham cousin of her friend, Jake, and the charming and commanding Lord Islington. What is an education deprived, impoverished, heiress to do?
My daughter, Diane, recommended these to me. They are not available in audio yet, so I waited until I was going on a trip to read a print-based version. They are unusual books. Each volume is quite short, and all the chapters are written as entries in Emma's journal. Both short volumes ended quite suddenly without any satisfying conclusion. Emma has a irreverent, sarcastic personality, world weary but delighting in the ridiculousness she sees in the people around her. They are super fun to read, mostly because of the snappy patter between characters. Now that my vacation is over and I have only read the first two of the seven in the series, I have to decide whether to press on and read the others, or wait until my next vacation. (V. 1, 2022, 119 p. V. 2. 2022, 160 p)
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