The Widow

The Widow by Mary Kingswood 2019 Regency

Kingswood writes a series based on the survivors of a shipwreck or relatives of those who perished. The characters are not the usual innocent maid seeking a titled lord for a good match. In “The Widow,” Nell Caldicott is married to Jude Caldicott, the captain of the Brig Minerva which sinks. She is relieved because he beats her when he is angry, which is more often lately. She still has bruises on her face when Nathan Harbottle visits, seeking news of his cousin, Felix Harbottle, who is next in line to inherit.

Nathan offers his friendship but is smitten with Nell, who has vowed never to marry after Jude’s harsh treatment. Impoverished, she tries to reconcile with her brother, but he made a promise to their father never to provide her with property or money because she married Jude, a man beneath her position. James is named the guardian of Louis, Nell’s son with Jude.

For those who want to know more about the gentry, the class restrictions, and the other rules that governed English society, this book provides many insights into how and why these distinctions were adhered to no matter how people felt.

I often read the bio of the author, and Kingswood is English and familiar with the history and laws that would govern English citizens, especially in the Regency period. She provides plenty of facts that are not found in simpler Regency novels which helps a reader understand what proof was needed to inherit.

Nell discovers her husband was paying someone, perhaps a mistress, more than half his earnings. This is one of many mysteries that needs to be solved in the story. Kingswood weaves the romance between Nathan and Nell with their past and the search for answers as they travel from Portsmouth to London and Yorkshire.

The pacing is much like a mystery as clues and information are revealed step by step and the final truth revealed in the last few chapters. The story is realistic with Nell’s feelings shown in stages as she comes to terms with her husband’s death, lies, and her need to find herself.

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#Regency #mystery #romance #Kinswood