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Countess Ashby de la Zouche, Baroness Penge, Countess of Clapham etc. and her stupendously bosomed maid Alpiew have seen better days. The crumbling Countess used to be the mistress of Charles II but now she and Alpiew make ends meet by writing for the London scandal sheets. Their house is falling apart around them and so it seems like a god-send when the eponymous Mrs Alderman Franklyn-Greene turns up one day with a proposition for them – to find a wealthy husband for her stepdaughter Virginia at the exiled English court at Saint Germain. The transport and accommodation is arranged, tickets are booked and paid for, and a handsome advance fee is given to the Countess in advance; what could go wrong? Well quite a lot. Robbed of their fee by highwaymen en route, our hapless duo find that the court at St Germain is a lot less fun than they had bargained for, especially if one is without funds. The Countess is moved to poor quarters and Alpiew has the worst of the chores in the kitchen to occupy her, whilst the place is ruled over by the humourless authoritarian Lady Prude. It doesn’t take long to learn that the court is in fear of a poisoner and within hours of the Countess’s arrival one of their number dies at dinner. It seems the best idea would be to return to England and forget the deal, until another courtier points out that their presence in St Germain ensures they would be clapped in irons at Dover for treason if they try to go back. But before they can figure out a plan, they are sent to the Bastille, where it turns out the social life is rather good, but the mystery over happenings at St Germain deepen. THE AMBITIOUS STEPMOTHER is a very entertaining light read, packed with period detail and delicious forgotten language, such as one might hope for from Fidelis Morgan, an acknowledged expert on Regency Theatre. The bawdiness was sometimes a little too slapstick for my own taste but there was plenty of more subtle humour to keep me amused. The surprise for me, as a first time reader of this author, was how well the various locations of London, Bastille, Versailles and the Court at St Germain were evoked and became strong characters in their own right. I learned a little history and had a lot of fun. Recommended.
Reviewed by Bridget Bolton, November 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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