This is a very witty, over the top book. If you like Cary Grant screw ball comedies, you will love this book. The gist of the story is that a long term faithful retainer, Thornly, takes over his employer’s empty London mansion and turns it into a guest house for the season. Unbeknownst to the Marquis of Westham, his butler is tending to paying guests while he has been away. Among the paying guests is Miss Emma Clifford and her eccentric family. She is beautiful, and her grandmother, also being a former beauty, has a secret agenda. Her mother is an airhead, three slices short of a loaf. Her naive brother would have been safer left at school.

Next in residence we have Edgar, who is a con man, passing himself off as the aristocracy. Last but not least, is Mrs Olive Norbert, a 52 year old seamstress who has never married. She is corpulent, avarice, and bad to know. Into this setting arrives the tall, dark handsome hero of our story, the Marquis of Westham, totally unprepared. I would give this story a heat level of 1/2 out of 3 and 4.5 pearls out of 5. I highly recommend. Thank you. Carolintallahassee.