She had to cope with five boisterous children while faced with a vast estate in desperate need of modernization and staff who wanted nothing to change – it was a daunting responsibility. This is the last of a series and the main characters have been with us from the start. I strongly suggest reading the others first, not least because they're better than this one. So at the end we have the prince cheating on the princess (or rather, duke cheating on the duchess) while the duchess goes on to find love with an estate worker, a la Lady Chatterley. I enjoyed this final book in the Fairbourne Quartet. Some of the storyline derived from earlier books, and I'm glad I had read the others before reading this one, so it all made sense. The Duchess of Gloucester is actually Danish and was born Birgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen in Odense on June 20, 1946. When her lawyer father, Asger Preben Wissing Henriksen, and her mother, Vivian van Deurs, split up she took her mother’s family name.

It took me some time to link all the parts together and arrive at the same conclusion as Lydia, so the mystery is well done too. And it takes place before the Regency period, during the reign of George III before his porphyria set in. She had to cope with five boisterous children while faced with a vast estate in desperate need of modernisation and staff who wanted nothing to change - it was a daunting responsibility. Yet with sound advice from the doyenne of duchesses, Duchess ‘Debo’ of Devonshire, she met each challenge with optimism and gusto, including scaling the castle roof in a storm to unclog a flooding gutter; being caught in her nightdress by mesmerised Texan tourists and disguising herself as a cleaner to watch filming of The Crown. She even took on the castle ghosts . . . Birgitte has been Patron of Parkinson’s UK since 1997 Mike has been Patron of Cure Parkinson’s since 2018.But Mike’s interest is personal because his father Philip was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003. This was a bit of a slow burn love story, with Lydia and Penthurst's relationship developing fully after they were married. The love happened gradually but convincingly, and I enjoyed their journey.

But as Birgitte knows, succession is never straightforward and there was a time when she might have been crowned Queen. It's complicated but if the Queen and her sister Margaret had not been born, husband Richard could have been crowned King. What next? He had previously given her his business card which said David Manners, Marquess of Granby, which should have been a clue but she assumed the Marquess of Granby was a pub. Anyway, she was soon invited to a shooting weekend at Belvoir Castle and met David’s parents and when her father asked his usual question “How many acres?” she was able to tell him “Around 17,000.” The Dukedoms were carved into geographical areas in feudal times and it is up to the monarch to decide who becomes Duke or Earl of a particular place when the title reverts to the Crown. Gloucester was probably free when Prince Richard's father was given the title in 1928. Through her hard work, the Belvoir Estate has been rejuvenated. She discovered original designs for the gardens that were drawn up by Capability Brown, renovated dilapidated rooms and ultimately turned the estate into a thriving business.

There are eight royal dukedoms - Gloucester, Lancaster, Edinburgh, Cornwall, Cambridge, Sussex, York and Kent - and 24 non-royal dukedoms. such as the Duke of Beaufort. They are inherited through the male line only, and the word Duchess is only used for the wife of a Duke. British princes are given the honorary title of “Duke” at the time of of their marriage.Penthurst actually felt as if he was a duke, unlike some HRs that simply use the 'duke' trope too casually IMO. I liked his character, and I liked the way his involvement in the notorious duel (from before the first book!) was gradually unravelled and resolved. The ending was quite satisfying and tied up all of the loose ends. John Manners, Marquis of Granby, famously led a cavalry charge during the Seven Years War in 1760, losing both hat and wig. A commander of skill and courage, he was cherished by his men and lauded by the British public as an authentic military hero.

Madeline Hunter is a best selling author and this was my first read of hers. I have to say I started it in 2014, so actually this has been a slow read for me. I cannot blame the book entirely, as I have been writing and editing works of my own, as well as reading other books from other genres. The Duchess does indeed seem a remarkable woman . . . this is an engaging book’– Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph

Capability Brown & Belvoir: Discovering a Lost Landscape

So, Lady Lydia likes her freedom and wants to be her own woman. Fine and dandy if she was born in the 20th century, but she was not. She chafes against the restrictions of society and goes her own way. Unfortunately, there are consequences. It's been a while since I read a historical romance. Some may even wonder why I do read this genre, given I tend to write horror. Well, dear friends, sometimes we need a break from what we write, and read something that is relaxing, fun and whimsical. With sound advice from the doyenne of duchesses, ‘Debo’ Devonshire, she met each challenge, including scaling the castle roof in a storm to unclog a flooding gutter, being caught in her nightdress by mesmerised Texan tourists and disguising herself as a cleaner to watch filming of The Crown. She even took on the castle ghosts. Also, I'm not sure why those two even liked each other. They hadn't much in common and never really spent time together developing camaraderie. Alexander is next in line for the Gloucester title,, followed by his son Xan Windsor, known as Lord Culloden. But the royal dukedom will devolve into an ordinary one because he will only be the great-grandson of a sovereign.