A Broken Vessel

A Broken Vessel (1994) Kate Ross (Julian Kestrel Mysteries #2)

Set in London in 1824

“I don’t know what there is to thank me for. Did you expect I should throw her into the street?”

“No, sir, I knew you’d treat her uncommon fine. That’s why I sneaked her in when I thought you was out—so as not to take advantage.”

She got a firm grip on Sally’s hand and led her away. Sally looked back, mutely appealing for rescue. Julian and Dipper smiled and shrugged, in a stunning display of male helplessness.

“We require them to confess their sins, as the first step toward repentance. Then they must submit to a regimen of hard work, prayer, and penitence. We impose the strictest discipline. Only by learning to conquer their wicked appetites and impulses can they regain some shred of the character they’ve thrown away.”

“There’s no charity in her—only hatred and fanaticism and resentment. Hers is the kind of spirit that drove the Inquisition.”

Mr. Harcourt then questioned her closely about how she fell from grace. She was hard put to answer. She could not remember a moment when she fell. She had been born about as low as a girl could get, and simply went on from there.

Characters: Mr. Julian Kestrel, Dipper / Thomas Stokes, Sally Stokes, Dr. MacGregor, Mrs. Mabbitt, Charles Avondale, Lawrence Birkett, Lady Gayheart, Ada Grantham, Mrs. Grantham, , Mr. Samuel Digby, Mrs. Digby, Peter Vance, Sir Richard Birnie, Toby, Emily Wickham, Major Thorndike, Lord Braxton, Mary / Lady Lucinda Braxton, Reverend Mr. Gideon Harcourt, Mrs. Ellen Fiske, Mr. Matthew Fiske, Caleb Fiske / Mr. Joseph Rawdon, Mrs. Jessop, Miss Nettleton, Margaret Muldoon / Wideawake Peg, Florrie Ames, Bess, Nancy, Red Jane, Anne Price, Megan MacGowan, Rosemary, Nathan Winters

Publisher: Felony & Mayhem

Rating: 8.5/10

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