Rightfully His

Rightfully His (1998) Tracy Grant

The conclusion to the Lescaut Quartet. This is a historical mystery with boinking. But not tons of boinking.

Set in 1822

This book was set up at the end of the last book, but you shouldn’t need to read the previous books in the series. Of course, reading this book will destroy some of the surprises and mystery of the previous books, so you should really read at least the previous book first. Charlotte “Charlie” de Ribard walked away from her family after her father ordered the death of her cousin and her bastard step-brother.

Francis Storbridge was secretary to Daniel de Ribard, but went on to a very good marriage and a seat in Parliament. He is now a widower with a young daughter, and he is also the guardian of his wife’s younger siblings–quite a handful for a single man.

He has also been in love with Charlie since he was secretary to her father, and proposes a deal.

“You expect me to believe you want to marry me so you’ll have a chaperone for your wards?”
He shrugged his elegantly disheveled shoulders. “As my wife you could hardly give me two weeks’ notice.”

Frank is also an advocate for the abolishing of slavery.

I don’t mean to sound a horrid idiot, but I thought slavery had been abolished while I was still in the schoolroom.”
Frank pulled a straight-back chair away from the table and seated himself. “The slave trade was abolished. That didn’t emancipate the slaves already held in our colonies.”

I actually quite liked the inclusion of these historical bits in the story, because one of the things I like about historicals is the chance to get a glimpse into what life was like at the time. I’ve read several historicals with bluestockings, but very few that discuss the slavery.

“We certainly believe it wise to improve the condition of the slave population and to prepare them for eventual participation in civil rights and privileges.”
“Prepare?” Frank was on his feet again. “What sort of preparations does one need to be treated as a human being?”

In case you can’t tell, I really liked that part of the story.

I also liked the complicated relationship between Frank and Charlie. She wants to dislike him, to hate him for the bargain they made, but the more she discovers, the harder it is to dislike him. But don’t think Frank is a saint (he doesn’t claim to be one) and I enjoy those discoveries just as much as the ones that put him in a good light.

In all, I really enjoyed this.
Rating: 8.5/10

Published by NYLA

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