{"id":26600,"date":"2026-04-19T19:06:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T23:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=26600"},"modified":"2026-05-07T20:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T00:36:10","slug":"the-lily-of-ludgate-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/26600","title":{"rendered":"The Lily of Ludgate Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Lily of Ludgate Hill<\/em><\/a> (2024) Mimi Matthews<\/a> (Belles of London #3)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>Set in London in 1862<\/p>\n

Much of the first part of this story takes place concurrently with The Belle of Belgrave Square<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Lady Anne Deveril has spent the past 6 1\/2 years joining her mother in mourning for Lord Arundell, as her parents had a true love match, and Lady Arundell was devastated beyond measure at his death.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d long ago learned that the busier her mother kept herself with her spiritualist endeavors, her social engagements, and the charity school she sponsored in Wimbledon, the less time she had to sink into black despair.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So Anne has continued to wear morning, and joined her mother’s delving into Spiritualism, and to all intents and purposes stopped living after her father’s death.<\/p>\n

Mr. Felix Hartford loved Anne, but the two have been at odds for the past six years, so when Anne shows up at the Earl of March\u2019s door, knowing it would be Hartford who met with her, he agrees to do as she requests, and ends up escorting Anne and Lady Arundell on a trip that is little more than a ruse for Anne to check on her friend Julia. <\/p>\n

Especially as it allows him to escape the burdens that fell upon him after his father’s death. <\/p>\n

He\u2019d been up since before dawn broke, attending to yet another remnant of his late father\u2019s distasteful legacy. An unknown legacy as far as society was aware.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hartford’s late father, uncle, aunt, and cousin are terrible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Storridge somehow morally compromised by his father\u2019s behavior? By his brother\u2019s?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously,\u201d Brookdale said. \u201cAs in nature, so, too, in the human family. Isn\u2019t that right, Father?”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And I had a great deal of difficulty with Lady Arundell.<\/p>\n

Mama\u2019s proclivities for plain dining were well-known. She didn\u2019t only condemn sugar, she disapproved of rich sauces and excessive seasonings as well. It was paramount to her to keep control of her diet.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t quarrel with me, Anne. I need you to enter into my feelings. You know I require distraction. In times such as these, it\u2019s all that sustains me. I cannot bear the quiet. My thoughts prey on me so.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As with the previous book, the surprise reveals weren’t surprising, although I did appreciate slowly learning more about Anne’s mother, and seeing that she wasn’t quite as horrible as Hart (and I) saw her.<\/p>\n

I had a difficult time with Anne’s continued insistence that Hartford was a neer-do-well, when she had absolutely proof to continue in that believe, and when she received evidence contrary, she still continued in her mistaken belief.<\/p>\n

Especially when we see Hartford’s insistence upon certain standards in his business practices.<\/p>\n

Boys as young as ten were lowered down, sometimes hundreds of feet into the pits, via precarious baskets and ladders. Once inside, they were stuck underground for half the day in poorly ventilated darkness, consigned to crawling through narrow tunnels on their hands and knees and pulling heavy loads behind them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Slavery had been outlawed in Ceylon in 1844. What workers they employed there would be paid for their labor. But it wouldn\u2019t be enough. That was the entire point of it. Skirting standards, exploiting the miners, and giving absolute discretion to tyrannical loadmasters was all part of the business plan. None of it was, strictly speaking, against the law.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

India wasn’t the only place with terrible dangerous mines.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Lady Anne Deveril, Mr. Felix Hartford, Lady Arundell, Julia Wychwood Blunt, Captain Blunt, Miss Evelyn Maltravers, Ahmad Malik, Miss Mira Malik, Stella Hobhouse, William Webb, Earl of March, Viscount Brookdale, Aunt Esther Brookdale, Horbury, Mr. Harris Fielding, Mrs. Neale, Ethel Neale, Viscountess Heatherton, Hortense, Jeanette, Mrs. Griffiths, Miss Amanda Trent, Gabriel Royce, Mr. Archer, Laura Archer, Edward Hayes<\/p>\n

Cover by Kelly Wagner<\/p>\n

Publisher: Berkley Romance<\/p>\n

Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lily of Ludgate Hill (2024) Mimi Matthews (Belles of London #3) Set in London in 1862 Much of the first part of this story takes place concurrently with The Belle of Belgrave Square. Lady Anne Deveril has spent the past 6 1\/2 years joining her mother in mourning for Lord Arundell, as her parents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[194,30,938,292,204,33,207,26],"tags":[802,213,181],"class_list":["post-26600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-5-10","category-british","category-dual-point-of-view","category-ebook","category-good","category-historical","category-mental-health-rep","category-romance","tag-belles-of-london","tag-grief","tag-mimi-matthews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-6V2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24118,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/24118","url_meta":{"origin":26600,"position":0},"title":"The Siren of Sussex","author":"Michelle","date":"December 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Siren of Sussex (2022) Mimi Matthews (Belles of London #1) Set in London in 1862 Ahmad Malik and his cousin Mira came to England after her mother died, and after her father died, Ahmad took whatever work he could to care for her. Now he is a tailor, hoping\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Siren of Sussex","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Siren-of-Sussex.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Siren-of-Sussex.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Siren-of-Sussex.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26597,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/26597","url_meta":{"origin":26600,"position":1},"title":"The Belle of Belgrave Square","author":"Michelle","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Belle of Belgrave Square (2022) Mimi Matthews (Belles of London #2) Set in London in 1862 I discovered I started this story in January 2025, and then lost track of it until this past Friday. Julia Wychwood hates the season. She's beautiful with a substantial dowry, but seemingly no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Belle of Belgrave Square","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Belle-of-Belgrave-Square.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Belle-of-Belgrave-Square.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Belle-of-Belgrave-Square.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12143,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/12143","url_meta":{"origin":26600,"position":2},"title":"The Work of Art","author":"Michelle","date":"October 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Work of Art (2019) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1814 Phyllida Satterthwaite lived with her grandparents until their death, at which point she was taken to London to live with her uncle, who Had Plans For Her. both of her cousins immediately perked up, as if they expected\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/The-Work-of-Art.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12313,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/12313","url_meta":{"origin":26600,"position":3},"title":"A Holiday By Gaslight","author":"Michelle","date":"December 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1861. Sophie Appersett has decided that although Mr Edward Sharpe is handsome as well as wealthy, they do not suit. After months, she still knows nothing about him, other than that he and his best friend made their money\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Holiday By Gaslight","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/A-Holiday-By-Gaslight.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11792,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11792","url_meta":{"origin":26600,"position":4},"title":"The Matrimonial Advertisement","author":"Michelle","date":"March 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Matrimonial Advertisement (Parish Orphans of Devon) (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1859. Helena Reynolds has fled London. She's in Devon responding to a matrimonial advertisement, but if this doesn't work, she return to London. Justin Thornhill was a captain in the British army who served in India,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/The-Matrimonial-Advertisement.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19491,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19491","url_meta":{"origin":26600,"position":5},"title":"A Holiday By Gaslight","author":"Michelle","date":"December 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1861 I love a good novella \/ short story. I have tremendous respect for an author who can build characters and an immersive story in under 200 pages. What I particularly liked about this story is Sophie has a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Holiday By Gaslight","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/A-Holiday-By-Gaslight.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}