{"id":27448,"date":"2026-08-30T18:27:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T22:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=27448"},"modified":"2026-09-13T09:54:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T13:54:47","slug":"dear-bartleby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27448","title":{"rendered":"Dear Bartleby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Bartleby<\/em><\/a> (2023) Sarah Wallace<\/a> (Meddle & Mend #4)<\/p>\n

\"Dear<\/a><\/p>\n

Seb, youngest sibling of Gavin and Gerry has been sent down for Oxford for one too many pranks. <\/p>\n

Father sat me down in his study and told me I need to learn to be a proper gentleman. Ominous start. He listed out all manner of qualities I appear to be lacking: responsibility, gravity, good judgment. Frankly, I forget the rest of them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So their father has sent him to live with Gavin and Charles. And one of his demands is that Sebastian keep a journal.<\/p>\n

Gavin frowned in his usual way and said, \u201cSeb, a journal is for personal thoughts. I would never betray your privacy in such a way. But this does give me a great deal of concern for what your personal thoughts actually are.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Initially Seb tries his usual tricks and pranks, but he is first ignored, and then firmly told that some things will not be tolerated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is inappropriate to conduct such things with servants. Has no one ever told you this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never have taken you for a classist,\u201d I retorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cFar from it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is not inappropriate because they are of a lower class than you. It is inappropriate because you are a guest in the home in which they are working. Many would not feel comfortable refusing advances, even if they did not want them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But as lessons are forced upon him, he slowly begins to learn that being send down from Oxford–far from being the worst thing that could happen to him may well be the best.<\/p>\n

The story is written as Sebastian’s journal entries, and you see (more quickly than you might expect (except not really in retrospect, because he’s not actually a bad person)) mature and grow and learn.<\/p>\n

And fall in love.<\/p>\n

Although when he was bothering Pip I don’t know how the rest of the family kept from slapping him.<\/p>\n

This isn’t quite<\/em> a romance, as we don’t really meet Seb’s love interest 30% of the way into the book and the focus is on Sebastian’s growth as a person, but he does get an HEA–and more importantly, deserves that HEA.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Sebastian Hartford, Gavin Hartford, Mr. Charles Kentworthy, Gerry Hartford, Mr. Pip Standish, Viscount Bertie Finlington, Rose, Julia, Aunt Lily and Uncle Gregory, Miss Cornelia Locke, Mr. Laurence Ayles, Major Carlton Wilburforce, Sir Ronald Sinclair, Mr. David Voss, Mrs. Lydia Fossett, Dukex of Molbury, Robert Parks, Mr. Hartford, Mrs. Ridley, Sir James Badgeley, Lady St. John<\/p>\n

Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Bartleby (2023) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #4) Seb, youngest sibling of Gavin and Gerry has been sent down for Oxford for one too many pranks. Father sat me down in his study and told me I need to learn to be a proper gentleman. Ominous start. He listed out all manner of qualities […]<\/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_feature_clip_id":0,"_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":[12,27,30,292,2,33,207,148,26,934],"tags":[534,985,981,544,993,826,550],"class_list":["post-27448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-10","category-alternate-history","category-british","category-ebook","category-fantasy","category-historical","category-mental-health-rep","category-queer","category-romance","category-trigger-warnings","tag-bullying","tag-epistolary","tag-meddle-mend","tag-mm","tag-regency-era","tag-sarah-wallace","tag-trans"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-78I","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27473,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27473","url_meta":{"origin":27448,"position":0},"title":"The Viscount Says Yes","author":"Michelle","date":"September 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Viscount Says Yes (2025) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #6) Set in Tutting-on-Cress in 1818? This is the conclusion to Pip's story. He's lived with Charles and Gavin long enough to regain his trust in people, and he is slowly, finally, come to trust himself. I\u2019m not going anywhere.\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 Viscount Says Yes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The-Viscount-Says-Yes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27454,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27454","url_meta":{"origin":27448,"position":1},"title":"The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Cress","author":"Michelle","date":"August 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Cress (2024) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #5) Set in Tutting-on-Cress in 1818 Gerry has been hoping to fall in love the way two of her brothers did, but has never felt the way she thought falling in love should be. So she figures she'll be content\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Cress","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Spellmaster-of-Tutting-on-Cress.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Spellmaster-of-Tutting-on-Cress.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Spellmaster-of-Tutting-on-Cress.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27441,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27441","url_meta":{"origin":27448,"position":2},"title":"The Education of Pip","author":"Michelle","date":"August 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Education of Pip (2023) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #3) Set in England in ~1816 This story overlaps with One Good Turn and we get Pip's story. Please check the trigger warnings, as Pip has been abused by the man he thought to be his lover, and has been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Education of Pip","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Education-of-Pip.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Education-of-Pip.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Education-of-Pip.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27419,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27419","url_meta":{"origin":27448,"position":3},"title":"Letters to Half Moon Street","author":"Michelle","date":"August 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Letters to Half Moon Street (2022) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #1) Set in alternate London in 1815 I enjoyed the Fae & Human Relations series Sarah Wallace co-wrote with S.O. Callahan, so I picked up this book awhile ago, but hadn't gotten around to reading it. I'm sorry I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Letters to Half Moon Street","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Letters-to-Half-Moon-Street.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Letters-to-Half-Moon-Street.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Letters-to-Half-Moon-Street.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27442,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27442","url_meta":{"origin":27448,"position":4},"title":"One Good Turn","author":"Michelle","date":"August 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"One Good Turn (2022) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #2) Set in London ~1816 Nell Birks doesn't want the life she grew into. 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(This is the second book.) This book finds Kitty called to Washington to testify\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio Book"","block_context":{"text":"Audio Book","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/audio-book"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kitty-Goes-to-Washington","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Kitty-Goes-to-Washington.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27448","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=27448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27448\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}