All Star Sports Pak Book

There's something enchanting about this last book that makes me return to it from time to time. Despite the glaring differences between the hero and heroine: their extreme age difference, their extreme life experience difference, their different stations in life -- there's something almost sweet about it.

Frederica is the dreamy, wispy, washed-out looking youngest sister in a family of hailed beauties, and when the book starts, she sets out to change herself and become one of the heroines in her novels. Because her father the vicar had written with the scandalous news that she was soon to have the buxom, saucy housemaid Sarah as stepmother, Frederica the proverbial worm has decided to turn and run away from her seminary. She then neatly plans her escape as only a Marion Chesney heroine could -- with forged letters of recommendation, packed bags, and discreet inquiries that put her close to the wicked Duke of Pembury's country estate, where she has determined to get a post as chambermaid.

The wicked Duke is wicked no more, and has reformed amazingly. They by chance meet at the inn just before she embarks on her new post and her last fleeting smile to him reveals all the glory behind her wispy looks. Due to his house party, she is reunited with the redoubtable Lady Godolphin and meanwhile, Frederica's oldest brother-in-law brings the vicar and hails to her rescue. They determine to rescue Frederica but find there is nothing to rescue from -- the Duke only just discovered her appearance as chambermaid, there is such a lot of age difference, and nobody thinks that he could possibly be interested in Frederica. They, instead fear that Frederica will develop a crush on him, and the sisters descend to keep them apart.

While Frederica certainly had not entertained any romantic thoughts towards him, somehow the Duke does find himself drawn to her. Not much is said about his thoughts toward her, but his few actions are sweet and considerate. There's not much in the way or courtship because he's impelled by his jealous mistress to propose to Frederica and save her reputation and mighty glad of it he claims to be too -- which makes the story all the more endearing. The jealous mistress then pulls a Poppy storyline trick (refer to the author's earlier work, Poppy) and contrives to kidnap Frederica, with the help of Guy Wentwater, the villain from all six books that just won't go away, of course. All's well that ends well when Frederica, the no-longer worm, saves herself and her maid and is bent over backwards and kissed resoundingly by the Duke. Guy Wentwater, of course, gets his comeuppance in typical Marion Chesney fashion and is pushed off a bridge during his last attempt at villainy and dies ignominiously.

A very sweet, short last book. It's very, very short, but somehow satisfying for all that. Of course all the references to previous characters will only work for the reader who has been through the series's roller coaster.