Steel to the South Book

This is Pretty Polly:




And, Pretty Polly ensures that this novel is a barrel of laughs ! Pretty P belongs to an uncaring, vain, bitchy and grasping young widow called Charlotte Manners. It's purely ironic that this lady has such a surname because she's uncouth and selfish. She's also scheming to attract the Duke of Denbigh because she wants to be duchess and he's filthy rich and hot too. A few years ago, when the H had been a mere younger son with no title aspirations, he had proposed to Mrs. Manners when she'd been the belle of her debutante season. Mrs. M had rejected the H because she was a gold digger but he hadn't been really hurt all that much because he'd been merely infatuated with her beauty. At the start of the story, Mrs. M realizes that she won't be able to get the H to propose unless she can prove that she's a refined, changed and suitably articulate woman since it's common knowledge that the duke isn't fond of airhead women. Mrs. M decides to invite her old school friend Verity because that young lady had been the most intelligent and successful student at the finishing school. Mrs. M wants Verity to write letters to the duke in order to initiate a communication and make him so enchanted that he will come to London to visit her and court her:

Charlotte’s spies told her that the duke was at his estates in the country. She planned to lure him back into London and into her arms. But to do that, she would need to write to him delicate letters, sweet letters that would reanimate his affections.

M.C. Beaton. Pretty Polly (Kindle Locations 82-84). Constable & Robinson. Kindle Edition.


Verity, the heroine, is a 24 yr old spinster who lives with her father ( a successful lawyer ) in the country. The heroine is attractive, articulate and very educated but she has low self esteem because she's not the conventionally pretty type of blonde like Mrs. Manners. Verity has resigned herself to a life of spinsterhood but her father wants her to get married. Verity's dad forces her to accept Mrs. M's invitation because he thinks that a season in London will provide his bluestocking daughter with introductions to eligible aristocratic men. When Verity arrives at Mrs. M's home in London, she is shocked to see a menagerie of pets that are ignored by the young widow. In fact, one of the pets ( a monkey ) is dead and lying on the carpet. The heroine is appalled and decides that she's gonna take care of the remaining pets. They're Pretty Polly, a fat lazy and greedy dog called Tray and a mean, biting and snarky cat called Peter.

This is Tray:




This is Peter:



Mrs. M's schemes get underway immediately and the hero, Charles, becomes intrigued with the letters he receives because he's shocked to discover that Mrs. M can actually write proper sentences and spell complicated words. He thinks that maybe he ought to give her another chance so he decides to start writing back to her. Meanwhile, in London, Mrs. M is having a lot of problems with her other admirers because every time one of them comes around to propose marriage, he ends up leaving hurriedly and refuses to have any future dealings with the widow. Pretty Polly is the one who interferes because the talkative parrot hates Mrs. M and ends up repeating all her nasty and mocking comments to these men while they're waiting for the lady to enter the room. This was so funny because Mrs. M is so vulgar that she often says horrible stuff about her admirers to Verity. Mrs. M is so vain that she's determined to dangle her admirers on a string while she awaits the H's arrival in London. One of the most comic scenes occurs when an elderly Earl, called Lord Veney, comes to propose to Mrs. M and the parrot repeats ( in the perfect imitative voice of Mrs. M ). Mrs. M hadn't received a recent letter from the H so she decides that she will marry the Earl since he's wealthy, but she doesn't count on Pretty Polly's big mouth:

Lord Veney stood amazed, his glass raised halfway to his lips. Then the voice began again and it was undoubtedly Charlotte’s voice,

“Affection and respect for Veney? You odd girl. I tell you straight, he is a boor and a lecher. But once I am countess, he may find his pleasures elsewhere. After I breed, I shall be finished with that side of marriage—and let us hope he can manage it quickly, for I could not bear him in my bed for very long.”

Lord Veney carefully put down his glass and looked at the empty fireplace. He was sure the flue was acting as some sort of speaking tube and that what he had just heard was Charlotte talking to Verity in a room above. He thought of plain and dowdy Miss Tring of Gloucester, who had adored him for years and whom he had snubbed. And all because of an infatuation for some trollop. Miss Tring should break her heart no longer. He would ride to Gloucester that very day and propose. The doors of the saloon opened and Charlotte tripped in. Lord Veney looked her up and down.


“You are disgusting and shameless,” he said.

M.C. Beaton. Pretty Polly (Kindle Locations 660-680). Constable & Robinson. Kindle Edition.

The H, after he arrives in London and meets Mrs. M, soon realizes that she isn't the author of the letters. He's also more intrigued and attracted to Verity. The heroine recognizes him when she sees him; a few years ago, she and her father had been at a crowded inn when the H had intervened to get the surly landlord to provide them with service. Verity's in love with him now but she doesn't think she has a chance because Mrs. M is more beautiful. Of course, Mrs. M notices all the attention that the H is giving to Verity so she puts a spoke in their budding romance by emotionally blackmailing the heroine. I hated Mrs. M. She treated Verity badly and used her, but the heroine wasn't spineless. Verity didn't put up with that lady's crap and was determined to return to her home in the country. The manipulative and nasty Mrs. M went into the heroine's bedroom and stole all her money, so that Verity would have no choice but to stay and be her reluctant companion. When Mrs. M realizes that the duke's not interested in her, she cries a lot of crocodile tears and forces Verity to do everything to help her win him over.

That's when the heroine does the dumbest thing ever ! The H, spurred on by a nice eccentric old lady called Lady Wythe, proposes marriage to Verity but the heroine rejects him because of her misplaced loyalty to the hagwitch Mrs. M. A comedy of stupid errors follow where Verity says a lot of naive stuff that makes the hero think that she's a promiscuous flirt. The MC's are estranged for a short period, during which Verity goes to live with Lady Wythe. Mrs. M, realizing that the H is never gonna propose to her, accepts the proposal from an admirer called James. Then, as if she hadn't kicked out the heroine from her house, she goes to Lady Wythe's home and begs Verity to help with her wedding. I couldn't wrap my head around the way Verity continued to allowed this mean woman to manipulate her. The H, after he reconciled with Verity and proposed to her again, knew that he needed to make his beloved fiancee see that Mrs. M was just a vicious user. But Verity didn't want to hear any bad word spoken about her friend so the duke decided that other tactics would have to be used. He calmly told the heroine to go and tell her "loving" friend about their upcoming marriage. This was the downfall of Mrs. M because she reacted in the way the H had expected:



“My dear friend,” said Verity. “I cannot come with you, but for a wonderful reason. I am engaged to Denbigh.”

“You’re what?” Charlotte’s eyes had narrowed into slits.

“I am engaged to be married to Denbigh.”

Charlotte took a deep breath. “You sly and devious creature,” she raged. “You have been plotting and scheming behind my back. I see it all now. He would have been mine had it not been for you. Now you are to be a duchess and you will take precedence over me. It is past bearing. Get out of here and never let me see your treacherous face again.”


The duke looked sympathetically at his beloved’s white face as he helped her back into the carriage. “I heard a crash,” he said. “What was it?”


“A very pretty ornament,” said Verity sadly.

M.C. Beaton. Pretty Polly (Kindle Locations 2210-2217). Constable & Robinson. Kindle Edition.

So, the heroine finally sees the light and the MC's can have a happy future that's free from any communication with the wicked Mrs. M. Pretty Polly, Tray and Peter are also given their wonderful ending because they are adopted by Verity.

This is the heroine, Verity:




This is the hero, Charles: