The Infamous Duchess

February 25, 2019
Barnes’s solid fourth Diamonds in the Rough Regency introduces a duchess and a gentleman whose reputations are vastly different from their true personalities. Viola Cartwright, Duchess of Tremaine, is an enigma and doesn’t mingle with her own social class. Instead she runs St. Agatha’s Hospital, providing free care to the poor with the help of physician Florian Lowell, Duke of Redding. Viola’s deceased husband, Peter, Duke of Tremaine, married her on his deathbed and named her his sole heir; his son, Robert, has returned to London, intent on restoring his fortune by having Peter’s will declared invalid. Henry Lowell, Florian’s brother, is shot in a duel and treated at St. Agatha’s. Viola is determined to resist Henry’s charm while caring for him during his convalescence, but he tells her that the rumors about his rakish ways are untrue. As Henry and Viola grow closer, Viola must decide whether she is ready to give up her independence to wed him. Unconventional and progressive aristocrats, sensual romance, and a swift-moving plotline add allure to this capable novel.

Narrator Carolyn Morris delivers high tension from the moment this story opens on the aftermath of a duel. Henry Lowell is brought to the hospital run by Viola Cartwright, Duchess of Tremaine, to have a bullet removed from his shoulder. Henry becomes intrigued with Viola, who is reluctant to become involved with anyone, given the scandal of her marriage to the elderly Duke of Tremaine. Morris makes listeners feel totally immersed in London society. Viola is being threatened by her late husband's son, Robert, whom Morris gives an appropriately menacing voice. In contrast, Morris provides Henry with a warmth that will have the listener cheering for him and rooting for Robert's downfall. S.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine