The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

Author : Alison Goodman

Genre : Fiction

A delightfully satisfying book. Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,” is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents itself: to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.

The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is an adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.

Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. And so begins the surprising, secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.