I am sure there have been times when you finished a book and did not want to start a new one right away ....you needed time with the characters from the one you just finished to hold sway in your memory. This is one of those books. I loved it. I posted in a few places the opening line which is why I actually bought it, happily enough that is not the plateau. This book is full of wit and sarcasm, I got a bit misty near the end (but I can be a bit girly at times). All of the characters are really fleshed out and believable.Most are a joy.

The scenes with Nicholas Brisbane and Lady Jane are of course very well written. I loved Jane's Butler Aquinas and her brother Valerius as well as the gypsy Laundress Magda. THe one gripe I would have (if there was one) is she used alot of lines like "my plans were set for the next day to Blah blah blah , little did I know the danger that was in those plans " A bit annoying but not enough to remove a whole star.