Who is the mysterious D? When the two sisters arrive in London with their maid, they take up residence at Grillon’s Hotel. The publisher would like to publish Jane’s poems, but he wants more information. Jane had a passionate epistolary relationship with a man who signed himself D she was his muse and he inspired her to write some truly excellent poetry. Olivia decides they should go to London so that Esme can experience some joy and to visit the publisher who expressed interest in her late cousin Jane’s poems. When Jane and Raeford die in an influenza epidemic, Olivia and Esme find themselves in possession of a comfortable fortune. She and her sister Esme were taken in by their puritanical uncle Raeford Frant, and they have lived quiet country lives with only their cousin Jane for company. Olivia Mallory’s parents were killed in an accident while she was having her first Season. Kirkland’s latest lacks originality or distinctiveness, but provided reasonable “filler” for a few hours. It started off very slowly, but finally picked up speed and moved along very nicely. The Secret Diary is a pleasant enough Regency Romance with lots and lots of local color, nice characters, a totally transparent mystery, and some rather tepid sexual attraction between the hero and heroine.
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