Had We Never Loved

With only mixed results, Veryan meshes two narrative lines in this Georgian romance--her ongoing story of a shady conspiracy (begun in Time's Fool ) and a titled gentleman's love for an unsuitable woman. Just as Lord Horatio Glendenning's family becomes the target of the League of Jewelled Men, a secret society that aims to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic, a beautiful and spirited gypsy named Amy Consett steals his purse at a fair. Class conflicts and much sparring constitute their courtship. But the Jewelled Men are scheming to use Glendenning's treasonous Jacobite activities and his stepbrother's propensity for gambling to frame his family and seize their estate. Thus Glendenning and Amy enjoy an adventurous several weeks, in which duels are declared and rescheduled; lovers rendezvous; jewelry is lost, found and lost again; and battles are fought with vicious marauders. While Veryan's account of a seemingly doomed love affair provides a satisfyingly romantic read, the complicated machinations of the League of Jewelled Men will leave the reader confused. (Aug.)