A Question of Honour

For 12 generations, Ashleigh men have served their English regiment with distinction, while Ashleigh women have served to produce heirs. But at the end of the 19th century, trouble brews in the 13th generation. Aged Sir Gilbert Ashleigh rules supreme over his four surviving grandchildren. He holds up their elder brother Vorne, who died a hero at Khartoum in 1885, as the epitome of everything noble and brave, an impossible yardstick against which none of them can measure up. Vere, the heir designate, is a sensitive artist; younger brother Val is still a schoolboy; Margaret has disgraced herself by marrying a clergyman; and Charlotte has taken herself out of the breeding sweepstakes. Unhappiness abounds as each sibling struggles to find personal fulfillment under the ever-present shadow of Vorne's deathless nobility. Despite sometimes turgid prose and improbable dialogue, Drummond ( That Sweet and Savage Land ) has crafted a satisfying, old-fashioned historical romance with vivid descriptions. Several intriguing subplots left unresolved at the book's close suggest that there will be more Ashleigh adventures to come. ( Aug. )