Prospects are limited for a lady's maid in the late eighteenth century, even for one as fiesty and ambitious as fourteen-year-old Nan Smithen. But when Nan is attacked by drunken sailors in a dark corner in Yarmouth one night, Fate takes a hand, sending businessman William Henry Easter to her rescue. Enchanted by Nan's youth and high spirits, William Henry begins to court her, and when he proposes Nan is quick to accept. For what better opportunity could a lady's maid have than to marry a gentleman? Appalled by the match, William Henry's family disown their son, and he can offer Nan only a tiny house in Chelsea. But such reduced circumstances are still a luxury to Nan, and for a while she rejoices in the delights of being mistress rather than servant. Then, after the births of three children, her loving husband takes her on a trip to France, where the Revolution is in full swing. And there Fate again casts Nan's life into chaos. In a brief and brutal incident, as the pair witness the execution of Louis XVI, William Henry is killed. Returning to England, Nan faces a battle for survival, for no charity is forthcoming from William Henry's relations. A newswalk in Mayfair, selling the new Tuppenny Times alongside the more established newspapers, offers her one slim chance. Seizing it, she swiftly turns the walk into a profitable business; soon she is expanding. Full of ideas, undaunted by the opposition of the Easters, Nan cuts a swathe through the city and beyond, transforming the newspaper world. Then Nan meets Lieutenant Calverley Leigh, a handsome, rakish cavalry officer. Passions William Henry had never disturbed are awoken. And the empire Nan fought so hard to establish begins to take second place in her life as she discovers the pleasures of love...
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Queen of the newspapers,
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This review is from: Tuppenny Times (Hardcover)
While this book is no literary masterpiece, it's still a good,pleasant read, especially if, as I do, you choose to read a bit of light fluff between heavier books. Nan Smithen was a ladies maid who "married up", to a kind, comfortably off younger son of an aristocratic family. They had a happy marriage which produced three children and a comfortable life before her husband's death after only a few years. Being now the only breadwinner in the family in Georgian London, Nan sees the emergence of the new daily newspaper, The Times, as her entree into the world of business and sets about establishing her own profitable paper routes and eventually, paper shops. She's wooed by a charming scoundrel but is never entirely decieved by him to the point of damaging her budding business, Yes, it's a light read but perfect for when you're in the mood for a filler-in book.
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