The Beauty's Daughter

by Monette Cummings

Lady Alice never wanted a daughter; indeed, her marriage turned out to be a severe disappointment in many respects. So when her husband was killed in a riding accident, she was quick to sell the country estate that he and daughter Priscilla had loved, send the bereft eight-year-old girl away to school, and remove herself to London and the whirl of Society.

Now, however, Miss Simpkins' Seminary for Young Ladies, where Priscilla had stayed on as an instructress, has closed, and Lady Alice must take in the daughter she never loved.

But what will the ton—and particularly the gentlemen of the ton who flock about Lady Alice—do when they learn that the youthful and beautiful charmer has a twenty-two-year-old daughter? Most particularly, will Lady Alice lost her chances with Sean O'Rourke, the handsome young Irishman with whom she is infatuated? It is decided that Priscilla must be disguised as "Miss Stiles," her ladyship's lowly secretary, and that no word will be spoken of the relationship between them.

Genres: Regency Romance, Historical Romance

155 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1985

About the author

Monette Cummings' The Beauty's Daughter won the 1986 Golden Medallion in the Regency Category.

Reviews

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beautiful and charming Lady Alice has a court of admirers in London where she lives the life of a young widow by pretending to be 31 years old. Lady Alice is really closer to 40 and she has a 22 year old daughter who Lady Alice would prefer didn't exist and shows no love for. Priscilla Holladay was sent away to school at the age of 8 after the death of her beloved father and stayed on as a teacher until ill health forced the kind headmistress to close the school forever. Priscilla joins her mother in London, hoping that absence made her mother's heart grow fonder. However, she discovers that far from wanting her, Lady Alice wants to ship Priscilla off to a dreaded great-aunt in the country forever! Instead, Lady Alice discovers she can put Priscilla's education to good use and "employ" Priscilla as her secretary. She also puts Priscilla to work doing menial tasks for free. Priscilla's life changes forever during a brief meeting with one of her mother's beaux, a Mr. Sean O'Rourke, who kindly chats with Priscilla about farming. Though Priscilla lost her heart, she knows her mother is fond of Mr. O'Rourke and Priscilla believes he will marry Lady Alice so Priscilla endeavors to stay out of the way. A fateful houseparty in the country brings Priscilla to notice in an unexpected and not very pleasant way. Finally, Priscilla takes control of her own destiny and finally learns what it means to have somebody love her.

The plot is very slow moving and nothing much really happens. There's very little chemistry between the romantic leads and Priscilla is very innocent and sheltered. Lady Alice is the true villain of the story and she's so dreadful, it's hard to feel sorry for her when things don't go her way. I wasn't crazy about this book and wouldn't recommend it.

[Sharon Pauley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Priscilla Stiles is Lady Alice's 22 year old daughter. No one in society is aware of her existence since at age eight she was banished to Miss Simpkins' Seminary for Young Ladies. Now the school was closed and she had no choice but go live with her mother in London. She was not to be acknowledged as the daughter of the house. Indeed she was Lady Alice's lowly secretary. Lady Alice gives a dinner party for the Prince Regent who is very superstitious. When one of the guests is unable to attend, Priscilla must attend to make the numbers even. It comes out in the course of the evening that she is Lady Alice's daughter. Priscilla is subjected to all manner of immoral offers. And when Lady Alice adjourns to the country, Priscilla goes back to Miss Simkin's. It was the only home and only friend she had known. She had also fallen in love with Sean O'Rouke, one of Lady Alices satellites. Priscilla becomes a governess in a household with a horrific family. She eventually has her happy ending with her beloved but there is a lot of misery along the way.

[Kagama-the Literaturevixen]

When the Seminary for Young Ladies where Lady Alice had sent 8-year old Priscilla closes, she must take back the daughter she never loved. Fearful that Sean O'Rourke, a handsome admirer, will spurn the youthful Lady Alice when he learns that she has a now grown-up daughter of 22, Alice forces Priscilla to take on the guise of her lowly secretary.