A Lady in Attendance. Rachel Fordham. 2021. [June] 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: The coarse gray fabric of Hazel’s newly donned uniform felt uncomfortable and foreign against her skin. She scratched her neck, trying in vain to force the itch away, but it was no use. These drab clothes would likely never feel comfortable, nor would these dark walls and tall fences ever feel like home.
Hazel McDowell hasn't had the easiest time finding a job--at least under her real name--but her luck is about to change. With just a few little white lies, she starts a new job as a lady in attendance. What is a lady in attendance--you may be wondering?!?! She acts as both assistant AND chaperone to her dentist employer, Dr. Gilbert Watts. (In particular, when his clients are female--she is acting chaperone.)
So. Hazel, our heroine, has a past, and she spends her spare time doing two things: a) hanging out with her new best friend, Ina, an old maid teacher and b) trying to find someone to help her clear her name and salvage her reputation.
Though neither Hazel nor Gilbert (not Giblet) are looking for love, that may just be what they find.
It is set in New York in the 1890s. (1898 to be precise).
I enjoyed this one. I did. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Ina. I did. I loved this side story so very much. I am so pleased it got so much time in the novel. I did like the main story--Gilbert and Hazel--but what I really enjoyed was the whole atmosphere of it--all the characters, all the little things. It was just an enjoyable story.
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