The petticoat men
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The Victorian gossipmongers called them The Petticoat Men. But to young widow Mattie Stacey, they are Freddie and Ernest, her gentlemen lodgers. It is Mattie who admires their sparkling gowns, makes their extravagant hats and laughs at their stories of attending society balls dressed up as the glamorous 'Fanny' and 'Stella'. But one fateful night Fanny and Stella are arrested, and Mattie and her family are dragged into a shocking court trial, described in newspapers all over England as 'The Scandal of the Century'. Outraged, Mattie is determined to save her family from ruin, and her friends from shame and penury. She embarks on a brave journey to expose the establishment's hypocrisy - including the involvement of Mr Gladstone the Prime Minister, and the Prince of Wales. For Fanny and Stella are dangerous ladies, and these are dangerous times ...
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An enjoyable, well-researched novel. I found the first-person narrative parts a bit difficult to get into at first, but once I got into it, I thought that it was quite a clever way of telling the story. The characters were interesting. I thought that it is the kind of book you would read and want to know more about both the case and some of the historical figures portrayed (Susan Vane-Tempest for example).
