The New Countess

With The New Countess (#368), Fay Weldon's saga of the Hedleigh family comes to an end with a conclusion as startling as the opening scenes for the Earl of Dilberne's household in the first volume, Habits of the House (See my post of 3/14/13).  Scandals galore, marriages made and broken, enemies set out to do their worst, although in the end, it's a friend who delivers the coup de grace.  And yes, by the end of the book, there really is a new countess!

The main action in this novel centers around a casual invitation Robert, the Earl, makes to Edward VII to come to Dilberne for a shoot.  Since it's made in the presence of witnesses, and accepted by "Bertie" on the spot as a perfect time to decompress with his current mistress, Alice Keppel, before the Christmas holidays Isobel must put a good face on things.  It's all well and good for Robert whose rising political star keeps him mainly in London, but Isobel is thrown into a frenzy of renovation and redecoration at the ancient Dilberne Court.  She is driving both the staff and the rest of her family out of their minds with the fuss and expense.  Arthur, the son and heir retreats to his automobile factory, and Minnie, his American wife is in a constant battle with her mother-in-law and the ancient Nanny to raise her two little sons her own way.  Meanwhile, there is an unexpected family reunion that doesn't seem to please almost anyone.  And that's only the tip of the iceberg in this noble household!

Since Fay Weldon was one of the original writers of Upstairs, Downstairs, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect if you're a fan of that series or Downton Abbey.  It's a delicious read if you enjoy this kind of thing, which I certainly do.  My advice, though, is if at all possible, gather the three novels before you sit down to read the series, and read the books one right after the other.  (See also my post of 8/2/13 on the second book: Long Live the King.)  You do need to read these in order, and it won't take too much effort to keep going with the series before you forget who did what to whom, as there is really no background on who the characters are when they reappear.

What fun, but I'm sorry I don't have any more books in the series to look forward to.  Thank goodness Downton Abbey is back on!