CONSORT FOR VICTORIA

by Vaughan Wilkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 12, 1958

Third in a trilogy begun a decade ago with And . This seems less history and more adventure, with a slim historical basis- and the goal- to disprove the canard that Albert, prospective Prince Consort, was illegitimate, the son of a courtier of partially Jewish heritage, and to quash effectively the launching of any whispers to that effect, whether true or false, that would cast a slur on the young Queen. Back of the conspiracy, for such it was, stood the Queen's uncle, who might inherit the throne were she out of the way: The tools at hand were two women, both driven by motives of greed and revenge, and ready to use any means to their end. But they reckoned without the nosey Major Houldway, who made his village rounds each day in a sea-front town; and his sister, who held no love for her crat- while husband, the strange Dr. Inness, who turned out to be involved to the hilt in conspiracy of every sort against the throne. And even more vital to the plot was the charming granddaughter of the local tobacconist- the lovely Fancy, widow. The threads begin to draw together when a Captain Cobbold's reason for being in the village is found out- and Houldway enlists his neighbors in a counterplot- for the dignity of England. Adventure piles on adventure; coincidence and luck play into the hands of the amateur investigators; mere matters of paternity and legitimacy become influential factors- but Albert's ancestry in proved- while at the same time, he wipes his state clear of the stigma of his parents' loose ways. Quite a tale- to be read for the portrait of England in those days- and for the sheer adventure aspects.

Pub Date: Feb. 12, 1958

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1958

Categories: FICTION