A Christmas Gambol

the long version

A Joan Smith farce. Lord Montaigne is felled by a broken heart and a broken leg. While recuperating, he pens a romance, Chaos is Come Again, which becomes a runaway success, Montaigne is embarrassed and keen to hide the identity of the author, not only because of his status and gender, but also because he has based the best-seller on his failed romance. A nobody from the country, Cecily Caldwell, agrees to pose as the anonymous author, although she is told it has been written by Montaigne’s aunt. Cecily agrees because she has a novel of her own to introduce to a London publisher, and she wants to do research on London society (including Lord Montaigne and his sister) for her next novel. The Christmas theme is slight.