We’re back in London for yet another season, with the usual gang at 67 Clarges Street. They’ve been working steadily for a few years, saving up what they can so they can quit service and buy their own pub. Of course, not everyone is equally on board with the plan, but at this point it’s the best dream they have, and possibly the most attainable. Back then, once someone was in service, it was very difficult for them to leave. That’s why the staff at Clarges Street were stuck – they were at the mercy of their position, and their lack of references.
Sometimes people were able to escape, though. In the case of Emily Goodenough and her uncle Benjamin, they made it out through a legacy. You see, Emily and Ben (Spinks) were the butler and chambermaid of the late Sir Harry Jackson, who died without a family. He left everything to the butler, who took the chambermaid in, and brought her to London so she could find someone suitable to marry.
They take the Clarges Street house and try to blend in as gentlefolk. Emily makes a lot of mistakes, and finally the intrepid staff figures it out. Some other less nice people figure it out too, but of course Rainbird and the gang know what to do.
These books follow the same formula each time, but that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable.
