Bret Harte is best known for his stories of the pioneering days in California, so this humorous parody of English Gothic novels is a delightful departure. In this “condensed audiobook” of 9 very short chapters, Harte sets his unlikely tale in Regency England with all the cliches and plot conventions present in abundance. The two main characters Lady Selina and Edgardo hide their amoral pasts from each other, unaware that they’re a perfectly suited couple. In the mix are mysterious villains, dark secrets, past scandals, forbidden romance, hidden panels, murders, and ghosts, all ending with the requisite deus ex machina conclusion. Award-winning narrator Diane Havens performs this small melodrama masterfully.
