It gets a lot more convoluted as one goes along. The above is actually the straightforward portion of the plot. That will be easier said than done since almost immediately after arriving back there she is met with Sir John’s very suspicious new solicitor and a whole host of other problems, not least of which is that Sir John is now awake. She loads her son and his nurse into the carriage and hopes she can somehow find a way for the three of them to escape Devonshire later. Before she can whisk him away, she is found by her escort and forced back into the role of Lady Mayfield. Proving luck ain’t a lady, Hannah’s runs out after finding her child.

Once she gets to Bath, she has to do some verbal tap dancing to get away from them to try to find her son. She is forced to accept the doctor’s son and the girl he is courting as escort. For starters, a woman of Lady Mayfield’s station does not run around hiring coaches for herself and taking them to Bath on her own. Shocker! Her plan goes awry almost from the first moment she attempts to set it in motion.

If Hannah can just pretend to be her employer for a few short days, she should have the means to retrieve her illegitimate child from Bath and set herself up in a new town with gainful employment. Sir John was gravely injured in the accident and is in a coma. Her initial thought is to set the record straight at once but then she realizes the advantage she has at the moment. It isn’t long though until Hannah regains her memories. She doesn’t know why that is not quite right and doesn’t have the strength or mental power to figure out the problem. Everyone about her calls her Lady Mayfield and tries to speak to her of her husband Sir John. Unfortunately, Hannah wakens with a head injury and no real knowledge of herself or her circumstances. They are involved in a bad carriage accident. Of course this last minute decision proves to be catastrophic. However, she is desperately in need of funds and so agrees to go at the last possible moment. Hannah has compelling reasons to stay where she is. In spite of the mayhem, Lady Mayfield is delighted to see her and Hannah is asked to come with her and serve as her companion again. The family is quitting Bath and moving to the country. When Hannah Rogers goes to the Mayfield home to collect the remainder of her wages, she finds the house in an uproar. I kept thinking, “Only in a romance novel.” On the other hand some of the twists and turns came across as more than a little melodramatic. Klassen is an experienced wordsmith with smooth prose whose twisting, turning plot kept me eagerly engaged in the tale. I had a real grading conundrum with Lady Maybe.

Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen