This was a quick read (I read it all, according to my Kindle, in about an hour). And it was also really enjoyable! Adeline is an orphaned girl taken in by her aunt and uncle, who help provide for her and often remind her that she is lucky to have their help. Her only refuge appears to be Lisette, the maid she has fallen in love with. But Lisette vanishes one night - taking the family's money and prized possessions with her, and breaking Adeline's heart. Two years later, Adeline encounters a woman named Lady Wisteria - who looks strangely like Lisette . . .

The story takes place in the generic setting of nobility, with everyone being known by their titles and dressed up in fancy clothing. At the same time, it's extremely modern because everyone is open about their sexuality without facing judgement. There are casual references to a man's husband and to characters preferring both women and men (though no labels are given). Even when Adeline is of age to marry and out in society, everyone accepts that she wants a wife rather than a husband. It's a really cool subversion on the otherwise old-fashioned society presented in the novel with lords, ladies, and social conventions of needing to marry at a certain age.

I also liked how Adeline accepts her destiny to be married (keeping with the generic old-time setting), but she rebels by wanting to marry for happiness. She doesn't want a dull wife - she wants one she can have fun with and love.

I really liked Adeline's interactions with her cousin, Edith, and Lisette. (The scenes with the latter were typically very sexy and somewhat explicit, so warning if you don't like that kind of thing.)

However, I don't feel like there was a sufficient explanation for Lisette's behaviour: why she had to leave suddenly and steal jewels, and why she kept saying Adeline should stay in the country. She was frustratingly cryptic when things probably would have been resolved faster if she had just been straight-forward. Also, was she really Lady Wisteria? Why did she pose as a maid? I need answers.

It was also strange to have characters reference something called the Goblin Wars? And magic? Perhaps I'm missing something. I realized that this book is part of a larger collection so it's possible that those references are connected to those earlier stories that I haven't read. This is more of a smaller nitpick.

Overall, an enjoyable short story that subverts the usual premise of a heterosexual girl needing to marry.