I discovered two weeks ago that there was a brand-new installment of the Ashmore Castle series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and, because I had read the last one almost a year ago, decided to reread that one and then the new one. So I have just spent almost two weeks reading The Mistress of Ashmore Castle again, followed by Rivals at Ashmore Castle, also apparently known as The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle? They both have exactly the same plot description—perhaps the name is different in the States than it is in England?

The publishers are going all out to exploit comparisons to Downton Abbey, The Crown, and Bridgerton, but I think the most apropos is the similarity to Upstairs, Downstairs, considering that we get to eavesdrop and spy on the people and the relationships amongst both the “quality” and the servants. And sometimes, of course, there is the scandal of a crossover between those classes.

Harrod-Eagles has done a nice job keeping both personal and historical content going, so that you get a real sense of context from these novels. There is a particular focus, via several characters, on the gradual inroads made by business into upper-class society; a mere 20 or 30 years previous, no one in the titled class would have considered marrying or even befriending a “tradesman,” but as familial wealth declines and business advances, both marriages and forays into new enterprises are undertaken by people from both sides of that divide, and in the process we get to see some of the innovations coming to early 20th-century England in 1905. There are also further glimpses into the women’s suffrage movement and the tentative breaking down of barriers to careers for women, although that’s a fairly small part of this story.

These things are only the backdrop, however, for the continuing soap opera that is the Stainton family, and many changes are made both above and below stairs.

Giles is home from Egypt, chastened by his boneheaded misunderstanding of the feelings of the lovely Italian Julia, and has retreated somewhat reluctantly into the arms of his loving wife, Kitty, and the management of their property and family. Richard, Giles’s younger brother, is still mooning over the impossibility of a relationship with his father’s former mistress, Molly, who has decamped to America to shepherd her daughter’s brilliant career as a concert pianist. But Richard finally decides that he has had enough of the frivolous life (and also of being poor and dependent on his brother) and focuses his energies on creating an innovative new business supplying milk to London with the help of Nina’s husband, Joseph Cowley, the wealthy and good-natured entrepreneur. Nina still struggles with her feelings for Giles but is attempting to channel them into her marriage while dabbling in politics against her husband’s wishes.

Rachel has struggles of her own; she wants to be with Angus (she does! really!), but is also reluctant to give up her social successes and many flirtations for a much less extravagant lifestyle as a tradesman’s wife; luckily, she isn’t free to make that commitment until she turns 21, since her mother is determined to marry her to a nice Russian prince or some such, so as long as she can resist other offers, she can keep partying. Alice, meanwhile, has found an outlet for her passion by focusing on her art, with both positive and negative outcomes. And Sebastian and “Uncle Stuffy” both unexpectedly explore a future with new partners.

Below stairs, Mr. Moss suffers two losses, Afton considers his role, new footman Frederick is perhaps more than he seems, and Dory fearfully contemplates a change of status.

From train crashes to unexpected marriages to forbidden passions, the theme of this latest installment seems to be upheaval. I will definitely continue to read this series with anticipation and enjoyment.

Meanwhile…

I have needed to play catch-up with Harrod-Eagles’s other series that I have followed for many years, the Bill Slider police procedurals. There were two books I hadn’t yet read, so I picked them up from Kindle Unlimited after I finished the Ashmore books. I read the first one, Easeful Death, then started the second one, Deadly Force, only to realize that what was once gripping now felt somewhat stale. (I have, after all, read 25 of them!) I don’t know whether I have permanently run out of steam on these or whether it’s just a temporary boredom because I wasn’t in the mood for mainstream mystery right now, but I decided to put the second one aside for the moment in favor of a new book I discovered in a reading group; it has something to do with pirates, so it sounded more fun than solving yet another grim murder. I’ll report back soon.