Pretty engaging little story. Lys is poor but of impeccable family. The relatives she is living with want her to marry someone she despises, so she runs away. She ends up getting herself hired as a lady's maid to a pretty insufferable woman who is on a honeymoon trip with her kindly but henpecked husband. Lys' only worry is that the couple's other servant, a chauffeur, will take liberties and get too familiar with her, as she will appear to be a lone and friendless young girl. She need not have worried, though, for she discovers in pretty short order that Jack, the chauffeur, is at least as noble-blooded as she is and would cheerfully lay down his life to protect Lys from insult or injury. The two have a good laugh at the fact that the real "gentleman" and "lady" on this trip are the hired help. Lys is pretty honest with Jack about why she's been driven to play this role, but it's not until the end that she gets to find out why Jack is in the predicament.
They motor around France, enjoy one another's company, make a pact to be brother and sister (yeah, right) and stick by one another in various adventures. Lots of travelogue bits about rural France, lots of noble behavior from lovely Jack, plenty of scrapes for Lys to get into and out of, and the main characters are in disguise...Yup, it's a Williamsons' book! ( )

I had to resort to printing a copy from an online edition. A bit of a clumsy way to read, but well worth it. Clever, erudite and a full pleasure; as I always expect from the Williamsons. ( )

I enjoyed the underlying plot well enough, but there was far more scenery than really interested me. Also a vein of snobbery that was hard to swallow. But I liked it enough to keep going until the end, with some skimming. ( )

From Cannes to Paris, it's quite a wild ride. Mountains, castles, wicked gypsies, snowdrifts, and roads at the beginning of the 20th century. The love of this country and its history and legends are celebrated. Witty and absorbing. ( )