I bought Her Heart for a Compass last year as soon as the hardback came out. Set in 1865, It is a fictional story based on Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas-Scott who was the Duchess of York’s Great-Great Aunt.
As a daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, Lady Margaret is expected to marry well and take her place in society. Unfortunately, in her case this means an arranged marriage and she knows that deep down it is something she cannot go through with.
As a result, Lady Margaret is banished from society and her parents, who are close friends with Queen Victoria, send her to Ireland after she refuses to marry the Earl of Killin. Whilst there she strikes up a correspondence with Donald Cameron of Lochiel, but the timing is not right for it to become more than that and Lady Margaret knows she has a journey of her own to complete.
Lady Margaret is a strong heroine whose determination to carve her own role shines through in a time when women had little say over their lives.
This is a beautifully written book that I couldn’t put down. I felt so invested in Lady Margaret’s life and had my fingers crossed that things would work out for her.
This book is very evocative and I found that nineteenth century life is vividly brought to life complete with all of the sights, sounds and smells.
This is a sweeping, compelling and romantic tale about always following your heart. It takes the reader from England to Scotland, Ireland and America.
I loved this book and cannot wait to read the next book by Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York and Marguerite Kaye, which is out next year and will be called A Most Intriguing Lady.
Highly recommended, especially for fans of historical fiction.
I bought the French edition for my collection whilst I was on holiday in France over the summer.
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