Deborah Goes to Dover by Marion Chesney, Narrator: Helen Lisanti

Deborah Goes to Dover
M. C. Beaton writing as Marion Chesney
Narrator: Helen Lisanti
5 hours 30 minutes
AudioGo producer

M. C. Beaton Writing as Marion Chesney

Helen Lisanti, Narrator

Narrator Helen Lisanti once again does a credible and outstanding narration of Marion Chesney's The Traveling Matchmaker Series. Ms. Lisanti expresses the characters just as I imagine they might sound and does the changes of gender and age so well that you will never lose track of plot or the personalities. I give double applause for her correct pronunciation of wifery. Helen Lisanti has a lovely soft and rolling voice that is still capable of producing the voice of a shrill, impudent miss, or the affectionate tones of a lover. All in all, Ms. Lisanti gives an enjoyable listen and is a hit in my book. You can rest assured that any audio book she is narrating, will be an excellent listen. I have enjoyed the four books from Marion Chesney, in the Matchmaker series, and my pleasure has been enhanced immensely by a fine narration.

Matchmaker Miss Hannah Pym, had a close call in losing her beloved to a Miss Sparecroft. When that fell through, instead of sighing with relief she is fretting about Sir George being vulnerable to any pretty face that sets her cap on him. Finally in love at last, it isn't bringing her the joy she might have hoped for. Sir George is above her station in life, making a match with him nearly unreachable  she having been his deceased  brothers housekeeper.

Miss Pym, has hopes and one can't dictate the vagaries of the heart. It does seem clear from the previous books that Sir George, is rather smitten with Miss Pym, and enjoys her tales of adventure when she travels on the flying machine. The flying machine being the stage coach in 1800. So off on a new adventure to Dover she goes, although with a heavy heart, she knows her adventures amuse Sir George, and it is her link to maintaining a relationship with him.

The passengers on the Tally Ho coach are a bit of a disappointment to Miss Pym, they appear a drab lot, not promising much in the way of interest or adventures. When the Tally Ho, left for Dover the weather was sunny and fine, but once on the road a day or two it turned chilly and rainy. not a good time to travel in a stagecoach when the rain turns the meager roads into muck.

When the coachman has a burst of recklessness, he fans his team of horses and urges them to racing speed, when a return coach from Dover looms before him. Collision is unavoidable and the Tally Ho, topples over into a ditch. After rescue they are taken to the Crown Inn, where Hannah falls sick with a fever and her footman Benjamin takes care of her, then disappears. Frantic to locate him and worried some evil befell him, she learns that Benjamin has run up a higher gambling debt than any previous ones.

Benjamin is more resourceful that she gave him credit for, when she locates him in a neighboring town just about ready to fight the unbeatable Randal. The purse is big, the town is full, and excitement is high in anticipation of the prize fight. Hannah Pym meets Lord William Weston and his twin sister Lady Deborah at the fight and although there seemed to be slim pickings for a matchmaking event with her fellow travelers, the chance meeting with the twins proves to be more fruitful with Lady Deborah.

Deborah a hoydenish tomboy is promised to marry an older man and of course she has no desire to marry anyone, let alone an old man. She's happy with hunting and fishing with her twin brother and dreads giving up her idyllic life in exchange for babies and diapers.

Hannah Pym is challenged with finding a way to match her with someone more to Deborah's liking.
Fate has thrown Miss Pym some obstacles to waylay the best of her plans, nonetheless luck intervenes and she attains her goals, but not so well with her own object of desire. Progress is slow with Sir George but encouraging.