Lover's Alibi

(from Grosset & Dunlap dustjacket) It all started at the World's Fair when Anne met the irrepressible Tony France. That Anne was already engaged to the wealthy Andrew van Dusen did not seem to bother Tony at all and, as a matter of fact, Anne probably never would have considered marrying Andrew if it hadn't been for Grand-aunt Isabel. From a frivolous jest Anne thought she had the answer to her desire for independence and she started her Alibi Bureau for people who were in trouble. Grand-aunt Isabel wasn't told -- she didn't believe young ladies should work -- but a great number of people heard of it: people who needed alibis to save their marriages and self-respect. And they turned to Anne. Then Anne discovered that she herself needed an alibi -- and there was no bureau for her to turn to.

The misunderstandings are preposterous but the alibi agency is a fun conceit. Not her best but not her worst and I have a soft spot for Widdemer.

Scenes set in Maryland have the usual terms and dialect re. black servants, but it's not prevalent or as demeaning as many.