The period is also supported by little clippings from newspapers, journals and those books on the proper deportment of a lady at the beginnings of the chapters, which help remind you of the world outside and surrounding these preoccupied young women, and how everyone is watching them. There is some thought given to class consciousness, the social expectations, pretensions and manoeuvring of the rich, but I was pleased to see it didn't suffer from too much "presentism". It was also good to have one of the protagonists be a lady's maid who ends up on the street - you get to see the less glamorous, more hard-working "trade" side of the city. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the writing and worldbuilding. While I am under no illusions that it is perfectly researched and historically accurate in terms of dialogue or general conduct- it served its purpose of transporting me to the time with its descriptions of fine gowns, lavish balls and court like intrigue.

The Luxe Bali’s living areas take up most of the villa’s second level, with multiple seating areas offering lavish room for entertaining or relaxing. A 58-inch TV provides entertainment for the whole family, while a quiet study is lined with books covering Bali, Indonesia and life in the tropics. The floors of the living and dining areas are all beautifully waxed timber surrounded by a cream travertine edge. Dining Room The Luxe Bali has extensive spa treatment facilities located on the ground floor next to the gym and cinema room. The spa facilities include a solid massage bed and amenities, a private redwood aromatic dry sauna, a travertine lined steam room and shower. Garden & Pools customer can choose the suitable size according to the size guide and the design of the female size chart. The types are targeted at waist and chest circumference, hip joints, and also targeted at different regions, such as Europe and Australia and other countries in different regions to choose the appropriate size. To enrich the optional diversity. there is always one that will satisfy you and make your life more elegant in The Luxe Company. When reputations are at stake and secrets become a currency, friends turn on friends and no one is safe.The girls of her class were slaves to rules, going about life—if you could call it that—like bloodless mannequins." Romantik, Eifersucht, Verrat, Humor und ein opulentes Setting. Ich konnte Die 'Prinzessinnen von New York' nicht zur Seite legen!" CECILY VON ZIEGESAR, Autorin der "Gossip-Girl"-Reihe Her instinct was to do some violence to the white-and-gold upholstery that decorated the room, but she had not so lost her head as to want to ruin good brocade. Not yet." Lina was the household maid, but dreamed of bigger things. She felt very selfish and juvenile to me, and never thought of the consequences of her actions.

Life for Elizabeth isn't easy though, even though all she has to do is sit around and look beautiful. It turns out, since the death of her father, her family is having financial problems and aren't able to keep up the type of lifestyle they are used to living. One thousand dollar gowns, priceless works of art, and trips abroad are a thing of the past unless something can be done to secure the family's place in society before everyone learns of their trouble. Mrs. Holland thinks Elizabeth can save the family by marrying Henry Schoonmaker – New York's most eligible and most sought after bachelor. Elizabeth Holland and her best friend Penelope Hayes rule Manhattan's social scene. But when Elizabeth learns her family's status is far from secure, suddenly everyone is a threat to a golden future. Elizabeth is forced into an engagement to Henry Shoonmaker, a man she barely knows, with a terrible reputation as a ladies man, who happens to be the person Penelope is in love with. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Henry is being forced into the engagement by his overly ambitious and protective father. He has to hide his love for Diana from his father, playing along with the wedding plans. Henry and Diana enjoy a rich and intimate life with each other that seems untainted by their chaotic and competitive external world. Lina, Elizabeth’s maid, is envious of Elizabeth’s privilege and tries to sell the Holland family’s secret for both social and financial gain. Along the way, she unexpectedly falls in love with Tristan Wrigley, a shop boy, who exposes her to and teaches her to value new elements of New York City’s rich lower class life. Claire Broud is Lina's older sister. Claire is a proper maid who relishes the gossip of the upper class and is truly fond of Diana, her mistress. Despite her love of gossip, she is very loyal to the Hollands. Claire is described as having red hair and a pale face.Elizabeth Holland must choose between the family duty of an arranged marriage and true love. Elizabeth, 18 years old, is described as angelic, with ash blond hair and brown eyes. She does everything she is told, and obeys her mother. She secretly spends long passionate nights with her stable boy, Will, but she has to marry Henry Schoonmaker to save her family from becoming poor.

Diana Holland considers herself the romantic Holland sister. Diana is a 16-year-old with a rebellious streak that, Elizabeth believes, stems from the fact that she did not have a very refined coming-out party. Diana has wild, chestnut brown curls and features similar to her sister, pale skin and brown eyes. Diana is not one to follow rules, but she is often seen with her nose in a book, her only escape from what she thinks is a dull and ridiculous life. She falls in love with her sister's fiancé, Henry Schoonmaker. At that time, I haven't read enough historical fiction to know what was the good quality ones and the bad quality ones. I was only interested on what this book was going to contain. Anyway, I completely expected to be utterly bored by this book, but instead I was vastly entertained and gripped by the unfolding mystery and tension, and even though the prologue tells you the ending, it doesn't tell you anything, and you're never sure what's going to happen next or how it all worked out. I did suspect from the very beginning the truth about Elizabeth, though.We begin the story with an end of one. The funeral of miss Elizabeth Holland, a tragic and unexpected death of one of society’s most loved. The next chapter, we see Elizabeth, before her death. I loved this element, as we knew she died- but not how, why or by who.