Wherein a whaling harpooner inherits a baronetcy and falls in love with his estate agent.
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A Queer Romance by Sebastian Nothwell. Set in 1890s Cumberland, England (modern-day Cumbria).
This book provides examples of:
- Blackmail Backfire: Basil tries to blackmail Evelyn and Morgan, so Evelyn locks him in a wardrobe.
- Grand Romantic Gesture: Evelyn offers to give Morgan the Winthrop estate hothouse. When Morgan points out the property is entailed, and therefore cannot be given to anybody apart from Evelyn's natural heirs, Evelyn offers to rent it to him... at the rate of a penny per century.
- Literary Allusion Title: The title is a line taken from the song Sailor by IAMX.
- Shout-Out: An abbreviated list of real-world titles appearing in this book follows...
- British Ferns and Their Allies is borrowed from the Winthrop library again and again by Morgan, presumably to fuel his pteridomania.
- Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is one of two books Evelyn keeps in his sea-chest, the other being Moby-Dick.
- Manners and Tone of Good Society, or, Solecisms to be Avoided by A Member of the Aristocracy is used by Morgan to teach Evelyn to be a proper baronet. This marks the second time Sebastian Nothwell has named-dropped this book in his novels.
- Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is Evelyn's favorite book, and inspired him to become a whaler in the first place.
- Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr. also contributed to Evelyn's desire to run away to sea... particularly the scene with the lash.
- Sleeping with the Boss: Part of Morgan's reluctance to act on his feelings for Evelyn are because Evelyn is a baronet and Morgan is his estate agent.
