Romance to the Rescue (1921) is a novel by Denis Mackail. Recognized
in his time as a leading writer of popular fiction, Mackail was a gifted
stylist with a keen sense of social convention and a deep commitment to
developing his diverse casts of characters. Frequently funny, Mackail's
work is a pleasure to read and deserves renewed interest from the
public. The past few years have been hard on David Lawrence. Having lost
his mother to illness, he is preparing to go off to college at Oxford
while living up to the expectations of his father Martin, a respected
academic. While out to dinner with his father in London, David meets the
mysterious Mrs. Cartwright, a charming older woman who seems to have a
history with Dr. Lawrence. Encouraging him to pay a visit to her home,
she bids them goodnight, leaving David to play it cool while conversing
with his father. Not long after this brief meeting, David calls on Mrs.
Cartwright to find her in the middle of a conversation with aspiring
playwright John Ormroyd, who wishes to have his new production staged at
the Thespian Theatre. Assuring him to remain confident in his work,
Cartwright--whose husband Leo manages the Thespian--welcomes David into
her drawing room, where she introduces the two men and bids farewell to
John. As the story unfolds, passion and a secret from the past prove an
entertaining concoction as men compete for the attention of a woman
whose confidence and intelligence they foolishly underestimate. With a
beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this
edition of Denis Mackail's Romance to the Rescue is a classic of
English literature reimagined for modern readers.
