No fond return of love

by Barbara Pym · 1961

Dulcie Mainwaring is the kind of heroine who lives to serve others, never pausing to consider her own heart. When her vivacious friend Viola becomes infatuated with the charismatic Dr. Aylwin Forbes, Dulcie steps in to smooth the way—only to discover that Aylwin’s attention is already fixed on Dulcie’s charming young niece. As Dulcie escorts Viola to the seaside village of Taviscombe, she uncovers the tangled histories of the Forbes family, a mysterious hill‑top castle, and a web of unspoken wishes. Amid the gentle humor and dead‑pan honesty that define Barbara Pym’s style, Dulcie must confront the possibility that love, however modest, might finally return to her own life.